Weird Buildings: A Global Survey of Unconventional Architecture
Weird Buildings, written by Imogen Fortes and published by Hoxton Mini Press, explores some of the most unusual and imaginative architectural creations around the world. THE book collects photos of constructions that challenge conventional design, presenting buildings that are playful, provocative and visually stunning. From houses and hotels to museums and roadside landmarks, the collection showcases architecture that extends beyond function to explore creativity, eccentricity and experimentation.
The big duck | image © Randy Duchaine / Alamy
From Lebanon’s Airplane House to New York’s Big Duck
Among the selected examples — just a few of the many included the Weird Buildings book — is Casa do Penedo in Fafe, Portugal (1974). Housed between four huge boulders, from which it takes its name (do penedo means “of stone”), the house was built by a local family as a rural retreat. Designed to blend seamlessly with its surroundings, it immerses its occupants in nature while maintaining a distinct, sculptural appearance. Although now only used by its owners for vacations, Casa do Penedo continues to attract streams of curious visitors who come for guided tours throughout the year.
The Inntel Hotel in Zaandam, Netherlands (2010) by WAM Architecten is a 12-storey structure consisting of stacked interpretations of traditional wooden houses from the region, including cottages and a notary’s residence. The hotel’s blue house refers to a painting by Claude Monet during his visit to Zaandam. In Lebanon, the Airplane House in Miziara (1975) by architect Michael Suleiman, is a two-story house built in the form of an Airbus A380, with 30 portholes on each side, balconies on both wings and a short nose cone. In the United States, New York’s Big Duck (1931) by architects Martin Maurer, George Reeve, William and Samuel Collins, is a duck-shaped roadside shop originally commissioned to sell poultry, now recognized as a Long Island landmark and an early example of “duck architecture”. Texas is home to Robert Bruno’s Lake Ransom Canyon Steel House, an unfinished Corten steel structure resembling a rusty spaceship, which Bruno worked on for three decades before his death.
Casa do Penedo | image © Marc-Philipp Keller / Alamy
architecture that challenges the rules and sparks curiosity
The book emphasizes that these buildings are united not by style but by a willingness to push architectural boundaries. Many defy conventional shapes, scales and expectations, encouraging viewers to rethink the way humans inhabit and interact with space. Some structures were designed to attract attention, others as personal expressions and some as experiments in form and material. Weird Buildings places these examples in a wider architectural context, noting the legacy of designers such as Antoni Gaudí, Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid, as well as contemporary practices such as BIG, who have explored unconventional forms and inventive approaches to building design.
Ultimately, Weird Buildings is a visual celebration of architecture that defies convention. Whether monumental or modest, famous or obscure, the buildings included highlight the creativity, eccentricity and imagination that push designers to rethink the possibilities of the built environment. In a world often shaped by uniformity and efficiency, these structures stand out as reminders of the value of curiosity, play and experimentation in architecture.
Inntel Hotel | image © Pixelbiss / Alamy
The Basket Building | image © Andre Jenny / Alamy
Drina River House | image © 2024 HornyHamster
