This Week’s Crazy Building: Raja Gopura

This week’s crazy building is Raja Gopura in Murudeshwara, India. A gopura is an ornate monument tower at the entrance to a temple. At 20 stories and a staggering 237 feet, Raja Gopura is one of the tallest on earth. Two life-size elephants guard the steps leading to its gateway. This is the entrance to
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Iceberg Apartments

Isbjerget by Slaunger licensed under the terms of CC BY-SA 3.0
This week’s crazy building is the Iceberg Apartments in Aarhus, Denmark. Called “Isbjerget” in their native Danish, these 7- and 8-story apartment buildings are the result of a competition-winning design from Dutch studio seARCH. If it wasn’t obvious from the name (and the picture), the buildings were inspired by the jagged shapes and pristine whites
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Fisheries Development Board

Office Building of Fisheries Department, Hyderabad , India by Nagaraju Raveender licensed under the terms of CC BY-SA 3.0
This week’s crazy building is the Fisheries Development Board! The Fisheries Board building cost roughly $5 million to build. Completed in early 2012, the building was designed to resemble a fish in keeping with the department’s area of focus. Little information is available about this bizarre structure. It seems surprising that the designers would take such an unusual approach,
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Solomon’s Castle

Credit: Soloman’s Castle by Sam Howzit licensed under the terms of CC BY-2.0
This week’s crazy building is Solomon’s Castle in Ona, Florida. As strange as this 12,000 square foot home looks at first glance, it only gets weirder from there. It was built in the 1970s by Howard Solomon over the course of twelve years in the middle of a Floridian swamp. Inspired by medieval castles, he
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Harpa Concert Hall

Harpa Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Center by Sarah Ackerman licensed under the terms of CC BY 2.0
This week’s crazy building is the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland. Completed in 2011, Harpa is the home of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. It was also meant to include a hotel, apartments, shops, restaurants and other facilities, but those plans were abandoned during Iceland’s financial crisis. This unusually angled structure seems to burst out in
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This Week’s Crazy Building: The Walkie Talkie

The Walkie- Talkie by Colin licensed under the terms of CC BY-SA 4.0
This week’s crazy building is the Walkie Talkie Building in London, England. Officially called “20 Fenchurch Street”, this distinctive skyscraper was dubbed the Walkie Talkie building due to its unusual shape. Later, though, the Walkie Talkie began to pick up other, even less flattering nicknames: The “Walkie Scorchie” and the “Fryscraper.” Why the strange monikers? As
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Marina Bay Sands

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore by Someformofhuman licensed under the terms ofCC BY-SA 3.0
This week’s crazy building is Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. This unusual structure consists of three massive building columns, with a long, thin roof section reminiscent of a flattened cruise ship perched across the top. According to the designer, famous architect Moshe Safdie, it was inspired by by a deck of cards. Due both to
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Asahi Beer Hall

Asahi Beer Hall by rsk licensed under the terms of CC BY 2.1 JP
This week’s crazy building is the Asahi Beer Hall in Toyko, Japan. As you may have guessed, it’s the main office of Asahi Breweries. The brainchild of French designer Philippe Starcke, Asahi Beer Hall was completed in 1989 and includes two highly unusual structures. The main building is over 300 feet tall and 22 stories.
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Solae Tower

Solae Test Tower by Alpsdake licensed under ther terms of Public Domain
Did you know that there are buildings constructed specifically to test elevators? These tall, thin, windowless towers exist solely for testing their speed, safety and durability. Solae Tower is the tallest such tower on earth at 173 meters (567 feet) in height! That’s over 60 feet taller than any building in San Diego. The $50
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Victoria Tower

Victoria Tower by Larske licensed under the terms of CC BY-SA 3.0
This week’s crazy building is Scandic Victoria Tower in Stockholm, Sweden. At 384 feet, this skyscraper in Stockholm’s Kista neighborhood is the tallest building in the city and the tallest hotel in Scandinavia. It’s named for Princess Victoria, who is next in line to the Swedish throne. The exterior is plated with mirrored panels that allow Victoria Tower
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