Tiny Birds Build Communal Nests So Large They Can Pull Down Trees
While most songbirds build small, discreet nests designed to shelter one clutch of eggs, the Social Weavers (Philetairus socius) of southern Africa build communal nests so large that they can pull down mature trees. Each structure can weigh over a ton, and range upwards of 20 feet wide and 10 feet tall, with over a […]
Bolwoningen – The Futuristic Bubble Houses of Den Bosch
Science and technology progress so fast that something created only a decade ago will most likely feel like an antique to its present-day observers. This, however, is not the case with the ball-shaped houses in the Dutch city of Den Bosch: they resembled the set of a sci-fi movie when they were conceived in 1984 […]
Veda Village – A Vegetarian-Only Apartment Complex in Russia
If you’re a diehard vegetarian who can’t bear the smell of cooked meat, or even the thought of living near someone who likes to consume meat, you’ll soon be able to move into a vegetarian-only apartment complex in Russia. Veda Village, an ongoing construction project in the suburbs of St. Petersburg, Russia, was designed for […]
Chinese Man Builds Elevator That Only Goes Up to His 6th Floor Apartment
Sick of listening to his lazy son-in-law complaining about how hard it was to climb the stairs to his 6th floor apartment, a man in Chongqing, China, built a private elevator that only goes up to his apartment. The man, surnamed Xong, has been living in the Tongliang District apartment building for decades, but never complained […]
Toronto Family Sue Neighbors for Copying the Look of Their House
A family in Forest Hill, Toronto, has taken their neighbors to court for copying the design of their multi-million dollar house when renovating their property, thus decreasing the value of their own home. They are asking for $2.5 million in damages. It turns out you can’t just copy design elements of a house you like […]
Scariest House in Belarus Has Neighbors on Edge
In the town of Ratomka, five kilometers from the Belorussian capital of Minsk, there is a house so spooky that some people try to avoid walking past it at all costs, especially at night. With skeletal hands coming out of the stone fence, devils decorating the roof and dozens of black skulls covering a domed […]
Chinese Woman Spends $900,000 Building Her Very Own “Palace of Ceramics”
Yu Ermei, and 86-year-old woman from Jingdezhen, Eastern China, has spent around $900,000 and five years of her life building a “palace” completely decorated with ceramic pieces. Most people consider her insane for spending so much time and money on this project, but she says that her life would be incomplete without it. When Yu came up […]
Five-Storey Building in China Has a Road on Its Roof
Photos of a five-storey building in the Chinese city of Chongqing have been going viral on social media, for the simple fact that the building in question has a flat roof that also doubles as a road that cars actually drive on. Before we go into details about this particular architectural oddity, it’s worth mentioning […]
Russian Craftsman Builds Galleon on Top of His Workshop
Walking through the picturesque village of Kupino, in Russia’s Belgorod region, the last thing you would expect to see is a large wooden replica of Sir Francis Drake’s legendary galleon, the Golden Hind. And yet, that’s exactly what a local carpenter has been building on top of his small workshop. Growing up on the coast […]
Japan’s Earthquake-Resistant Dome Houses Are Made of Styrofoam
When they hear the word “Styrofoam”, most people think about disposable food containers or packaging material, but for one Japanese modular home manufacturer, it is the building material of the future. Its increasingly popular Styrofoam dome houses are highly earthquake-resistant, super cheap and quick to build, and have very high thermal insulating properties. What’s not to like? Japan […]
Get Your Wallet Ready, $200,000 Dog Mansions Are Coming
As man’s best friends, dogs deserve the best in life, and when it comes to housing, a UK company is ready to offer them just that. Hecate Verona is all set to launch the world’s first line of luxury dog mansions, with the most expensive models costing up to $200,000. Hardwood floors made from beech, oak and […]
Seoullo 7017 – A Seoul Overpass Turned Pedestrian Sky Garden
Constructed in 1970, the Seoul Station overpass connected the eastern and western halves of the South Korean capital for over three decades. Closed in 2015, due to safety concerns, the iconic suspended highway was reopened this month, as a pedestrian sky garden. The old overpass was created as a solution to the growing traffic congestion in […]
Bolivian Man Builds Transformers-Themed Houses for the Rich
Santos Churata has been a fan of the Transformers universe since early childhood. Now a licensed home builder in the Bolivian city of El Alto, the 34-year-old uses his passion for autobots and decepticons as inspiration for the design of eye-catching houses for the rich. The city of El Alto, located at 4,070 meters above sea […]
Crowded Chinese City Has Train Passing Straight Through 19-Floor Residential Building
Due to the unique topography and high construction density of Chongqing, one of the most populated cities in China, architects and city planners had to come up with a unique way of developing a vital monorail line. Their solution – having the train pass straight through a 19-floor apartment building. With the Daba, Wushan, Wuling, […]
Architect Turns Old Cement Factory into Awe-Inspiring Work/Living Space
Covered by climbing plants and surrounded by a garden of eucalyptus, palms, olive trees and cypresses, this old cement factory on the outskirts of Barcelona looks like an abandoned industrial complex reclaimed by nature. In reality, it’s a bustling work/living space designed by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill. Bofill discovered the closed down World War I cement […]