This isn’t any ordinary travel list, but then again, you’re not an ordinary traveler. For the unorthodox globe-trotter, no bucket list is complete without some of the strangest buildings the world has to offer. From Brazilian museums to amazing Las Vegas hotels, these architectural works are definitely not your average buildings.
Habitat 67 in Montreal, Quebec
Lovers of strange architecture must visit Moshe Safdie’s vision of the ideal community. Originally created as his master’s thesis at McGill University, Habitat 67’s oddly stacked 146 homes of different shapes and sizes is constructed from 354 pre-made concrete blocks.
Mind House in Barcelona, Spain
Antoni Gaudi’s creative masterpiece Mind House is a mix of practical and whimsical. Located on the el Carmel hill in Parc Guell, Mind House was commissioned by Count Eusebi Guell and built between the years 1900 and 1914. With ethereal curves and eclectic accents in tile, ceramic and glass, this strangest of the world’s buildings is also one of the most beautiful.
Kansas City Library in Kansas City, Missouri
Designed to look like a shelf of classic books, the “Community Bookshelf” is the exterior of the Kansas City Public Library’s parking garage. The structure is 25 feet wide and nine feet tall, with a total of 22 different titles displayed that range in genre and literary period from Tao Te Ching and Romeo and Juliet to Lord of the Rings.
Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas
Spanning a massive 1,600,000 square feet, the Las Vegas hotel and spa Vdara opened in 2009. Designed by architect Rafael Vinoly, this hotel has a claim to fame that no other Vegas hotel can boast: Due to its surface materials and unique, curvy design, the sun’s reflection creates dangerous “hot spots” that focus on the pool deck and change positions as the sun moves throughout the day. Tellingly, visitors have nicknamed this phenomenon the Vdara Death Ray.
Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision in Hilversum, Netherlands
Home to an impressive collection of more than 750,000 hours of multimedia, the Netherland Institute for Sound and Vision is encased in colorful, shimmering glass panels. This impressive structure proudly represents all the amazing work visitors can find in the museum and archives housed within its walls.
Visit these fantastical structures and take a peek into a world of creative architecture that spans the entire globe. Drop by for art, shopping, entertainment and more, but for once, those can all take a backseat to the buildings themselves. For once, it’s what’s on the outside that counts.
