Eight of The World’s Strangest Houses
Popular Mechanics’ Chris Sweeney recently created a great list of 18 of the world’s strangest homes. And though there are arguably some even stranger ones out there (the toilet-shaped home, for one, or the coral castle), one of the things we like about Popular Mechanics’ list is a strong focus on sustainability.
The Popular Mechanics collection focuses on designs that think outside of the box and approach sustainability from a holistic perspective. Some include recycled materials, but recycling itself isn’t usually the central theme.
You don’t have to live in a house built out of discarded tires, bottles, or vehicles to “go green.” There are many ways that we can all go green in our homes, no matter what they look like or where they are located. Switching to more efficient light bulbs and appliances, trying out energy monitoring devices, and boosting insulation are a few examples.
Free Spirit Spheres
Looking like something from Star Wars, suspended tree houses known as Free Spirit Spheres excite the imagination. Made by Tom and Rosy Chudleigh from British Columbia, the “tree houses for adults” are handmade from local wood.
The spheres are recommended for meditation, photography, canopy research, leisure, wildlife watching and other activities, and they can be ordered fully loaded with plumbing, electricity and insulation. Some are available for rental, and DIY kits are offered. They reportedly sway in the wind.
Photo: Courtesy of Free Spirit Spheres
The Nautilus House
Perhaps what Gaudi would have envisioned if he were asked to decorate a sea shell, the Nautilus in Mexico City was completed in 2006 by architect Javier Sensonian of Arquitectura Orgánica. Sensonian practices what he calls “bio-architecture,” and has designed buildings shaped like snakes, whales and other living things.
The Nautilus was built for a young family who wanted something that felt more integrated with nature, and it is filled with lush vegetation. The front door blends into the colorful mosaic facade.
Photo: www.arquitecturaorganica.com
The Steel House
One glance at the fantastical Steel House, and you’ll never forget it. Designer Robert Bruno wanted it to look somewhere between animal and machine, and we think he succeeded. The unique home is perched on a bluff near Lubbock, Texas, and minimizes disruption to the area by resting on top of four skinny legs.
Steel is long-lasting and highly recyclable, so green builders have been giving it a second look in recent years, especially for roofing. Inside, the Steel House looks more H.R. Giger than Martha Stewart, and it doesn’t look like the most practical living space, but it definitely is thinking outside of the four-walled box.
Photo: RobertBruno.com
The Sliding House
In a final form that quite closely resembles the the Barn House by Belgian architectural and planning firm BURO II (which reworks an existing barn), London-based dRRM Architects created the Sliding House in Suffolk, England.
This unique dwelling is designed to be flexible, allowing the owners to take advantage of fluctuations in light and temperature, maximizing energy savings through passive heating and cooling. The 20-ton outer shell can be retracted in six minutes, revealing an inner layer that’s mostly glass. It’s like layering up in clothing!
Photo: dRRM Architects
Montesilo
At Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in Missouri, residents cobbled together a livable two-bedroom apartment from an old grain bin. Considerably more upscale is the attractive Montesilo in Woodland, Utah, finished in 2006 by Gigaplex Architects.
The Montesilo was made by joining together two corrugated grain silos, and it has a modest, space-efficient size of 1,800 square feet. The home sits in a gorgeous natural setting, near the Provo River, and the ample windows and balcony help bring the outdoors in.
Photo: Gigaplex Architects
Amory Lovins’ House
Leading green thinker Amory Lovins of the venerable Rocky Mountain Institute lives in a gorgeous home in Old Snowmass, Colorado, that costs a miserly $5 per month to power, thanks to passive solar design, 16-inch-thick walls, xenon-filled windows, and a pair of wood-burning stoves. The home is festooned with solar panels, and there’s a passively controlled greenhouse that yields tropical fruit.
Begun in 1982, the house was way ahead of its time, and has recently been updated with LEDs, the latest energy-monitoring technology, and other green tweaks.
Photo: Christian Patterson for Popular Mechanics
222 House
The remarkable 222 House in Wales leaves a nearly nonexistent footprint on the region’s southwest coast. According to designers Future Systems, “The soft, organic form of the building is designed to melt into the rugged grass and gorse landscape, the roof and sides of the house being turfed with local vegetation.”
Completed in 1994, the bathroom and kitchen are prefabricated pods that were lifted into the site during construction. The home needs little energy input due to the natural insulation of the ground.
Photo: Future Systems
Bubble Dream Castle
The space-age Bubble Dream Castle in southern France, near Cannes, was begun in 1975 by Antti Lovag. Inside, the livable sculpture resembles a set from vintage Star Trek, but with more light, since the windows are designed to take advantage of Mediterranean sun.
One of the goals of the visionary designer was to unify the home with its natural surrounding, by bringing outdoor elements inside. Today, the complex boasts 10 suites decorated by different artists, a reception hall seating 350, an outdoor auditorium, and a massive garden.
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
2leep.com worlds strangest houses,world's strangest houses,strangest houses,worlds strangest homes,strangest buildings,nautilus shell architecture,grain bin house,upside down houses,strangest bedrooms,Strangest Homes,strangest house,world strangest homes,world\s strangest houses,The worlds strangest houses,world weirdest building,grain bin houses pictures,House made from grain bin,strangest house in the world,World Strangest Houses,The Strangest Homes,stranges houses,worlds strangest kitchens,strangest bathrooms,world's weirdest,worlds strangest bedrooms,world s strangest houses,future sphere hosue,grain bin houses,inside photos of world strangest houses,spirit spheres in photos,strangest houses housesof 2011,strangest houses made from mobile homes,THE STRANGEST DEDROOMS,the strangest home,dancing rabbit ecovillage missouri
Dude.. I am not much into reading, but somehow I got to read lots of articles on your blog. Its amazing how interesting it is for me to visit you very often.
So Great! I need some infos in this post for my rapport de stage. Can i have your contact please? I need your permission to quote it
. Anyway, That’s great job. Keep going.
I thought you might like this
If god is watching us, the least we can do is be entertaining.
If you write articles or blogs then i want to share something with you that you will definatly be intrested in. Its called The Best Spinner. It spins articles for you AUTOMATICALLY which converts into unique content. Its amazing and has so many features, check their site out for more info as i could write a whole page about this… The Best Spinner
Thanks for a sweet article, very informative.. we will sure be back for more.
I love your blog. Keep up the good work
Simply curious might want you knew something else in regards to the massive blogengine replace that’s arising quickly? I’m attempting to achieve out to over webmasters to search for out what they know the explanation that Google hasn’t listed whatever new on it for awhile.
Wonderful blog! I saw it at Google and I must say that entries are well thought of. I will be coming back to see more posts soon.
Grazia in seno a questo carta ho eccessivamente avuto la fortuna di apprendere per lui nuove cose che non sapevo non . Grazie, applauso ed anche rispetto.
We appreciate you your current document. That niche passions others completely and because of you will, My spouse and i found out new facts. That it was very worthwhile. Knowledge. Well done. Your home is.
Grazia dentro a questo storia ho enormemente avuto l’opportunità di sapere per nuove cose che non sapevo non . Grazie, applauso ed anche rispetto.
Great Information, thanks for this fine Post. I will come back soon . Also real nice Bedroom Design : bedroom designs
This comment makes me think that this might a perfect time for furthering my university education. I will consider if I could do so online. There exist so many grants currently which formerly were so difficult to find previously.
You certainly deserve a round of applause for your post and more specifically, your blog in general. Very high quality material.
the information on this article is really 1 of the most beneficial substance that I’ve at any time occur throughout. I really like your submit, I will appear again to examine for new posts.
“really guessed i’d distribute and allow you realize your particular weblogs is useful for discovered the beneficial resolution.I honestly enjoy your blog.In the right way, the posting is in actuality the most efficient on this truly worth while subject. I concur along together with your information and will thirstily appear ahead to your approaching tweets. Clearly saying thanks is just not heading to just be enough, for that incredible lucidity as component of one’s writing posts. I will rapidly require hold of your rss feed to stay abreast of any updates.Real give good results and significantly being successful inside your endeavours and internet enterprise tries.Regardless preserve up the useful function.Thank you.”
I recently acquired a installable pull-up bar, the kind where you drill holes in the wall to install the mounts for the bar itself. The walls are sheetrock behind the usual plaster, with a stud every few inches. The capacity of the bar, according to the box, is 350 pounds. My question is this: Will the walls be able to suppport 150-300 pounds of stress from the mounts without tearing or other such deformities?
This is my second visit to this blog. We star a new initiative in the same category as this blog. Your blog provids valuable information to work on.
“Hi I found this internet site by mistake. I was researching Google for Registry computer software program that I had already bought when I came upon your site, I must say your internet site is really cool I simply love the theme, and this posts title, Rainbow & Beyond | July Newsletter from the Field. Its wonderful! I do not have the time at the present moment to fully read your internet site but I have bookmarked it and also signed up for your RSS feeds. Smile I will be back soon!! Keep up the great blog!”
The new Zune browser is surprisingly good, but not as good as the iPod’s. It works well, but isn’t as fast as Safari, and has a clunkier interface. If you occasionally plan on using the web browser that’s not an issue, but if you’re planning to browse the web alot from your PMP then the iPod’s larger screen and better browser may be important.