Architects are creative people, but they are often forced to take into account the wishes of the client. If you give them complete freedom of expression, you can expect the appearance of real masterpieces – the buildings gain worldwide fame, tourists strive to see them in person, and local residents are proud. We have selected ten buildings in Europe that are definitely worth seeing in person.
Curved house (Poland)
This building is also called the “crooked house”. It was built in 2004 in the city of Sopot, a seaside resort on the Baltic coast with a population of 40 thousand people. The area of the house is 4000 square meters, the building is part of the Resident complex. The first floor is dedicated to a shopping center, and the second floor houses radio studios.
The curved house looks as if it is reflected through a distorting mirror. The building was created specifically to attract tourists and passers-by, so the architects did an excellent job with their task. Inside there is a wall of fame, on which famous people who came to Sopot for work or leisure leave autographs.
Cubic houses (Holland)
In Rotterdam, one street is lined with cubic houses. Moreover, they “stand” on the same corner, and it seems that they can form like dominoes. In fact, the houses are installed on one-story buildings. Danish architect Piet Blom implemented an interesting idea: the first level is reserved for shops and cafes, and the cubes are intended for housing.
Each cube has three floors. On the first there is a living room and a kitchen, on the second there is a bathroom and two bedrooms, and on the third you can arrange an area for relaxation or sports. The total area is about 100 square meters, but a lot of living space is eaten up by uneven walls. However, the surreal appearance of the houses compensates for any shortcoming. Local residents are accustomed to the abundance of tourists and sometimes invite them to visit them to show the cubic building from the inside.
Guggenheim Museum (Spain)
And this is a typical representative of deconstructivism, a direction that is characterized by broken, asymmetrical shapes and catchiness. From the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, you can clearly see how this style differs from others. Only three materials were used for cladding: glass, limestone and titanium. Initially it was supposed to use stainless steel, but the architect was not satisfied with the look of the steel – the building was too shiny on sunny days, and on cloudy days it became completely inexpressive.
The building is located in the old part of the city, but fits well into the urban environment. The museum often hosts fine art exhibitions. The exhibitions are located on 11 thousand square meters – in total there are about two dozen rooms.
Kunsthaus (Austria)
The Museum of Modern Art, due to its purpose, is supposed to stand out. When creating such a museum in the city of Graz, the architects were probably inspired by the appearance of simple organisms. People call the building a “friendly alien,” although to us it more closely reminded us of an amoeba with antennae on its back from biology textbooks.
The building was built in the city center, it is adjacent to old ordinary houses. According to the idea, the Kunsthaus emphasizes the contrast between the past and the present. If you don’t want to visit an exhibition in a museum, it’s best to come here at night – the most beautiful lighting comes on at night.
Stone house (Portugal)
In the Fafe Mountains there is an original house built between two giant boulders. It was built in 1974 as a place to relax away from people and city noise. The harmony with nature is complete: there is not even electricity in the house. Candles are used for lighting, and the house is heated using a fireplace.
Stones do not just decorate a building, but also have a functional role. For example, the steps to the second floor are carved directly on the boulders. Currently, the house is rarely used, because its fame has negated the purpose of the construction – tourists haunt the owners of the hut, in which it was supposed to rest from the hustle and bustle.
Headquarters of Nord LB Bank (Germany)
The building, located in Hannover, has an area of 40 thousand square meters, and approximately 1,500 employees of Nord LB Bank work in it. The structure seems to be made up of separate sections, and transparent round corridors serve as transitions.
The building seems very shaky, which, of course, is not true. But it seems that the unevenly folded cubes will fall apart at the slightest gust of wind. It is not surprising that the bank’s headquarters quickly became one of the city’s main architectural landmarks.
Building-banknote (Lithuania)
The facade of the Office Center 1000 building is decorated with an image of the thousandth banknote, which was in circulation from 1926 until the Baltic states became part of the USSR, that is, until 1940. The historical banknote was used for a reason: the architect says that he wanted to avoid associating the building with the power of money, and since the banknote is not used, then there should be no connection with the cult of wealth.
The façade is made of glass slabs, and the applied pattern is protected from external influences. The building was built in honor of Lithuania’s accession to the European Union. The building is rented by two large banks.
Turning Torso (Sweden)
The city of Malmo was replenished with a “twisted” skyscraper in 2005. It was as if the familiar high-rise building had been taken by the top and turned ninety degrees. By the way, the Evolution Tower in the Moscow City business center, which opened in 2014, has approximately the same appearance.
Turning Torso has 54 floors, the building reaches 190 meters into the sky. The skyscraper is divided into nine blocks, each consisting of five floors. Downstairs there are office premises, and above there are apartments with a shared gym, wine cellar, observation deck and other pleasant bonuses for luxury apartments.
Palais Bulles (France)
The area of the “Bubble Palace” is 1200 square meters. In 1989, the building was purchased by Pierre Cardin – either a profitable investment for subsequent resale, or the designer really liked the house. Originally a ten-room hotel, it is now used by a fashion designer as a summer residence.
It has all the amenities typical of expensive houses: swimming pools, fountains, a pond, and an amphitheater. The building looks peculiar not only from the outside – the surrealism continues inside, the furniture also matches the unusual appearance of the house. The estimated cost of Palais Bulles has not been reported, but a potential buyer is unlikely to worry about an expensive mortgage.
Kinemax (France)
Le Kinemax Poiters looks like crystals growing out of the ground. The building is located in the Futuroscope amusement park in Poitiers. The structure is made of glass and is a cinema hall. Films are shown using advanced technologies, there are screens with a viewing angle of 360 degrees. This creates an immersive experience that conventional 3D or IMAX cannot achieve.
There are no seats, spectators are located along fences with handrails. People who have visited Le Kinemax Poiters say that dizziness sets in quickly, so you should be prepared for an unpleasant effect. But there will be a lot of impressions.
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