Humanity has an awesome superpower: the ability to imagine and create. With this creative superpower, the world has experienced some of the most beautiful and impeccable real estate from people whose minds are as beautiful as they are bold. With it also, the most bizarre and but incredibly fascinating architectural designs have been realised.

What’s the strangest looking building you’ve ever seen? Chances are, they’re not as quirky as these awesome and mind-boggling architectural marvels we chanced upon from across the globe.

Giant Seashell House (Mexico City, Mexico)

Have you ever wanted to live in a seashell? Technically, you’d have to be a mollusc to succeed but thankfully, we are humans and our imagination knows no bounds. Just ask Javier Senosiain of Arquitectura Organica who designed this gorgeous seashell (or snail shell) house in Mexico City. The nautilus-inspired project was completed in 2006, and features a colourful rainbow mosaic that performs a kaleidoscopic light show. The Giant Seashell house was built for a family of four and designed to blend in with the natural surroundings in what Senosiain likes to call “Bio-Architecture.” The famous tongue twister she sells seashells by the seashore would take on a new definition for those who live in this impressive structure. 

Transparent House (Tokyo, Japan)

Japan is no stranger to the bizarre. In fact, it has birthed quite a few just by itself. This house is no different. If you love lots of natural daylight in your house and don’t mind an invasion of your privacy, you’ll adore this! The house is completely transparent, except the bathroom (thank goodness) and was built by Sou Fujimoto Architects for clients who wanted to experience living as nomads in their own home and were inspired by the idea of living in a tree. 

The Steel House (Texas, USA)

Is it an insect, a boar, a massive UFO or a transportation contraption from Star Wars? According to HomedIt.com, the Steel House is a large work of art. It was started by eccentric sculptor, Robert Bruno in 1973 who handcrafted every single bit of the structure (with no outside assistance) until his death in 2008. It was originally intended to be 1 storey but Robert just kept adding on and carving his way to 3 separate levels. The walls in the home are either welded metal or original glass creations.

The Upside Down House (Trassenheide, Germany)

Created by Polish architects Klaudiusz Golos and Sebastian Mikiciuk in 2008 as part of “The World Upside Down” project, the house offers visitors a different perspective of everyday items and is a wacky tourist attraction in the town. The interior is fully furnished, completely upside down too of course. Because of how disorienting the house can be for some, it is used purely as an exhibit. 

Egg House (Beijing, China)

Troubled by the increasing cost of real estate in Beijing, Chinese architect Dai Haifei took matters into his own hands and built himself an egg-shaped home on a sidewalk. The Egg House comes complete with a bed, a solar panel to help power electronics and serves his basic requirements. It also cost him very little, just $964!

Gue(ho)st House (Delme, France)

If ghosts designed homes, the Gue(ho)st House is probably what it would look like. Designed by architects Christophe Berdaguer and Marie Pejus, this house is a renovated prison house with a spooky veil of polystyrene and paint. The building, which was also formerly used as a school and funeral home is located in the grounds of Synagogue de Delme contemporary art centre and was created as a way to “enhance the art centre’s visibility, by creating new reception spaces for visitors and artists.”

Keret House (Warsaw, Poland)

At just 122 centimetres (at its widest point), the Keret House is considered the world’s thinnest home! This structure is a thin slice sandwiched between two existing buildings. The structure acts as a temporary home for travelling writers; claustrophobics exempted. It features no windows but is semi-transparent. The Keret House is the creation of architect Jakum Szczesny.

The Tree Hotel (Harads, Sweden)

Can you picture yourself sleeping on treetops? If your childhood consisted of building and hanging out in tree houses, this hotel in Sweden is a nostalgic dream come true. When vacationing at the Tree Hotel in Harads, Sweden, you’re spoiled with bizarre choices. The hotel features a collection of 7 quirky treehouses, the most popular being the Mirrorcube, a 4x4x4 square metre cube wrapped around the trunk of a tree and covered in reflective glass, which blends effortlessly into the trees and sky, basically mimicking the surrounding landscape.

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These houses were compiled from these sources: Bored Panda, The House Shop, HomedIt, Scoop Whoop, Artificial Owl, Swedish Lapland, Dezeen, Curious Places, Scandinavia Standard and HiConsumption.