architecture

List

7 Fairy Tale Castles

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful young girl, who was a lot like you. She had no mother to protect her, and suffered some horrible injustice at the hands of someone who was jealous of her beauty. But eventually, Prince Charming came along on a white horse and rescued her. He took her off to his fabulous castle, where they lived happily ever after. The end. But where is this castle now? Many of our Disneyfied visions of fairy tale castles are modeled on real medieval castles in Europe. Barring acts... READ ON

List

27 Buildings Shaped Like Food That's Sold There

In 2010, Ethan Trex gave us a great list of buildings shaped like what they sell... but there are way more than just 10 buildings shaped like what they sell, so today we're back with more! (Thanks in part to the tips from all the commenters.) These 27 buildings are all shaped like edible items, from fruit to soda, and most of them—at some point in time—were involved in the production or sale of those items. FRUIT Fruit-shaped buildings have been especially popular, perhaps in part because a... READ ON

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11 New Uses for Old Churches

With so many churches around the world, it stands to reason that some will end up unused from time to time. But there's no reason to call in the demo crew. There are a lot of good ways to repurpose the House of God. 1. Restaurant &... READ ON

Article

The Capitol Building Could Have Had a Giant Chicken On Top

Jason, Stephanie, Ethan and I put out a daily newsletter called Watercooler Ammo. This weekend we'll be sharing a few recent editions. If you'd like this kind of thing delivered to your inbox each morning, subscribe here! Check out these design proposals for some of Washington D.C.'s most famous landmarks. From a giant chicken weather vane meant to adorn the federal building, to putting a George Washington statue on top of the monument, to a pyramid-style Lincoln Memorial, the designs and blueprints... READ ON

Article

Why Does the Leaning Tower of Pisa Lean?

In 1172, Donna Berta di Bernardo donated sixty silver coins to the local cathedral for the purchase of stones to be used in the base of a new bell tower. The next year, construction on the tower began and almost immediately there were problems. The tower site sat on soft ground composed mostly of clay, fine sand, and shells (the city sits between the Arno and the Serchio rivers). By the time the builders finished the second floor in 1178, the tower was beginning to lean. Soon, construction was... READ ON

Article

Best Directions Ever: "Take the Exit that Goes Through the Office Building"

Directions to my house go something like, "Take the highway that runs through town and get off on exit 9, then take a left at the stoplight." If you live in downtown Osaka, your directions might be more along the lines of, "Take the Umeda Exit of the Ikeda Route. You know, the one that goes through the building." Though Gate Tower Building has been there since the early '90s, the whole affair actually started a decade earlier. The property owners desperately wanted to build on this piece of land, but... READ ON

Article

The Golden Gate Bridge's Accidental Color

Architect Irving Morrow designed the Golden Gate Bridge, and he chose its color. The three popular bridge colors of the day -- black, gray, and silver, wouldn't cut it. Morrow disdained black: it would reduce the scale of the bridge; gray would not be distinctive; and silver was more suited to a dirigible. So how did he arrive at the bridge's "International Orange" that's so iconic today? Learn how the bridge's unusual color came to be in this two-minute video from NPR: The Golden Gate Bridge's... READ ON

Article

Secret Doors and Hidden Passageways

I've always been fascinated with the concept of hidden rooms and secret passageways. That's why this article featuring 10 such architectural surprises was so fun to read. My personal favorite was this hidden playroom behind an ordinary cupboard. Any child who grew up reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe would be absolutely crazy about having such a magical play area. Be sure to check out the rest over on Oddee, including a hidden garage and a secret wine... READ ON

Article

The World's Weirdest Skyscrapers

In our modern society, skyscrapers are often taken for granted as just another sign of urbanization, but imagine how incredible one of these massive structures would be to someone born a few hundred years ago. Of course, if you want to see some incredible towers that will impress even the most jaded city dweller, you should take a gander at this round-up of 14 unbelievably cool skyscrapers, including the wooden one pictured. Russia’s wooden skyscraper is believed to be the tallest wooden house in the... READ ON

Article

Amazing Bookstore Adaptations

Bookstores come in all shapes and sizes, but these 10 featured by WebEcoist are some of the world's coolest locations for selling books. All ten places featured are repurposed buildings and transportation methods that have been converted to carrying the written word. The shop pictured was once a Dominican church in the Netherlands. While it now features black and silver metal shelves, the antique stone columns, marble arches and stunning frescoes provide a beautiful contrast between old and new... READ ON