Mental Floss

ARCHITECTURE

Westminster Abbey, YouTube

David Hockney Designed Westminster Abbey's Newest Stained Glass Window—on an iPad

The reviews have been mixed.

Cameron Yee, Flickr // CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Oregon Is Home to 54 Quaint Covered Bridges. Here's How to See Them All in One Road Trip

The designs of the bridges are as varied as their histories.

Larzland, YouTube

A Handy Disney Fan Recreated Fantasyland in His Basement

There are even light settings that go from day to night, plus crowd sounds.

Ittiz at en.wikipedia, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 3.0

One Engineer's Crazy Plan to Drain the Mediterranean

The story of Herman Sörgel, the man who wanted to create a new super-continent called Atlantropa.

iStock

A New Animals-Only Bridge Is Catching On With Local Wildlife Near Seattle

The $6.2 million project is scheduled to be complete next spring.

Outinaz, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0

Frank Lloyd Wright's Spiral House in Phoenix Hits the Market for $12.9 Million

The unique design was an early prototype of New York City's Guggenheim Museum.

PunkToad, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

The Pennsylvania Resort Where You Can Rent a Frank Lloyd Wright House

Polymath Park brings together four Wright-related homes not far from Fallingwater.

iStock

Trulia Now Makes Browsing Neighborhoods as Easy as Browsing Homes

Location, location, location!

iStock

Hong Kong's Peculiar Architecture Can Be Explained by Feng Shui

"Dragon gates" are one example of how feng shui has shaped the city.

iStock

8 Historical Buildings That Have Been Relocated

One was moved halfway across the world, brick by brick.

Courtesy of James Congdon

You Could Own This Historic English Mansion for Less Than $20

The sprawling 1760 estate is worth about $6.8 million, which makes it a steal.

Jason Eppink, Flickr // CC BY 2.0

The Tiny "Spite Triangle" That Marks a Century-Old Grudge Against New York City

In the 1910s, the city of New York demolished the apartment building David Hess owned in order to extend a major thoroughfare. But the city didn't seize the entirety of his land—and he wasn't about to give it up lightly.

T-Centralen Station in Stockholm, Sweden

The World’s 10 Most Beautiful Metro Stations

Where form meets function.

9 Quirky Gas Stations Around the World

Get your fill of funky architecture.

iStock

India's Supreme Court Demands That the Taj Mahal Be Restored or Demolished

Thanks to heavy smog, the Taj Mahal isn't as white as it used to be.

Morfeus Arkitekter. Photo: Silja Lena Løken / Statens vegvesen

Norway Opens Another Spectacular Roadside Bathroom

This remote roadside toilet puts all other rest stops to shame.

Snøhetta

Norway's New Hotel in the Arctic Circle Will Produce More Energy Than It Uses

When it opens in 2021, Svart will be the world's first 'energy-positive' hotel.

SmithGroupJJR

Futuristic New Street Toilets Are Coming to San Francisco

They'll be topped by plants and trees.

Houben and Van Mierlo Architecten

Dutch City Will Become the World's First to Build Inhabitable 3D-Printed Concrete Houses

These aren't cookie-cutter homes.

iStock

These Proposed Concrete Pipe Homes Could Ease the Housing Shortage in Hong Kong

Affordable housing is desperately needed in the city of 7.3 million.

David Franzen, Library of Congress

You Can Thank 1950s Suburban Architecture for ‘The Floor Is Lava’

One scholar says large American family rooms made the childhood game popular.

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

Watch 40 Years of Award-Winning Architecture Reimagined in Toy Blocks

Designer Andrea Stinga breaks down the designs into their simplest forms.

Courtesy of Fernando Artigas

Step Inside This Stunning, Nature-Inspired Art Gallery in Tulum, Mexico

The building is propped up on stilts, letting guests peer over the forest canopy.

iStock

Engineers Have Figured Out How the Leaning Tower of Pisa Withstands Earthquakes

Four major earthquakes have hit Pisa since the tower was completed.