This Week’s Crazy Building: Saint John’s Abbey Church

It’s easy to get lost in the unusual forms of Saint John’s Abbey Church. Common among Brutalist architecture, it is large and imposing, and also a bit reminiscent of a scoreboard. In 1950, Abbot Baldwin Dworschak contacted twelve architects, requesting an “architectural monument” that would “be valid for centuries to come.” The committee selected Marcel
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Flatiron Building

If you have visited New York City, you may already be familiar with the Flatiron Building. Completed in 1902 the narrow end is only 6.5 feet wide! After it was built, it became a New York and United States historical landmark. It is also a famous building in the world of architecture. Aspiring young architects
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Transamerica Pyramid

Old vs New II (Transamerica Pyramid) by Spiros Vathis is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
San Francisco’s Transamerica Pyramid looks more like a needle from some angles. Interestingly, the concept for this unusual structure sprouted from a very considerate thought. As the story goes, in the late 1960s the Transamerica Corp was outgrowing its headquarters and needed to move. John Beckett, the current CEO was walking through the woods one
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Cathedral of Brasilia

Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida (Cathedral of Brasilia) by Liam Lysaght is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Sometimes a building is so unusual it just makes you stop and stare. The Cathedral of Brasilia is one of those buildings. Located in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil it was designed by renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer. It was completed in 1970—and if it looks unusual today, just think about how it was received at
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This Week’s Crazy Building: The Shard

Shard London Bridge (The Shard) by Alessandro is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
The Shard is currently the tallest building in the United Kingdom and its creation sparked controversy. Designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano, the staggering 1,016-foot high tower is visible from many parts of the city. Essentially it’s a glass pyramid rising around a concrete cylinder. A building like this is only possible in modern day.
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This Week’s Crazy Building: The Float At Marina Bay

Floating football stadium - funky! by Christian Haugen is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The Float At Marina Bay is the largest of its kind in the world. Located in Singapore, this unique floating stage is well suited to the tropical climate. Nearly the size of a football field it can actually be modified for various events, reconfigured to different sizes, and moved around the bay. Originally it was
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Nakagin Capsule Tower

nakaginctb05f by scarletgreen is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Is this the set of the next Blade Runner movie? Not quite! The Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo’s fashionable Ginza district is real but may not be for long! The concept behind this unusual structure comes from an architect named Kisho Kurokawa. He was a major contributor to the Metabolism architectural movement and envisioned the
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Kunsthaus Graz

the friendly alien (Kunsthaus Graz) by Rosino is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Move over, E.T. there’s a new alien in town! The Kunsthaus Graz was nicknamed “the friendly alien” by architects Peter Cook and Colin Fournier. Located in Graz, Austria, this biomorphic structure makes a striking contrast to the traditional surrounding buildings. Inside you’ll find contemporary art ranging from the 1960s to today. About 119,479 square feet
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Hallgrímskirkja

2010-08-17 - 100L3976 by Clem is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Reminiscent of a rocket ship, Hallgrímskirkja (Ha-grims-cure-keeya) is the 6th tallest structure in Iceland and located in its capital, Reykjavík. It is named after Hallgrímur Pétursson, one of their best-known poets. Designed by state architect Guðjón Samuelsson in 1937 it took 41 years to complete! Samuelsson was influenced by Scandinavian Modernism, or Functionalism. Another strong
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This Week’s Crazy Building: Casa Vicens

BCNCVC032 by Jon Ander is used under public domain
The overwhelmingly elaborate Casa Vicens is something only an architect as skilled as Antoni Gaudí could hope to realize. This home in Barcelona, Spain was the world-famous architect’s first significant commission as a young man. In 1883 Manel Vicens i Montaner, a stock and currency broker commissioned Gaudí, 31 years old at the time, to
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