The Basket Building (United States)
Built by Dave Longaberger, founder of The Longaberger Company, this radical office building was once considered a joke when he started on it. When he announced his plans to make his office a gigantic basket, most thought that it was another one of his jokes, since he was known to be notorious practical joker. However, he stuck to his dream believing that this idea will help market his company and make others sit up and take notice and it sure did! The Basket Building opened its doors for the 1st time on 17 December, 1997.

The Dancing House (Czech Republic)
The Dancing House is the nickname given to an office building in downtown Prague, Czech Republic. It was designed by Croatian-born Czech architect Vlado Milunic together with Canadian architect Frank Gehry on riverfront plot left vacant due to the Bombing of Prague during World War2 in 1945. The construction started in 1994 and was finished in 1996.

The radical design was controversial at the time without surprise. Czech president Vaclav Havel, who lived for decades next to the site, had firmly supported it, hoping that the building would eventually become a hub of cultural activity. Originally named Fred and Ginger (after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers – the house vaguely resembles a pair of dancers) the house stands out among the Neo-Baroque, Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings for which Prague is famous.

On the roof is a French restaurant with magnificent views of the city. The building’s other tenants include several multinational firms. (The plans for a cultural center were not realized.) Because it is situated next to a very busy road, air circulation inside the building is less than ideal, which makes the interior somewhat less pleasant for its occupants.

The Piano House (China)
This unique piano house was built recently in An Hui Province, China. Inside of the violin is the escalator to the building. The building displays various city plans and development prospects in an effort to draw interest into the recently developed area.

Kansas City Library (United States)
Kansas City Library cannot be mistaken for anything else but a library! Interestingly, local residents were invited to nominate influential books that spoke of kansas city, after which, enormous replicas of the winning nominations were then constructed and used as the exterior of the library car-park.

The Robot Building (Thailand)
The Robot Building, located in the Sathorn business district of Bangkok, Thailand, surprisingly is used to house United Overseas Bank’s Bangkok headquarters. It was designed for the Bank of Asia by Sumet Jumsai to reflect the computerization of banking (now you get it?); The building’s features, such as progressively receding walls, antennae, and eyes, contribute to its robotic appearance and to its practical function. Completed in 1986, the building is one of the last examples of modern architecture in Bangkok and has garnered international critical acclaim.

The Blue Building (Netherlands)
The history of this building is strange enough. Apparently, an architect was asked to formulate a plan for a block of derelict buildings, which will eventually be demolished. The agreement with local community was that the block will remain blue as long as there isn’t a better plan for the area. Ironical how an absurd idea could quickly transform this insignificant and overlooked block of houses in Rotterdam into the one of the most popular attractions in the area.

The Astra House (Germany)
The strange building is actually a brewery in Hamburg, Germany. The floors can move up or down on it’s skinny column core. As of now, the unique building has been destroyed. One of it’s more famous beer brands was recently bought by a big refreshment corporation. And that beer brand was called Astra.

The Crooked House (Poland)
Polish architect of the Crooked House, Szotynscy Zaleski, was inspired by the fairytale illustrations of Jan Marcin Szancer and the drawings of the Swedish artist and Sopot resident Per Dahlberg. The most photographed building in Poland, the 4,000 square meter house is located in Rezydent shopping center in Sopot, Poland.

Sam Kee Building (Canada)
The Sam Kee building is situated at 8 West Pender Street and is the world’s thinnest building. It runs from the corner of Pender and Carral to the lane at the halfway point of the block. It is two stories tall and 1.5 meters (six feet) deep. The story behind the building is as interesting as the structure with several intriguing twists and turns along the way. The City of Vancouver provided the original owner, Chang Toy, with a challenge when it took over all but two meters of his property as part of an expansion of Pender Street. No compensation was provided to its owner who was left with what most believed to be a useless property. In a creative turn of events fueled by spite and some say a bet an architect was hired to design a building that can fit into the remaining space available. The rest as they say is history. As part of the ongoing history of this structure, issues still arise between the owners and the city with respect to encroachment and overhangs.