Ingenious engineering and the will of slightly crazy homeowners, brings architecture to new heights
Today’s syndicated article delves deeper into the “BizArchitecture” world, impressing us with a creative play on physics and design bravado. Grab a cup o’ joe or steep some aromatic tea, and enjoy these wonderfully adventurous digs.
05/31/2010 Written by Jennifer Chowdhury
This article originally appeared on pointclickhome.com
The expression “living on the edge” is about to take on a whole new meaning. Homes dangling from trees, balancing on sticks, hanging upside down, rotating around a spit, are just some of the residential wonders in our roundup.
Gangster House (Archangelsk, Russia)
Though incomplete, the “Gangster House” is believed to be the world’s tallest wooden house, soaring thirteen floors to reach 144 feet (about half the size of London’s Big Ben). The homeowner or gangster, Nikolai Sutyagin, had all intentions of finishing the construction but his dream went on hold when he got locked up behind bars for his third jail sentence. Now out of jail and out of money, the ex-convict lives at the bottom of this precarious tower of wood
Credit: Courtesy of the Telegraph
Free Spirit Houses (British Columbia, Canada)
These wooden spheres can be hung from any solid surface (tree, cliff, bridge, etc.) and are accessed by a spiral stairway or a short suspension bridge. A web of rope grasps onto a strong point, essentially replacing the foundation of a conventional building. You can anchor points on the top and bottom to prevent swinging or just let it loose and enjoy the ride.
Photographer: Tom Chudleigh
Upside-Down House (Syzmbark, Poland)
This upside down design seems totally nonsensical–but that is exactly the message the Polish philanthropist and designer, Daniel Czapiewski, was trying to send. The unstable and backward construction was built as a social commentary on Poland’s former Communist era. The monument is worth a trip be it for a lesson in history or balance.
Credit:Freshome.com
