Millions of houses exist in the world, yet only a small fraction of those are anything special.
And whilst it’s easy to simply throw money at a property, it’ll surprise you to see that the most expensive places aren’t always the most amazing and awe-inspiring.
Glass House
Sou Fujimoto Architects designed this place to let in a whole new level of natural light. Located on a populated street in Tokyo, Japan, the only thing this house is missing is some privacy. The architects built the 914 square foot home to be like a tree house with layers of living spaces built in throughout. It truly contrasts the typical concrete block walls seen in most of Japan’s dense residential areas.
The Heliodome
This bioclimatic solar house is in Cosswiller in the Alsacian countryside of Eastern France. The house acts as a giant three-dimensional sundial, set on a fixed angle in relationship to the sun’s movements to provide shade during the summer months, keeping the inside temperature cool, and during Fall, Winter and Spring sunlight enters the large windows as the sun’s position is lower in the sky, thus warming the living space.
Giant Seashell House
Designed by architect Javier Senosiain of Arquitectura Organica and built in 2006, this house in Mexico City was Inspired by the work of Gaudi and Frank Lloyd Wright. Looking like some sort of seashell, it’s a real house built for a young family with two children who were tired living in a conventional home and wanted to change to one integrated to nature.
Caterpiller House
The use of shipping containers in residential builds is quite popular nowadays, and this one has to be one of the coolest. Created by architect Sebastián Irarrázaval, this structure is located on a hillside just outside Chile’s capital city Santiago, and boasts views of the Andes Mountains. Moreover, the property measures 350 sq m, and comprises a total of 12 used shipping containers.
House On The Rock
This unusual build stands atop a rock sitting squarely in the middle of the Drina river in Serbia. A group of young men built it in 1968 when they sought a convenient area to lounge in when visiting the river and has unsurprisingly remained a constant attraction to locals and tourists. Nature has been pounding on it since it was built, but it has survived, which is a possible testament to the quality of materials used to build it.
Stone House
Most people think living under a rock is something to avoid. However, for one Portugese family, it’s a dream come true. Looking like a big boulder, it’s actually surprising to know that this place has a door, a chimney and a window, and has become a huge tourist attraction.
The Glass Pavilion
Dubbed “the most minimalist house ever designed”, this house is in California, precisely, in Montecito. The Architect behind the project is Los Angeles starchitect Steve Hermann who initially designed this house for himself. However, after having second thoughts, he sold the place for an estimated 24 million dollars.
