Wacky built environments - any ideas?

[Jonathan Lee]

I'm writing a book on weird built environments around the globe - from private and public spaces to landscapes. Any ideas you have would be really appreciated. Many thanks.

[Donald]

I do excel at finding the weird stuff, so that's what you'll get:
First go to the "Earthship". The major structural building component of the Earthship is recycled automobile tires filled with compacted earth to form a rammed earth brick encased in steel belted rubber.
http://earthship.com/article.php?story=20041216212130229

Then head off to the "TAROT GARDEN", where Niki de Saint Phalle has created an incredibly amazing landscape of buildings and sculptures that represent the major arcana of the Tarot. Tons of photos on this website.
http://www.nikidesaintphalle.com/entrance.html

Then take a gander at the "Celestopea Sea Dome", a Project that is a planned colonization of the earth's oceans through a series of self-sufficient, semi-autonomous, floating cities located in international waters and incorporating innovative new technologies, industries and social organization....wonder how these would fare in the tsunami environment?
http://www.celestopea.com/Designs.htm

If its flying concrete your looking for its flying concrete you get here at this web site, where I will admit that some of the dullest structures around are made of concrete but dullness isn't a limitation inherent in the material, and the builder's imagination may be the greatest limitation of its use as a sculptural medium:
http://www.geocities.com/flyingconcrete/

And there is a myriad of strangeness from this west coast origin of weirdness in "Evolutionary Architecture" which draws it's functionality, aesthetics, technology and craft from the wisdom and intelligence found in nature. It is an architecture which unifies organic, art nouveau, and ecological design as well as embraces advances in technology.
http://www.tdrinc.com/architecture.html

If you head back east to Nebraska, you will come across "Carhenge", along Highway 87, standing as a replication of Stonehenge, England's ancient mystical alignment of stones that chart the sun and moon phases. Stonehenge stands alone on a plain in England. Carhenge, created from vintage American made automobiles, towers over the plains of Nebraska.
http://www.carhenge.com/

And theres the collection of "Weird Homes",a television series of one-half hour shows about some of America's most unusual and bizarre homes and the fascinating and inspiring people who built and live in them
http://www.yaletownentertainment.com/weirdhomes/index.shtml

And what would be a weird home without a "Freespiritsphere" in your back yard?Alternative housing for adventurous people and elves and fairies. Suspended sphereical treehouses. You too can live 6 meters above the forest floor in the canopy.
http://freespiritspheres.com/

And don't forget to mention the famous work of architect Javier Senosian, who has crafted the idea of the organic habitat in putting forward with the aim of creating spaces adapted to the human body, similar to the womb, to animals’ shelters, to the underground caves sculpted by the troglodytes, to the igloo...if global warming continues on its path, we may all come to this realm.
http://www.bioarquitectura.com/

Who could forget Gaudi, Architect and designer, who was at the forefront of the Art Nouveau movement in Spain. His work in Barcelona led to the creation of some of the city's most notable landmarks. Gaudí was a pioneer in his field using color, texture, and movement in ways never before imagined.
http://www.op.net/~jmeltzer/gaudi.html

Lizzie, you may want to research a few of these places as well as they must be unbelievable to see and who knows what envirofriendlyworldbegone ideas one will get from them

BTW if you're aching to read about politics, try some of my regular weirdly haunts: worldnetdaily.com, townhall.com, newsmax.com, etc.

[Jonathan Lee]

Donald, this is genius. What an incredible list. Many, many, many thanks for all your help.

[dsnider]

Jonathon,

Right off the bat, I'm thinking of this great house that was featured on a recent t.v. show. I can't remember where it is....I think spain. It is designed to look like a conk shell. A quick internet search later and I came up with nothing....so not too much help. But it is a wierd, remarkable house if you have better luck finding it than I.

Cheers.

d.

[Jonathan Lee]

Thanks all the same D. If you manage to find it please send it over!