爱华网1. Waldspirale
图1 森林螺旋城
City: Darmstadt, Germany
地点：德国，达姆施塔特
Background: Friedensreich Hundertwasser, an Austrian architect and painter, designed this building, which contains 105 apartments and a restaurant.
背景：
奥地利著名建筑师和画家百水先生设计了这个建筑，里面有105间公寓和一个餐厅。
How It's Strange: Buildings are not usually this gaudy. "It's fantastical," says Toby Israel, a design psychologist and author of Some Place Like Home. Hundertwasser, known for his colorful, irregular-shaped buildings, chose windows of different shapes and sizes for this apartment. In addition, the building's colors are meant to represent layers of sediment rock.
奇特之处：
建筑很少会如此华丽。“真是难以想象”设计心理学家、《就像在家一样》的作者托比·伊斯雷尔说道。百水先生以其建筑色彩丰富、外形不规则、房间窗户形状大小各异而闻名。此外，这个建筑的颜色代表着不同沉积岩的地层
2. 30 St. Mary Axe
图2 圣玛丽·艾克斯街30号
City: London
地点：英国，伦敦
Background: This is the second tallest building in the City of London. Opened in 2004, it is commonly referred to as the Gherkin, after the cucumber-like fruit. Its suggestive shape also earned it the nickname "Towering Innuendo."
背景：
这是伦敦市区第二高的建筑。它于2004年投入使用，由于其酷似黄瓜的水果外形，人们一般把它称作“小黄瓜”。其引人联想的外形也衍生出了昵称“高耸的讽刺”
注：
小黄瓜这个名称的由来至少可以追溯到1999年,其所指的是这栋大楼极度非正统(unorthodox)的外观建构。此外,由于大楼外观在某种程度上近似于菲勒斯(阳具)图腾的意象,所以也衍生出了其他的一些昵称如:性爱小黄瓜(Erotic Gherkin),高耸的讽刺(Towering Innuendo,挖苦其因为自身缺陷或不足而建构作为补偿或安慰)以及水晶菲勒斯等(Crystal Phallus)。
1996年崔佛嘉集团提出一份建造伦敦千禧塔的计划,预计兴建一栋总高度386米,总楼层面积90,000平方米,并含有一座305米观景台的摩天大楼。然而,此计划因为遭到反对而作罢,取而代之并获得许可的是原计划的更新版本,改为建造一座高度较低的大楼,也就是现在的圣玛利艾克斯30号大楼。
以上来自维基百科
How It's Strange: The building's roundness is striking; its maximum circumference is only two meters less than its height. Such roundness is rare because it requires computer-aided design, as well as a more costly construction, Israel says. In addition, the Gherkin is mostly windows, with 24,000 square meters of external glass, a unique, energy-efficient building approach.
奇特之处：
该建筑的圆周惊人，其最大周长仅比高度少两米。伊斯雷尔介绍说，类似的圆周极其少见，因为这需要电脑辅助设计，施工的成本也更高。此外，“小黄瓜”有很多窗户，其外部安装了2.4万平方米的玻璃幕墙，形成了独特的、高效节能的建筑。
3. Habitat 67
图3 栖息地 '67
City: Montreal, Canada
地点：加拿大，蒙特利尔
Background: This apartment building was built for Expo 67, the 1967 world exhibition held in Canada. Although Habitat 67 was supposed to provide affordable housing after the Expo ended—much like the stated plans for Vancouver's Olympic Village— its apartments go for luxury apartment prices because of the unique architecture.
背景：
这个公寓建筑是为加拿大1967年世博会而造。虽然当初打算在世博后将其作为廉价住宅——类似于温哥华奥运村的规划——然而由于独特的建筑设计，这里已经成为高档社区。
How It's Strange: The apartments look oddly positioned and disjointed, but Israel says there's actually a purpose behind the design: Habitat 67 is made from 354 cubes, stacked so that no window faces toward another window to provide privacy. "It's unusual-looking," Israel says, "but it's user-friendly."
奇特之处：
每间房子看上去都很奇怪而且彼此分离，但伊斯雷尔解释了这样设计的真正目的：栖息地 '67由354个立方体公寓构成，它们逐个堆叠，邻近房间窗户朝着不同方向以保护隐私。“这看上去很不寻常，”伊斯雷尔说，“但很适合居住。”
4. The Egg
图4 巨蛋
City: Albany, NY
地点：美国，纽约，奥尔巴尼
Background: This building is the Center for Performing Arts. It holds two theaters for concerts and shows, one seating 450 people and the other with capacity for 892.
背景：
这座建筑是表演艺术中心。其中有两个剧场，音乐厅可容纳450人，演出大厅可容纳892人。
How It's Strange: You won't see many copies of this design because it requires an intensive support system. A heavily-reinforced concrete beam helps maintain the egg shape and transmit its weight to the supporting stem, which extends six stories underground. The end result is a building that looks like a sculpture, with an interior without straight lines or corners.
奇特之处：
这种设计很少见，因为这种造型需要非常密集的支撑系统。一根超配钢筋梁帮助维持巨蛋的形状，并将其重量传导至下部支撑，而下部支撑的埋入地下高达六层楼之深（注：一层楼高约3~4米）。这样设计的结果使建筑看上去像是雕刻而成的，其内部没有笔直的道路和转角。
5. Flintstone House
图5 弗林特石屋
City: Burlingame, Calif.
地点：美国，加利福尼亚，伯灵格姆
Background: Architect William Nicholson designed this home in the 1970s. To construct the unique shapes, builders formed a wire mesh over inflated aeronautical balloons and sprayed them with concrete.
背景：
建筑师威廉·尼克尔森于上世纪70年代设计了这个房子。为了建造奇特的外形，建设者编制了一个铁丝网，将其覆盖在膨胀的飞行气球表面，再往上涂混凝土。
How It's Strange: When people design a residential home, they want it to reflect their personalities and preferences. The dome-shape rooms are different and expressive, but the Flintstone requires a particular buyer, Israel says. "It's not everyone's American dream home."
奇特之处：
当人们设计住宅时，都希望能从建筑上表现出个性和喜好。这些圆顶外形的屋子与众不同而且引人注目，但是弗林特石屋只适合特定的买家，伊斯雷尔说道：“这不是每个美国人梦想中的房子。”
6. Container City II
图6 集装箱城2号
City: London
地点：英国，伦敦
Background: Container City II is a studio space for 22 artists. The Urban Space Management company designs various Container Cities like this one for use as homes, offices and stores.
背景：
集装箱城2号是22位艺术家的工作室。都市空间管理公司设计了各种各样的集装箱城，用于住宅、办公和店铺。How It's Strange: Container Cities use old shipping containers to create modular buildings that are cheap and quick to build. The colors and design of Container City II were devised "to reflect the creative flair of those who work here," according to the company.
奇特之处：
集装箱城采用旧的航运集装箱制作组合式建筑，其价格便宜而且施工快。据公司介绍，集装箱城2号的颜色和外观被设计成“能反映出在此工作的艺术家极富创造力的才华”。
7. The Crooked House
图7 弯曲屋
City: Sopot, Poland
地点：波兰，索波特
Background: The Crooked House is located in a shopping center. Built in 2003, the house is used for commercial purposes.
背景：
弯曲屋位于一个购物中心。这座建筑造于2003年，现用于商业。
How It's Strange: Drawings from a children's books illustrator, Jan Marcin Szancer, partially inspired the building's wavy look, which fits snugly between neighboring buildings and looks as though it's sagging in place. The building's roof is meant to create the illusion of dragon scales.
奇特之处：
儿童读物插画家Jan Marcin Szancer设计了这栋建筑，它起伏的外观就像是被两边的建筑挤压所致，而且看上去还在不断凹陷。而建筑的屋顶刻意做成了龙鳞的样子。
8. Basket Building
图8 篮子大楼
City: Newark, Ohio
地点：美国，俄亥俄州，纽瓦克
Background: This building is the home office of the Longaberger Company, which sells baskets.
背景：
这是Longaberger公司的总部大楼，这家公司是卖菜篮子的……
How It's Strange: The building looks like a basket. "There is a whole tradition of using supersize realistic objects to draw attention," Israel says. "It's a fun way to catch a consumer's eye." This building's windows in particular are visually interesting because they mimic a basket's weave pattern.
奇特之处：
这大楼看起来像个篮子。“这是非常典型的通过放大实物尺寸引起注意，”伊斯雷尔说道，“它通过有趣的方式吸引消费者目光。”从外面看，这座大楼的窗户别有特色，因为它模拟了菜篮子的编织样式。
9. Community Bookshelf
图9 社区书架
City: Kansas City, Mo.
地点：美国，密苏里州，堪萨斯城Background: This funky building is the parking garage for Kansas City's Central Library. It features 22 book titles, which the Kansas City Public Library Board of Trustees selected from library members' suggestions.
这个独特的建筑是堪萨斯城中央图书馆的停车场。做为组成其外墙的22本书，是由堪萨斯城中央图书馆管理委员会从会员推荐中挑选出的。
How It's Strange: This is another case of using huge realistic objects to catch the eye; the book spines measure approximately 25 by 9 feet. The book titles include The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes and Romeo and Juliet.
奇特之处：
这又是一个放大实物尺寸以吸引眼球的案例，这些“书脊”将近9英尺宽25英尺高（注：1英尺 = 0.3048 米）。这些书包括《兰斯顿·休斯诗集》和《罗密欧与朱丽叶》。
10. Guggenheim Museum
图10 古根海姆博物馆
City: Bilbao, Spain
地点：西班牙，毕尔巴鄂
Background: Renowned architect Frank Gehry designed the Guggenheim Museum in an industrial city in Northern Spain. Glass walls link the building's striking curves, which are made of stone, glass and titanium.
背景：
著名的建筑师弗兰克·盖里设计了位于西班牙北部工业城市的古根海姆博物馆。石头、玻璃和钛合金组成了这座建筑突出的曲线，再通过玻璃幕墙将它们连成一体。
How It's Strange: The building fits into a style of architecture called deconstructivism, which is known for "stimulating unpredictability and controlled chaos," Israel says. A building of this complexity is rare because it requires advanced technology to design. For example, Gehry created these mathematically complex curves with a 3D computer design program initially developed for the aerospace industry.
奇特之处：
这个建筑充满了结构主义的建筑风格，伊斯雷尔介绍说，这种风格以“刺激性的不可预测性和可控的混乱”而闻名。像这样复杂的建筑并不多见，因为这需要更先进的设计技术。例如，为了设计出这些复杂的数学曲线，盖里运用了起初为航天工业开发的计算机3D设计软件。
11. Ferdinand Cheval's Ideal Palace
图11 费迪南德白马宫（又名，理想宫）
City: Hauterives, France
地点：法国，欧特里沃
Background: Ferdinand Cheval, a rural postman, built this palace between 1879 and 1912. He had no background in architecture or masonry, and a uniquely shaped stone was the inspiration for the project. Today, the castle is a popular tourist destination.
背景：
费迪南德是一名乡村邮递员，他在1879至1912年间建造了这个宫殿。他没有任何建筑学或者石工术背景，是一块形状独特的石头给他建设的灵感。今天，这座城堡成为了著名的旅游景点。
How It's Strange: The palace mixes architectural styles from different epochs and places, such as Northern Europe, China and Algiers. Cheval used a variety of materials, including limestone, shells and stones, to create this elaborately carved building. He spent almost three decades just gathering stones for the project.
奇特之处：
这个宫殿混合了许多不同时代和不同地区的建筑风格，例如北欧风格、中国风格和阿尔及利亚风格。费迪南德使用了多种材料，包括石灰石、贝壳和岩石，用来制作这精雕细琢的建筑。仅是为这个建筑收集石头，他就花了差不多三十年的时间。
12. Dancing House
图12 舞蹈大厦
City: Prague, Czech Republic
地点：捷克共和国，布拉格
Background: Frank Gehry and fellow architect Vlado Milunic designed this building.
背景：弗兰克·盖里和建筑师Vlado Milunic共同设计了这栋建筑。
How It's Strange: The building is meant to look like a dancing couple, complete with a skirt swaying to the music. Its nickname is "Ginger and Fred" after famous dancing pair Ginger Rogers and Fred Astair. A building like this sticks out among more traditional high-rise buildings. "It helps make Prague a dynamic, cultured city," Israel says.
奇特之处：
这座建筑看上去就像一对正在跳舞的情侣，（外形的弧线）犹如伴随音乐飘扬的裙摆，使造型更加完美。它的昵称“琴吉和弗雷德”取自一对著名的舞伴琴吉·罗杰斯和弗雷德·阿斯泰尔。这栋建筑在传统高层建筑中如此突出，“它使布拉格成为具有动感和文化底蕴的城市。”伊斯雷尔说道。
注：
弗雷德·阿斯泰尔与琴吉·罗杰斯总共合作了十部电影，其中包括：《柳暗花明》（1934）、《萝贝塔》（Roberta，1935）、《礼帽》（Top Hat，1936）、《欢乐时光》（Swing Time，1936）、《跟上舰队》（Following the Fleet，1936）、《来跳舞吧》（Shall We Dance，1937）、《无忧无虑》（Carefree，1938）等。二者的合作使他们成为上世纪40年代的歌舞剧巨星。
13. Lotus Temple
图13 莲花寺（又名灵曦堂）
City: New Delhi, India
地点：印度，新德里
Background: Officially known as the Bah '’ House of Worship, this temple is one of the most visited structures in India. Over 8000 people attended its opening ceremony in 1986.
背景：
正式名称为巴哈伊宗教教院，它是印度参观人数最多的寺院之一。超过8000人参加了1986年举行的开幕式。
How It's Strange: The building is designed to represent the lotus flower, a religious symbol for various religions prevalent in India, including Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. "When it comes to spiritual architecture," Israel says, "you're looking for some kind of personal meaning or connection." The temple consists of three sets of petals, covered in marble, and it is open at the top.
奇特之处：
这座寺院看上去如同莲花，以宗教符号的形式代表了在印度盛行的各种宗教，包括印度教、佛教和伊斯兰教。伊斯雷尔介绍道：“当涉及宗教建筑时，你必须考虑到一些人物含义或者联系。”这个寺院有三组花瓣构成，表面以大理石覆盖，并且顶部是开放的。
14. Cadet Chapel
图14 小圣堂
City: Colorado Springs, Colo.
地点：美国，科罗拉多州，科罗拉多斯普林斯市
Background: The chapel is part of the United States Air Force Academy. It's an all-faith place of worship, with four separate chapels—one for Protestants, Catholics, Jews and Buddhists.
背景：
小圣堂是美国空军学院的一部分。它是各种信仰的礼拜堂，包括四个小教堂——分别供基督教徒、天主教徒、犹太教徒和佛教徒使用。
How It's Strange: This chapel is a spiritual building designed to have viewers experience religion—and the house of worship—in a new way, Israel says. It consists of 17 spires soaring 150 feet into the air.
奇特之处：
伊斯雷尔介绍说，小圣堂的宗教建筑设计方式，使来访者以全新的方式体验宗教和教堂的魅力。这座建筑的屋顶直指蓝天，由17个150英尺的高耸尖塔组成。
15. Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum
图15 尼泰罗伊当代艺术博物馆
City: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
地点：巴西，里约热内卢
Background: The building, opened in 1996, serves as a museum.
背景：
这座建筑于1996年落成，现在是一家博物馆。
How It's Strange: The circular building resembles a UFO. A cylinder 29.5 feet in diameter supports the entire structure, which makes it seem like it's floating above the surrounding water. In addition, the building was treated with a heat-resistant material that has been used to protect NASA rockets.
奇特之处：
这座圆形的建筑看起来像个UFO。一根直径29.5英尺的圆柱体支撑着整个建筑，远远看去，这个UFO就像漂浮在海上。此外，这栋建筑采用了一种曾被NASA（美国国家航空航天局）用在火箭上的隔热材料。
16. Cube Houses
图16 方块屋
City: Rotterdam, Netherlands
地点：荷兰，鹿特丹
Background: The 38 cubes, built on top of a pedestrian bridge in 1984, are residential homes that overlook a commercial area with restaurants and shops.
背景：
建于1984年的方块屋由38个立方体组成，坐落在一座人行天桥的顶部，这些用作住宅的方块屋可以俯瞰一条由旅馆和店铺组成的商业街。
How It's Strange: Architect Piet Blom wanted each cube to represent an abstract tree—taken together, all the cubes are supposed to make a forest. The tilted cubes sit on hexagonal poles. Each one is three stories, with the top story a three-sided pyramid covered in windows.
奇特之处：
在建筑师皮埃特·布洛姆的构想中，每个立方体都代表一颗抽象的树——所有的立方体合在一起，就如同一片森林。倾斜的立方体彼此相邻，看上去如同一个六角形（注：请参照图片）。每个方块屋都有三层，顶层犹如一个金字塔，三面由玻璃覆盖。
17. Library of Alexandria
图17 亚历山大图书馆
City: Alexandria, Egypt
地点：埃及，亚历山大
Background: The library is located almost exactly where an ancient Egyptian library once stood. This modern version rises 11 stories and attracts 1 million visitors a year.
背景：
这座图书馆的所在地曾经是一座古埃及图书馆。而今的图书馆共有11层楼，每年吸引100万游客前来参观。
How It's Strange: The most striking feature of the library is its large, slanted disc, which represents a rising sun. This is supposed to symbolize an emerging place of learning; in addition, sun discs played a role in ancient Egyptian religion and mythology.
奇特之处：
这个图书馆最特别之处在它那巨大的倾斜轮盘，代表了正在升起的太阳。它应该象征了这座图书馆是新崛起的学术场所。此外，太阳轮盘在古埃及宗教和神话中扮演着重要的角色。
18. Belarus National Library
图18 白俄罗斯国家图书馆
City: Minsk, Belarus
地点：白俄罗斯，明斯克
Background: The Belarus National Library's design was selected in an international contest in 1989, but construction didn't begin until 2002.
背景：
白俄罗斯国家图书馆的设计方案是在1989年的国际竞标中挑选出的，但直到2002年才动工兴建。
How It's Strange: The goal of making such common buildings look weird, Israel says, is to make them "landmarks within a city, not only spaces that have practical function." This one is meant to resemble a diamond.
奇特之处：
伊斯雷尔介绍说，建造这座普通建筑的原因非常奇怪，是为了让它“不仅成为具有实际用途的空间，而且还要成为城市的地标建筑”。这座图书馆看上去如同一颗大钻石。
