| A. | The Heliotrope is Germany’s first eco and energy-friendly house. Designed by architect Rolf Disch, this is the first PlusEnergy house in the world. The architect created this house as his private residence in 1994. This house produces more energy than it uses and the energy it produces is emissions free. The house rotates to track the sunlight and harness maximum energy of the sun in the form of heat and light. |
| B. | If you wish to trouble your neighbours, the Skinny House is a nice idea. It was originally built as a Spite House – to upset the neighbours. Located in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts, this house is the narrowest house in the city. There is no clear evidence to support the reason of its construction. However, according to a legend, one of the neighbors built it to block the sunlight and air of another neighbour. |
| C. | Nikolai Smirnov began building this ‘wooden skyscraper’ in Arkhangelsk with the intention of making it only a two-story building. But a trip to see wooden houses in Japan and Norway convinced him that he hadn’t used roof space efficiently enough, so he kept building. “First I added three floors but then the house looked strange, like a mushroom,” he said. “So I added another and it still didn’t look right so I kept going. What you see today is a happy accident.” |
| D. | Polish businessman and philanthropist Daniel Czapiewski built The Upside Down House as a statement about the end of the world. The house stands on its roof while visitors walk on the ceilings. It took 114 days to build because the workers were so disoriented by the angles of the walls. It certainly attracts its fair share of tourists to the tiny village of Szymbark, who often become dizzy after just a few moments inside. |
| E. | It seems a crazy idea, but it is a house. The Stone House is situated in the Fafe mountains of Portugal. Sandwiched between two stones the house is said to have been inspired by the American “Flintstones” cartoon series. Although it may seem rustic, there are some amenities, which include a fireplace and a swimming pool – carved out of one of the large stones. The house draws many tourists every year. |
| F. | The Hobbit House in Wales sure makes for some delightful photographs! It’s not surprising since a photographer is responsible for creating this house. With some help from his father-in-law, he was able to build this house using all natural materials and only $5,200. His goal was to create a living space that resembled houses from the fantasy novel “Lord of the Rings”, and within
4 months the dream was a reality. |
| G. | Berlin-based architect Van Bo Le-Mentzel has created “One Square Metre House” – probably the smallest house in the world. It’s a wooden structure, which uses only one square meter of space and can be used as a dwelling place, mobile kiosk or even an extra room inside your apartment. Because of the flipping mechanism, it can be used both vertically or horizontally. It consists of a wooden frame, slide window and a lockable door. |