Awesome Architecture

Architect Mark Nixon created this interactive wind chime sculpture, which hangs from the underside of a bridge, creating peaceful music as people walk over and the wind blows through.

Suppose Design Office imbued the Cafe/day coffee shop in Shizuoka, Japan with a spacious feel mainly by extending road lines and symbols to the shop’s floor, which is also made of asphalt.

Designed by MÃ¥rten & Gustav Cyrén, The Cabin is one of the five treetop rooms of the Treehotel in Harads, Sweden. It’s accessed via a footbridge from a hill to the top deck. More pics here.

At Anantara Kihavah Villas in the Maldives, Sea’s dining room is partially submerged in the ocean, offering incredible views of sea life. The rest of the resort doesn’t look to shabby, either.

Built in just 17 days and costing nearly $500,000, this skate park in West Auckland, New Zealand looks like a huge pinball machine, complete with a scoreboard and a plunger launcher for skaters.

It wasn’t enough for Duncan Jackson to plan on building a Fortress House. He actually converted an old British defense tower into a home. The views make up for the constant threat of French invaders.

Designed to prove that you can live in a space just 3x3x3m with a carbon-neutral footprint, The Cube is a complete home, with a living, dining, kitchen, sleeping quarters and a (yuck) composting toilet.

The University of Chicago’s Mansueto Library houses up to 3.5 million books and periodicals in its underground robotic shelving system delivering books to readers in a minimal reading room.

Designed by Jurgen Mayer H. and located in Seville, Spain, it’s the world’s largest wooden structure. Its sweeping forms are captured in these photos by Fernando Alda and David Franck.

Christian Schallert made the most of his 254sqft apartment through extensive use of shelves and drawers. It may not be as complex as what this man did, but it’s still very creative and practical.

Patkau Architects created this group of temporary skating shelters huddled together by a skating trail along a frozen river in Winnipeg, which include a timber frame, plywood floor and seating inside.

The breathtaking views of Norway’s natural scenery don’t need much enhancement. Still, kudos to the Public Roads Administration for authorizing these amazing National Tourist Routes.

These World War II monuments built throughout Yugoslavia now stand neglected and forgotten. Photographer Jan Kempenaers captured these hollow symbols in his book Spomenik.

There is dynamic contrast to be found in architect Michael Hansmeyer’s Subdivided Column series, which features manipulated doric columns with beautiful, elaborate details. (Thanks Russell!)

Designed by KWK Promes, the Safe House can transform from a beautiful mansion into a closed off black box at the touch of a button. Its moveable walls can even confine people at the entrance.

Parking is hard to find in San Francisco, and so is the 4-car garage that Beausoleil Architects managed to build for this historic Victorian apartment. Watch the video to find out where it is.

How can you not love this duo uof East Village apartments, conjoined by a metal slide – so occupants can quickly descend from the office above to the living area below. Up requires stairs.

$25M will get you the stunning (and somewhat familiar) 11,000 sf Razor house, with mind-boggling views. The only thing missing is a Tony Stark cut-out in the secret lab. (Thanks Sonic!)

Gabrijela Tumbas’ compact dwelling concept measures in at just 22 m² (appx. 236 sq. ft.) It sleeps 4, has a lofted bedroom, kitchen, dining and living quarters, a convertible sofa, and a bathroom.

The Sanctuary of Truth is a huge one of a kind structure that’s a unique monument to Thai craftsmanship, handcarved and constructed entirely from teak wood, to be completed in 2025.

A teeny 90 sf private hideaway for a partner in the Snarkitecture firm, Box/Box was completed in 2 months at a cost of less than $100/sf and features 25,000 ping pong balls as wallpaper. (Thanks Jon!)

Next month, the Marina Bay Sands Casino and Resort in Singapore will be the proud home of the lotus flower-shaped, eco-conscious and world’s first ArtScience Museum, designed by Moshie Safadie.

Isabelle Hayeur’s Fire with Fire is a site-specific video project in Vancouver; the video loop piece simulates a fire in a building in Downtown Eastside, the city’s oldest and most run-down neighborhood.