Humans are drawn to the peculiar. Anything weird, wonderful and out of the norm may pique curiosity. Tapping into this, and new from Hoxton Mini Press, Weird Buildings is a book that delivers a plethora of architectural oddities. Written by editor Imogen Fortes, the publication takes readers through human creativity at its most imaginative (if not polarising) with more than 100 buildings that question the boundaries of architecture and design.
The Big Duck, New York
Mirrorcube Treehotel, Sweden
'Weird Buildings' by Hoxton Mini Press
As you flip through this tome's pages, familiar landmarks jump out. From Antoni Gaudí’s Casa Batlló in Barcelona, Spain, to a mountaintop museum by Zaha Hadid. Other examples include Bubble Palace, a Mars-inspired settlement in Théoule-sur-Mer, France, by Antti Lovag, and Norway’s underwater restaurant, Under, by Snøhetta.
Inntel Hotel, The Netherlands
Under, Norway
The book also highlights America’s obsession with roadside whimsies, from teapot-shaped service stations in Washington and Pennsylvania, to The Big Duck in Flanders, New York, and The Dog Bark Park Inn Cottonwood, Idaho, by Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin.
Teapot Dome Service Station, Washington
The Wave, Denmark
Fortes has created an archive of unexpected buildings, varying in scale and spanning the globe, each treading a fine line between sculpture and structure.
Drina River House, Serbia
The Basket Building, Ohio
Some of the buildings are certainly novelties, created for fun alone or designed to grab drivers’ attention on the highway. But behind even the most gimmicky façades lies the essence of human creativity, encouraging passers-by to reimagine what a building can be.
The Twist, Norway
Although a building shaped like a giant fish or a space-inspired settlement may not be for everyone, rule-breaking structures are a reminder of the value of curiosity and wonder in our daily lives.
Casa do Penedo, Portugal
'Weird Buildings' by Hoxton Mini Press, £20, is available to purchase from 4 September 2025 or pre-order now at the link above
-
Five of the finest compact cameras available todayPocketable cameras are having a moment. We’ve assembled a set of cutting-edge compacts that’ll free you from the ubiquity of smartphone photography and help focus your image making
-
London label Wed Studio is embracing ‘oddness’ when it comes to bridal dressingThe in-the-know choice for fashion-discerning brides, Wed Studio’s latest collection explores the idea that garments can hold emotions – a reflection of designers Amy Trinh and Evan Phillips’ increasingly experimental approach
-
Arts institution Pivô breathes new life into neglected Lina Bo Bardi building in BahiaNon-profit cultural institution Pivô is reactivating a Lina Bo Bardi landmark in Salvador da Bahia in a bid to foster artistic dialogue and community engagement
-
Explore Tom Kundig’s unusual houses, from studios on wheels to cabins slotted into bouldersThe American architect’s entire residential portfolio is the subject of a comprehensive new book, ‘Tom Kundig: Complete Houses’
-
‘Brutalist Berlin’ is an essential new guide for architectural tourists heading to the cityBlue Crow Media’s ‘Brutalist Berlin’ unveils fifty of the German capital’s most significant concrete structures and places them in their historical context
-
Celebrate the angular joys of 'Brutal Scotland', a new book from Simon Phipps'Brutal Scotland' chronicles one country’s relationship with concrete; is brutalism an architectural bogeyman or a monument to a lost era of aspirational community design?
-
A new Tadao Ando monograph unveils the creative process guiding the architect's practiceNew monograph ‘Tadao Ando. Sketches, Drawings, and Architecture’ by Taschen charts decades of creative work by the Japanese modernist master
-
Around the world in brutalist interiors – take a tour with this new book'Brutalist Interiors' is a new book exploring the genre's most spectacular spaces; we speak to its editor Derek Lamberton, and ask for his top-three must-sees
-
15 years of Assemble, the community-driven British architecture collectiveRich in information and visuals, 'Assemble: Building Collective' is a new book celebrating the Turner Prize-winning architecture collective, its community-driven hits and its challenges
-
A new book delves into Frei Otto’s obsession with creating ultra-light architecture‘Frei Otto: Building with Nature’ traces the life and work of the German architect and engineer, a pioneer of high-tech design and organic structures
-
Modernist Travel Guide: a handy companion to explore modernism across the globe‘Modernist Travel Guide’, a handy new pocket-sized book for travel lovers and modernist architecture fans, comes courtesy of Wallpaper* contributor Adam Štěch and his passion for modernism
