Top 5: Curious houses

Can buildings cuddle together? The Krzywy Domek in the Polish city of Sopot can. At least that's what it looks like. The crooked house, as it is called, has no right angles. Instead, it seems to move as if on a wave, contracting and expanding again. Architects Szotyńscy & Zaleski drew inspiration for the design from several different creative minds. These included architecture luminary Antoni Gaudí, Swedish painter Per Dahlberg and the fairytale-like illustrations by Jan Marcin Szancer. Today, the cosy building is one of the most photographed sights in Poland.

When the world is upside down, all is well in this house: in Poland, more precisely in Szymbark, the architect and artist Daniel Czapiewski built this building according to inverted rules. A skylight serves as the entrance; inside, you walk along the ceiling. However, it is not straight either. Not only is the building on the roof, it is also at an angle. While the building amazes tourists, the underlying message is a political one: Czapiewski wanted to illustrate the extent to which communist rule in Poland has shaken up life. But also to thematise the absurdity of the world in general.

The Tower of Pisa is already leaning. But the Capital Gate skyscraper in Abu Dhabi is even more off-axis. The 160 metre high tower leans a full 18° from its axis and reaches a maximum overhang of 80 metres. A world record. This incredible construction is made possible by a curved, prestressed inner core. And 490 reinforced steel columns that are anchored deep in the ground in a net shape. This has created a stable foundation for this masterpiece of architecture.

Too good to be true, but still in second place is the Suspended House. The project by Iranian architect Milad Eshtiyaghi is designed for a couple. And for a cliff in Mendocino, California. A massive mast would be anchored in it. The house would be secured to it with five steel cables. In this way, it would not only defy gravity, but also the sea winds. Eshtiyaghi therefore used bridge-building techniques to make the building float as freely as possible over the ocean. Now all that remains is to find a couple with strong nerves, no fear of heights and enough money. Then this curious building can be realised too.

The house of a lawyer in Palmer, Alaska, is quite quirky. For more than 20 years, he has been working on the construction, which looks as if it has come straight out of a children's book. That's why the building is also known as Dr Seuss House. What began as a two-storey log cabin in a clearing has been built piece by piece. The tower, now 56 metres high and visible from afar in the Alaskan wilderness, was largely built with wood from the surrounding forests and reinforced with 27 tonnes of steel. Some of the floors had to be assembled on the ground and lifted onto the tower with a crane. Goose Creek Tower is an example of the power of imagination. And that some people will stop at nothing for a good view.