World's Wackiest Skyscrapers

Architecture reaches new heights with these outrageous skyscrapers all the way from Dubai to Ohio.

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30 St. Mary Axe

30 St. Mary Axe in London's Financial District is also known as the Gherkin for its striking resemblence to a small cucumber by the same name. Its 41 floors opened in May 2004, and it became Britain’s most expensive office building when it sold in 2007 for 630 million British Pounds.

The Chang Building

The Chang Building in Bangkok, Thailand, is hard to miss, and because of its resemblance to a pachyderm, it has become more commonly known as the Elephant Building. Completed in 1997, the Chang Building is made up of 32 floors and seven ifferent sections, including a recreation area with a swimming pool and a shopping plaza.

Burj Al Arab

The world's fourth tallest hotel, the Burj Al Arab sits on its own manmade island and is only accessible by its private bridge. Designed to mimic the shape of a sail, this hotel is the epitome of luxury with its Royal Suite going for well over $18,000 a night.

Zizkov Television Tower

It doesn't get much stranger than the Zizkov Television Tower in Prague. Standing at 709 feet tall, the building features six observation pods with the highest offering a panoramic view of Prague at 328 feet. Crawling baby sculptures by Czech artist David Cerny were added to the sides of the tower in 2000 as a temporary installation, but were kept permanently after the public expressed their admiration of the art.

Lippo Centre

The Lippo Centre in Hong Kong is made up of two owers, with the tallest standing at about 610 feet. Frequently referred to as the Koala Tree, it’s said to resemble koalas clinging to a tree -- if you squint a little, you might see it.

Kingdom Centre

Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was completed in 2002 and houses a Four Seasons hotel, apartments and a shopping mall. The bridge across the top is open to the public with an observation deck offering stunning views, and the space below the bridge glows at night, with differently-hued lights filling the space.

Longaberger Home Office

While maybe not technically a skyscraper, the Longaberger Company's headquarters in Newark, Ohio, deserves a spot on this list since it doesn’t get much wackier than designing your office after your best-selling product. The founder of the company wanted all of his subsequent offices to be shaped like baskets, but his daughters vetoed the idea.

Tokyo Tower

A communications tower in Tokyo, Japan, the Tokyo Tower was intended for television broadcasting; however, Japan’s recent transition to digital television necessitated a taller tower, leading to the construction of the Tokyo Skytree in February 2012.

Torre Velasca

In Milan, Italy, the Torre Velasca was built in the 1950s, making it part of the first generation of modern architecture in the city. So it wouldn't be too much of a sore thumb on the skyline on Milan, the architecture is influenced by medieval fortresses and towers -- a modern interpretation of the Italian castles of yore.

Taipei 101

At 101 stories and 1,667 feet, the Taipei 101 in Taiwan was the world's tallest structure until being beat out by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Despite this defeat, the skyscraper was awarded the LEED Platinum certification, making it the tallest green building in the world.

CCTV Headquarters

The headquarters for China Central Television is actually comprised of six connected sections encompassing 1,552,000 feet of space, and due to its irregular shape, has been nicknamed "big boxer shorts."

Suite Vollard

The Suite Vollard is a residential building in Brazil named after the Picasso collection of etchings called the Vollard Suite. It may not look that wacky, but it happens to be the world’s first spinning building, with each floor rotating 360 degrees each hour, giving residents an ever-changing view.

Ryugyong Hotel

The Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea has been under construction since 1987. But despite still being incomplete, the building is undoubtedly North Korea's largest structure, and with 105 floors, has the fifth-highest number of stories in the world.

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World's Wackiest Skyscrapers

Related To:

Shop This Look

30 St. Mary Axe

The Chang Building

Burj Al Arab

Zizkov Television Tower

Lippo Centre

Kingdom Centre

Longaberger Home Office

Tokyo Tower

Torre Velasca

Taipei 101

CCTV Headquarters

Suite Vollard

Ryugyong Hotel