A London skyscraper melted several cars and started fires due to the intensity of the sun’s reflection on its south side. It had to be fitted with a permanent sunshade to prevent more incidents.
15 of the Ugliest Belgian Houses You’ll Ever See
There are no shortage of things in this world that go so far down the ugly scale they begin to somehow get cuter – like the scale is actually a loop and not a straight line.
I wouldn’t have guessed that this would apply to houses, but thanks to blogger Hannes Coudenys, now I do. Belgium is notorious for its quirky buildings, and in 2012 Coudenys started an Instagram account documenting some of the weirder ones.
It’s called Ugly Belgian Houses, and even architects and architecture enthusiasts can’t get enough.
After you scroll through these 15 bizarre architectural oddities, you’re not going to be able to, either.
#1. Are you sure it’s finished?
#2. A couple couldn’t decide on what kind of house to build and so this happened?
#3. Warped storage box or a house?
#4. Why would you do this.
#5. So weird.
#6. No idea what’s happening here.
#7. It’s a door! It’s a window! It’s both!
#8. That’s quite a beak.
#9. I can’t stop staring.
#10. Is it falling apart?
#11. This one, though.
#12. It looks like it’s made of Legos.
#13. I’m strangely uncomfortable.
#14. Somebody pissed this house off.
#15. In a science fiction movie, this is where the evil scientists are being all evil-y.
You can keep up on Instagram or Facebook.
Hot tip: don’t build a house like this.
The post 15 of the Ugliest Belgian Houses You’ll Ever See appeared first on UberFacts.
Despite ancient Roman bridges…
Despite ancient Roman bridges being the first large and lasting bridges ever built, many are still used despite being around 2,000 years old.
The “Half-House of Toronto” Still Stands Strong After All These Years
A string of Victorian row houses went up on St. Patrick Street in the center of Toronto between the years 1890 and 1893. Each one was an identical, connected home and they were numbered 52 1/2, 54, 54 1/2, 56, 58, and 60.
Today, just 1 remains – 54 1/2 St. Patrick Street – and it turns out it was aptly numbered, since it’s standing as “half” a house.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
In the 5 decades between when the houses were built and the 1930s, developers were keen on obtaining the buildings, and used aggressive tactics – one resident told the local newspaper he had received upward of 300 requests in a year.
One by one people gave in and the houses were demolished to make room for “progress,” until only the Valkos family at 54 1/2 remained. And they weren’t going anywhere.
That fact didn’t stop the developers who had bought the rest of the row – they tore down all of the surrounding (and connected) properties until only 54 1/2 remained standing, looking as if a whole house had been cut in two.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
The actual process of disconnecting the homes from 54 1/2 was a dangerous undertaking – load-bearing walls connected bedrooms, and a single miscalculation could have caused the Half House to tumble along with the rest. Though it remained standing, the owner at the time of the demolition (Emily Brown, the Valkoses daughter and her husband) complained to city officials about seeping rain water, insulation, and the unfinished appearance of the outside of their home.
Emily moved into a nursing home in 2012, selling the property to Albert Zikovitz, who worked in an adjacent office building, before leaving her childhood home.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Today, the building is privately owned and vacant, a remnant from a different time. Valued at over $650,000, the Half House of Toronto has been standing next to a housing project since 1975, and it doesn’t seem as if that will be changing anytime soon – if ever.
The post The “Half-House of Toronto” Still Stands Strong After All These Years appeared first on UberFacts.
Forty years ago, a prominent designer…
Forty years ago, a prominent designer received a call from an undergrad architecture student who told him that a design flaw in his 59-story Manhattan skyscraper could cause it to collapse during a storm. Initially he scoffed, then disturbingly, figured that she was right. 00
The largest brick building in the Americas…
The largest brick building in the Americas is located on an uninhabited island 68 miles west of Key West. 00
Hitler and his architect Albert Speer believed…
Hitler and his architect Albert Speer believed in the “Ruin Value” of buildings. He aimed for every building that the Third Reich built to have aesthetically pleasing ruins 1000 years from their completion. 00
Lewis Bradbury asked a $5/week…
Lewis Bradbury asked a $5/week draftsman with no architectural training to design his $500,000 building in 1892. Wyman agreed after consulting his dead brother via Oija board. The Bradbury Building in LA is a National Historic Landmark and appeared in movies such as Blade Runner. 00
Stockholm has a 20-story light up tower and the color…
Stockholm has a 20-story light up tower and the color of every floor can be changed by anyone with a smartphone. It’s meant to be a statement on the power of democracy and the the public. 00
The design of the tallest residential building…
The design of the tallest residential building in the world, 432 Park Avenue in Manhattan, is inspired by a trash can.