Barcelona, the heart of Catalonia, holds many enchanting sites, but none as captivating as the Basilica of the Sagrada Família. A masterpiece in the making for over a century, its spires reach for the heavens while its intricate façades tell tales from religious history. If this architectural wonder is on your travel list, here’s a…
Countless people describe California‘s Mojave Desert as mystical, magical, and slightly uncanny. In the mid-1950s, a UFO enthusiast and engineer named George Van Tassel claimed that aliens from Venus—whom he encountered in the Mojave Desert—assisted him in drafting plans for a domed structure called The Integratron. This structure purportedly harnessed the region’s rich geomagnetic energy….
When Antoni Gaudi graduated from architecture school, the official who handed him his diploma famously remarked that Gaudi was either a genius or a fool. Gaudi’s fantastical Casa Batlló—which is the most distinctive house in a row of eccentric homes in Barcelona, often referred to as the “Island of Discord”—proves beyond a shadow of a…
Architect Mike Reynolds is a firm believer that one man’s trash is another man’s insulation. A pile of discarded tires and beer cans inspired Reynolds to start building houses out of materials that most people throw away. The company that Reynolds founded—Earthship Biotecture—currently builds unique, sustainable homes around the world. Mike Reynolds decided that the…
From serving as suitable scenery for scary movies to keeping real-life secrets within its walls, the famous Sowden House knows how to attract both film enthusiasts and amateur detectives. In 1926, skilled architect Lloyd Wright designed this masterpiece of a house for painter and photographer John Sowden, who the Mayan-style residence is named after. The…
The main historic landmark of luxury living in New York City is Long Island, which holds the architectural diamonds of America. Luxury mansions, extravagant parties, fancy clothes and rare cars are roughly how F. Scott Fitzgerald portrayed the Gold Coast of Long Island in the 1920s in The Great Gatsby. These were the years when…
The El Jem Amphitheatre, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is one of the largest and best-preserved Roman monuments globally, and it holds a unique place in Africa. Nestled in the small village of El Jem (formerly known as Thysdrus) in eastern Tunisia, this architectural marvel is a testament to the grandeur and extent of the…
In the heart of Vienna, Austria, stands a whimsical, one-of-a-kind residential building known as Hundertwasserhaus. Designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser, it’s a captivating architectural treasure worth exploring. Abandoning conventional linear forms and box-like structures, Hundertwasserhaus boasts an eclectic mix of shapes, colors, and columns that reflect the signature style of its creator, Friedensreich Hundertwasser….