Architecture

Have a wacky idea for a home? Airbnb wants to hear about it

Have a wacky idea for a home? Airbnb wants to hear about it
If you have a crazy idea for a dream home, Airbnb is looking to help fund its creation. Living in a shoe has already been done though, so you'd need to think way outside of the box to be in with a shot of the prize money
If you have a crazy idea for a dream home, Airbnb is looking to help fund its creation. Living in a shoe has already been done though, so you'd need to think way outside of the box to be in with a shot of the prize money
View 17 Images
The Apollo 11 is an out of this world retreat in New Zealand that sleeps two and has a clear perspex roof, allowing guests to stargaze as they fall asleep
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The Apollo 11 is an out of this world retreat in New Zealand that sleeps two and has a clear perspex roof, allowing guests to stargaze as they fall asleep
If you have a crazy idea for a dream home, Airbnb is looking to help fund its creation. Living in a shoe has already been done though, so you'd need to think way outside of the box to be in with a shot of the prize money
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If you have a crazy idea for a dream home, Airbnb is looking to help fund its creation. Living in a shoe has already been done though, so you'd need to think way outside of the box to be in with a shot of the prize money
The interior of The Boot looks quite comfortable and includes one bedroom and one bathroom
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The interior of The Boot looks quite comfortable and includes one bedroom and one bathroom
The Boot is situated on an expansive property in New Zealand
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The Boot is situated on an expansive property in New Zealand
Camaya Bali Suboya - Magical Bamboo House is a luxurious home made out of bamboo that's situated among lush rice terraces in Bali
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Camaya Bali Suboya - Magical Bamboo House is a luxurious home made out of bamboo that's situated among lush rice terraces in Bali
Altar is a home that's in the middle of a lake in Brazil that's well suited to guests wanting to get away from it all
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Altar is a home that's in the middle of a lake in Brazil that's well suited to guests wanting to get away from it all
Altar runs off-the-grid using solar panels and sleeps up to four people
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Altar runs off-the-grid using solar panels and sleeps up to four people
The Big Idaho Potato Hotel features a nearby outhouse made from an old grain silo
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The Big Idaho Potato Hotel features a nearby outhouse made from an old grain silo
The Big Idaho Potato Hotel is an unusual hotel accommodation be designed by Kristie Wolfe
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The Big Idaho Potato Hotel is an unusual hotel accommodation be designed by Kristie Wolfe
The Big Idaho Potato Hotel probably isn't a good choice for claustrophobes as it has no windows and its interior consists of one room
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The Big Idaho Potato Hotel probably isn't a good choice for claustrophobes as it has no windows and its interior consists of one room
If you've ever wanted to sleep in the belly of the beast then Quetzalcoatl's Nest is a snake-shaped home in Mexico
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If you've ever wanted to sleep in the belly of the beast then Quetzalcoatl's Nest is a snake-shaped home in Mexico
Quetzalcoatl's Nest sleeps up to eight people
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Quetzalcoatl's Nest is surrounded by woods and the plot it's located on includes a park with botanical gardens and a cave and lakes
We've no measurements available but Quetzalcoatl's Nest looks very large and it sleeps up to eight people
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We've no measurements available but Quetzalcoatl's Nest looks very large and it sleeps up to eight people
The UFO 'Futuro styled Flying Saucer' sleeps up to four people in Wales, UK. Its interior features a monitor for playing classic video games – naturally Space Invaders is included
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The UFO 'Futuro styled Flying Saucer' sleeps up to four people in Wales, UK. Its interior features a monitor for playing classic video games – naturally Space Invaders is included
Sheep Wagon At Sash Dine is located in the wilderness and is ideally located for visitors to explore the Grand Canyon
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Sheep Wagon At Sash Dine is located in the wilderness and is ideally located for visitors to explore the Grand Canyon
Sheep Wagon At Sash Dine is solar powered and has an outhouse, though no running water
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Sheep Wagon At Sash Dine is solar powered and has an outhouse, though no running water
The Wind House, by Moon Hoon, is shaped like a duck's head and located atop a house in South Korea
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The Wind House, by Moon Hoon, is shaped like a duck's head and located atop a house in South Korea
View gallery - 17 images

If your idea for the perfect vacation is to spend a week in a potato or a shoe – or for that matter a flying saucer – then you may be a good fit for a new competition by Airbnb. The online marketplace is spending US$1 million to fund the wildest new home ideas from around the globe.

The Unique Airbnb Fund was launched by Airbnb to find and finance the creation of what it deems "the most unconventional and unusual liveable spaces on the planet."

Proposals can be submitted by anyone with an idea, not just designers and architects, until April 15 and prize winners will be declared on May 15. Submissions will be scored for creativity, sustainability, feasibility, and "social good," so something that's built from recycled materials and runs from solar panels would be a good start. After builds have been completed, all winners will be required to make the space exclusively available on the Airbnb platform for at least 12 months.

The UFO 'Futuro styled Flying Saucer' sleeps up to four people in Wales, UK. Its interior features a monitor for playing classic video games – naturally Space Invaders is included
The UFO 'Futuro styled Flying Saucer' sleeps up to four people in Wales, UK. Its interior features a monitor for playing classic video games – naturally Space Invaders is included

A total of 10 winners will be selected by a panel consisting of an MVRDV representative, Kristie Wolfe, and the actor Billy Porter. Each winner will receive $100,000, which should help towards turning your wild idea of building a UFO-shaped hotel into a reality – actually that one's already been built, so you'd better come up with something really different.

If you're looking for inspiration, Airbnb has gathered together some examples of weird and wonderful homes, which you can check out in the gallery. These include Kristie Wolfe's potato hotel, a duck's head-shaped abode, a large retreat that looks like a snake and an Apollo 11-themed getaway.

Source: Airbnb

View gallery - 17 images
2 comments
2 comments
Douglas Rogers
The flying saucer should survive well in high winds, as it has low drag in all directions and pressure resistance.
christopher
@Douglas - actually no - that rounded top will produce lift when wind blows over it, and it doesn't look like it's actually affixed to the ground at all. Stick the back of a spoon into a stream of water to see what rounded-surfaces do to the object - or just look out the window next time you fly, if any airlines still exist in future.