Architecture

Top 10 architectural oddities of 2021

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The Sky Pool, by HAL Architects, is one of our pick for the Top 10 architectural oddities of 2021
EcoWorld Ballymore
The Sky Pool is suspended at a height of 35 m (114 ft) between two apartment buildings
EcoWorld Ballymore
If you're the kind of person who knows the difference between an ollie and a kickflip, the aptly named Skatehouse 2 will probably appeal
Walter Salcedo
The Infinitus Plaza, by Zaha Hadid Architects, takes the overall form of an infinity symbol
Liang Xue
Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen is finished in 1,664 panels of mirrored glass
Ossip van Duivenbode
Affirmation Tower will reach a height of 1,663 ft (506 m)
L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped is open from Saturday, September 18 to Sunday, October 3, 2021
Benjamin Loyseau
Russian Quintessential measures a total length of 12 m (39 ft) and has a width of 3.5 m (11 ft)
Ilya Ivanov
The Pencil Tower Hotel would reach a height of 100 m (328 ft) in downtown Sydney
Durbach Block Jaggers
The Al Bayt Stadium's design is inspired by by the Bayt al sha'ar tent of the nomadic people who have lived in and around Qatar's deserts for millennia
Qatar Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy
OPEN Architects used specialist software and worked with acoustic engineers to ensure the Chapel of Sound would be a superb space for live music
Jonathan Leijonhufvud
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From a house with its own skate ramp to a swimming pool in the sky, some pretty wild architecture popped up in 2021. Here's our pick of this year's top architectural oddities.

For this roundup, we've mostly focused on projects that are either already constructed, or at least seem like they might be, rather than completely blue-sky concepts or designs.

We've chosen to highlight 10 different projects that hail from all over the world: there are four in Europe, and two in China, as well as one each in the United States, Qatar, Australia, and Argentina, respectively.

The designs themselves vary in size and budget, and some are a little more practical than others, but each one breaks the mold to offer something a little different from the normal everyday buildings that surround us all. Read on for a look at our pick of Top 10 architectural oddities of 2021.

View gallery - 10 images
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2 comments
Username
The wrapped Arc de Triomphe shouldn't be in this list.
Nelson Hyde Chick
After Cristo died I hoped his monstrosities would go with him, but no, we get a wrapped Arc de Triomphe.