14 Extraordinary But Unusual Constructions Around the World

Kerala Houseboats, Kerala, India

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The houseboats or Kettuvalloms of Kerala, South India, are huge, and majestic constructions with length measured from 60 to 80 feet. They are called kettuvallam or “boat with knots” (“Kettu” means “tied with ropes” and “vallam” means “boat” in the Malayalam language) as the entire boats are held together with coir knots but not even a single nail. The boats are made of planks of jack-wood joined together with coir, and the roofs of the boats are made of palm leaves and bamboo poles with the exterior of the boats all painted with protection coats of cashew nut oil. In the past, these boats were used to transport rice and spices from Kuttanad to the Kochi port, but nowadays, these boats have turned into an engine-driven, huge, comfortable and exotic barge to enable the travelers to experience an unforgettable leisure trip while enjoying the delightful journey via the beautiful and tranquil backwaters in Kerala, where the travelers can have a complete houseboat experience.

The Blur Building, Yverdon-les-Bainz, Switzerland

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The Blur Building is a media pavilion on Lake Neuchatel in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland and was made for Swiss expo in 2002, but now it leaves as a major tourist attraction in Switzerland. It is called “blur” due to its self generated mist which gives a feel that the building is floating above the water without any structural support. An architecture magazine has described this building as “An inhabitable cloud whirling above a lake”.

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This extraordinary and intricate building was made of filtered lake water which could shoot a fine mist via 13,000 fog nozzles and thus creating an artificial cloud measured up to 300 ft in width by 200 ft deep by its height of 65 ft. There’s also a built-in weather station that controls fog output in response to shifting climatic conditions (such as wind direction, wind speed, temperature and humidity).

Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, California, USA

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