Photos by Michael Brands for The New York Times

You can read the full story No Home for Squares as well as see the slideshow of all the interior pictures.

John Crandall, senior vice president of development with the Mack-Cali Realty Corp., offered another assessment. He presented sobering statistics on just how un-green New Jersey’s commercial real estate landscape really is. 

Crandall used the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environment Design, or LEED, as a benchmark. The LEED system awards points for features that promote conservation and good indoor air quality.

There are just 13 commercial office buildings in New Jersey that are certified with the LEED program, and only one currently under construction. This may be because of expense. Crandall said it can cost more than $1 per square foot for an office building to earn LEED certification.

Richard Johnson, senior vice president of Cranbury-based Matrix Development Group, told the developers in the audience that while LEED certification is "an event, sustainability is a process," one that every developer should embrace.

Johnson said that there are many levels of LEED certification. Developers should start small and aim first for lower levels of LEED, rather than getting paralyzed by the more difficult process of winning gold or platinum certification, he said.

Matrix develops and manages primarily industrial real estate. It will soon implement pilot programs on its own buildings to test the viability of several cost-saving measures, such as solar arrays on the roofs of large warehouses. This may be the best way for developers to measure results themselves, and then educate clients about the benefits, Johnson said.
Source: www.northjersey.com Author: James Quirk

SJP Properties New Commercial Construction Going Green:  SJP Properties Chairman & Founder Steven J. Pozycki announced the company will seek LEED certification for its two Class-A office towers on both sides of the Hudson River – its flagship 11 Times Square in New York City, which is currently under construction, and Waterfront Corporate Center III in Hoboken, NJ.  Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.  Source

The world’s one and only toilet house is a 4,508 square foot concrete and glass structure being constructed on the site of Sim’s former home in his native city of Suweon.  The two storey house features 2 bedrooms, 2 guestrooms, and 3 deluxe lavatories.  The cost: $1.6 million dollars to construct.  It symbolizes Sim’s ongoing effort to to assist developing countries without toilets as well as promote clean and sanitary bathrooms worldwide.

Although Sim’s intentions are to reside in the property, prior to Sim moving in it will be available to rent at $50,000 per night.  The proceeds will be funding the organization and supporting their cause.  Sim stated that epidemics caused by poor sanitation around the world cost two million lives a year.  Worldwide, 2.6 billion people live without toilets. In addition, many areas have poorly designed flush toilets waste vast amounts of potential drinking water.  His campaign will focus on setting international standards for clean public toilets and that bathrooms must be treated as the sanctuary that protects human health.

The actual name of the house is Haewoojae, meaning "a place of sanctuary where one can solve one’s worries".

You can find more information on Sim Jae-duck, the Toilet House, and the World Toilet Association from Reuters and AFP

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Alcazar of Segovia
 The Alcázar of Segovia (literally “Segovia Castle”) is a stone fortification, located in the old city of Segovia, Spain.  It is one of the most distinctive castle-palaces in Spain by virtue of its shape – like the bow of a ship. The Alcázar was originally built as a fortress but has served as a royal palace, a state prison, a Royal Artillery College and a military academy since then.

Created By Cuellar

Neuschwanstein Castle
Neuschwanstein Castle is a 19th century Bavarian castle. Located in Germany, near Hohenschwangau and Füssen in southwest Bavaria, the castle was built by Ludwig II, King of Bavaria, as a retreat and as an homage to Richard Wagner, the King’s inspiring muse. 

Created By Oefe

Moritzburg Castle
Schloss Moritzburg is a Baroque Germanic castle in the small town of Moritzburg in the German state of Saxony. It is located close to the city of Dresden. It was built from 1542–1546 as a hunting lodge for Duke Moritz of Saxony.

Photo by Jmbgermany

Peles Castle
Peleş Castle is a romantic castle in Sinaia, Romania, built between 1873 and 1883, and is considered by some to be the most beautiful in Europe and in the world.  Peles Castle was designed in the neo-Renaissance style, first by German architect Wilhelm Doderer and later by Johannes Schultz (1876-1883). Later additions were made between 1893 and 1914 by the Czech architect Karel Liman. It was originally used as the summer residence of the royal family. It also serves as the burial site of King Carol I after his death in 1914.

Photo By daytona_k

Scone Palace
Scone Palace is located in Scone, near Perth, Scotland. It was constructed in 1808 for the Earls of Mansfield by William Atkinson. Built of red sandstone with a castellated roof, it is a classic example of the late Georgian Gothic style.

Created by José Luis Mieza Ramos

El Escorial, the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real
El Escorial is situated at the foot of Mt. Abantos in the Sierra de Guadarrama.  The location, hardly obvious as a site for a royal palace, was chosen by King Philip II of Spain, and it was he who ordained the building of a grand edifice here to commemorate the 1557 Spanish victory at the Battle of St. Quentin in Picardy against Henry II, king of France.  The building’s cornerstone was laid on April 23, 1563. The design and construction were overseen by Juan Bautista de Toledo, who did not live to see the completion of the project. With Toledo’s death in 1567, direction passed to his apprentice, Juan de Herrera, under whom the building was completed in 1584, in less than 21 years. 

Photo by: cuellar

Almourol Castle
The Almourol Castle is situated in a small rocky island, in the middle of the Tagus river, in Portugal. The castle was a Knights Templar stronghold used during the Reconquista.  It is believed it was a primitive lusitanian redoubt and was populated from Roman times until the late Middle Ages. It is certain that in 1129, when Portuguese troops conquered the land, the castle already existed and was called Almorolan.

Photo by: feijomestre

Royal Palace of Madrid
The site of the palace dates from a 10th-century fortress, called mayrit, constructed as an outpost by Mohammed I, Emir of Córdoba and inherited after 1036 by the independent Moorish Kingdom of Toledo.  The Antiguo Alcázar (”Old Castle”) was built on the location in the 16th century. It burned on December 24, 1734; King Philip V ordered a new palace built on the same location. Construction spanned the years 1738 to 1755 and followed a Berniniesque design.

Photo by: R.Duran

Chateau de Chambord
It is the largest castle in the Loire Valley, France,  but was built to serve only as a hunting lodge for King François I, who maintained his royal residences at Château de Blois and at Château d’Amboise. The original design of the Château de Chambord is attributed, though with several doubts, to Domenico da Cortona, whose wooden model for the design survived long enough to be drawn by André Félibien in the seventeenth century.

Photo by: -Kj

Butron Castle
The Butrón Castle, located in the municipality of Gatika, Spain, was constructed in the middle of the 14C. It has witnessed the factional fights that forged the history of Bizkaia. After being abandoned for several centuries and left to deteriorate, it was restored in the 19C by the architect Mr. Francisco de Cubas, who gave the castle its present romantic appearance.

Photo by: Santi

De Haar Castle (Kasteel de Haar)
Located in the Netherlands, the castle was founded in the 14th century.  Between 1892 and 1912 the castle that stands today was rebuilt incorporating the original ruins.

Photo By: Saskya

Manzanares el Real Castle
Located in the town of Manzanares el Real, 30 miles north of Madrid. The construction of the castle began in the year 1475, at a time when Madrid had little more than 100 houses and about 300 citizens. The castle has a quadrangular plant with four towers on the corners.

Photo by: R.Duran

Gravensteen Castle
Located in Ghent, Belgium, the present castle was built in 1180 by count Philip of Alsace and was modelled after the crusaders castles the count encountered while he participated in the second crusade. Before its construction, there stood a wooden castle on the same location, presumably built in the ninth century.

Photo by: highsmith

Chateau de Chenonceau
The Château de Chenonceau, near the small village of Chenonceaux, Loire Valley in France, was built on the site of an old mill on the River Cher, sometime before its first mention in writing in the 11th century. The current manor was designed by the French Renaissance architect Philibert Delorme in the 1500’s which was the third castle constructed on the site.

Photo by: nacho_h71

Belsay Castle
Belsay Castle is a 14th century medieval castle situated at Belsay, Northumberland, England. The main structure, a substantial three storey rectangular pele tower with rounded turretts and battlements was constructed about 1370, and was the home of the Middleton family.

Photo By: Craig Wilkinson

Upper Belvedere Palace
The Belvedere is a baroque palace complex built by Prince Eugene of Savoy in the 3rd district of Vienna, Austria, south-east of the city centre.  In 1717, the decision was made to build the Upper Belvedere. Construction took place between 1721 and 1722 and the interior decoration was completed the following year.

Photo By: Gerhard

Goluchow Castle
Located in Poland, the Goluchow Castle was originally a defence structure built for Rafal Leszczynski around 1650. Later, to be turned into a stately magnate residence by Rafal’s son, Waclaw, one of the Republic of Poland – Lithuania’s most prominent citizens. Two and a half centuries later Izabela of the Czartoryskis Dzialynska, who then owned the Castle, had it restored in the style of the French Renaissance.

Photo By: ukaszsie

Bojnice Castle
Located in Slovakia, it is also one of the oldest and most distinguished of Slovak fortresses. The first written records of its existence come from 1113 in a document from the Zobor abbey. In this Latin written document King Koloman confirmed the property as belonging to the Benedictine monastery of St. Hypolita in the upper Nitra. Originally the fortress was made from wood and grew out of the older fortress. Gradually over the 13th century it was built up from stone as property of the Poznanovec family. The outer walls of the fortress were shaped according to the uneven rocky terrain, so creating the irregular outline with extended fortification.

Photo by: Tudorka

Castle Doorwerth
Doorwerth Castle was known, in earlier times, as Dorenweerd Castle. The present spelling of its name dates from around 1800.  The first, probably wooden, castle is first mentioned in 1260 when it was besieged and burned to the ground as a result.  The castle was rebuilt then left in ruins 2 more times. The castle suffered heavily in 1944 when it was transformed into a cheerless ruin as a result of German destructiveness and Allied shelling. Directly after WW II a lengthy restoration followed that lasted until 1983. The Doorwerth Castle is now back to it’s 18th century state.

Photo By: digicla

Lednice Castle
The present appearance of Lednice is a result of the Neo-Gothic reconstruction of 1846 – 1858, designed by Georg Wingelmüller.  However, the constructional development of the present Romantic building began as early as the Middle Ages in connection with the noted House of Liechtenstein, which utilized Lednice for representation purposes since the 18th century.

Image by: v.krejci

Bodiam Castle
Bodiam Castle is a quadrangular castle located in East Sussex, England.  It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III, supposedly at the request of Richard II in order to defend the surrounding area from French invasion.

Image by: Aitor Escauriaza

Lulworth Castle
Located in Dorset, England, the Lulworth Castle is a dramatic early-17th century hunting lodge.  The mock castle was built in 1607 – 10 by Thomas Howard, 3rd Viscount Blindon.  He was a member of the huge Howard clan who were in great favour at the court of  James I and had his principal seat at nearby Blindon Abbey.

Image By: Tim Carter

Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
The Chateau de Vaux le Vicomte is a French Baroque chateau located in Maincy, near Melun, in France. It was built from 1658 to 1661 for Nicolas Fouquet, Marquis de Belle-Isle (Belle-Ile-en-Mer), Viscount of Melun and Vaux, the superintendent of finances of Louis XIV

Image by: Sylvain

Eilean Donan Castle
Located on the small island of Eilean Donan in Scotland.  The original castle was built in 1220 for Alexander II as a defence against the Vikings.  In April 1719 the castle was occupied by Spanish troops attempting to start another Jacobite Rising. The castle was recaptured, and then demolished, by three Royal Navy frigates on 10–13 May 1719.  The castle was restored in the years between 1919 and 1932 by Lt. Col. John MacRae-Gilstrap

Image By: Stefano

Craigdarroch Castle
Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada is a historic, Victorian-era mansion. It was constructed in the 1890s as a family residence for the wife of wealthy coal baron Robert Dunsmuir.

Photo by: Matt

Matsumoto Castle
Matsumoto Castle is one of Japan’s historic castles. Located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture.  It is believed much of the castle was completed in 1593-4.  This castle is also called Crow Castle because of its black walls and spreading wings. It is an example of a flatland castle, not being built on a hilltop or amid rivers.

Photo by: Yevgen Pogoryelov

So let’s hear it, which one is your favorite?

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The completion of the Guitar House inspired his Album “Living In an Old Guitar“.  Here is another older shot of the house from a different angle I found on this site. It seems to be a screen shot take from google maps. 

You can check it out on the Google Maps Satellite image

Forest Spiral – Hundertwasser Building

Located in Darmstadt and built by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, the famous Austrian architect and painter. The Hundertwasser house “Waldspirale” with 105 apartments, wraps around a landscaped courtyard with a running stream. More Details

The Basket Building

Located in Newark, Ohio the Basket Building is the home office of The Longaberger Basket Company. Founder Dave Longaberger decided he wanted the corporate home office in a giant basket.  History of the Basket Building

The Football House

Located in Blantyre, Malawi the Football House was built by Dutch Architect Jan Sonkie as his residence.  Full story and photo

The Bubble House

Located in Tourettes-sur-Loup, France, and was designed by the Hungarian architect Antti Lovag. At 35 years old, it has already been listed by the French ministry of culture as an historic monument.  More Details

The Crooked House – Poland

Located in Sopot, Poland at Bohaterów Monte Cassino Street the Crooked House was constructed in 2003 based off of drawings from  Jan Marcin Szancer and Per Dahlberg.  Additional Photos and construction details from maps.pomocnik.com

Crazy House

Located in Dalat, Vietnam the Crazy House, formerly known as Hang Nga Villa, was designed by architect Dr. Dang Viet Nga.  Photo by Alasidir. More Details

The Bird House

The bird enthusiast’s dream home. Unknown location, house has over a dozen bird houses built into it’s frame. Found on berbia.com

Dancing House

Office building located in Prague, Czech Republic and designed by architects Vlado Milunić and Frank Gehry.  Because the building somewhat resembles a pair of dancers it was orginially named Fred and Ginger, after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  Later it was nicknamed the Dancing House. 

The Crooked House a.k.a. The Siden House a.k.a. The Glynne Arms

A historical landmark located at Himley in the West Midlands of the UK.  The subsidence was caused by the mining of coal underneath and around the foundation.  You can see the historical photos of the building, and featured photo curteosy of Sharpo’s World.

Thin House – London

Though there are quite a few thin houses exist around the globe, this particular Thin House is located in London, UK.

The Cookie Jar House

Located in Glendora, New Jersey designed as a cookie jar.  The orginal intention was to have a community of these homes however this is the only cookie jar home built.  Photo from eCache and more information at Weird NJ

Bart Prince House

Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico this was created by architect Bart Prince.  Photo from Flicker

The Cave

Located in Armington, Illinois the home was one of the first underground homes in country. Photo from HGTV click for more photos and details.

McBride’s Dome House – Hawthorn

Located in Hawthorn, Australia by architects McBride Charles Ryan based off of Roy Grounds 1959 Spaceship Design. Full Story

Robot Ranch Dome House

Located in Ferris, Texas and designed by Al Schwarz the Robot Ranch contains 7 interconnected monolithic domes providing 4,144 sq ft of living space.  Visit Robot Ranch for photos and information

The Vertical House

Located in Venice Beach, this is the creation of architect Lorcan O’Herlihy. The home sitting on a lot that is 25 ft. wide, has a total of 112 windows.  Photos and details from openformarchitecture.com

The Kettle House

Located in Galveston, Texas made of steel in the 1950’s.

 The Spaceship House

Located in Urbandale, Iowa, this property belongs to fitness club owner, LaMar.

The Log Mahal

Located in Payson, Arizona, the Log Mahal was the creation of Fred Wagenhals. The log home is over 16,000 sq. ft. and possibly the largest log cabin ever made.  Watch Video

Dar Al Hajar

Located in Yemen, the Dar Al Hajar and built by Imam Yahya as a summer residence in the 1930s. More Photos

Cubic Houses of Rotterdam

Located in Rotterdam in The Netherlands, and developed by Piet Blom. 

The Pod House

Located in Rochester, New York the Pod House (also know as the Mushroom House) design was inspired by the plant Queen Anne’s Lace.  More info

The Mushroom House a.k.a. Tree House

Located in the Hyde Park section of Cincinatti, Ohio, the Mushroom House was designed by architect Terry Brown, a professor at the University of Cincinnatti.  More Photos

The Story Book House

Located in Olalla, Washington, the Story Book House was created as a homage to Hansel & Gretel.  Photo and more details from unusuallife.com

The Pyramid House – Ohio

Located in Hamilton, Ohio, the Pyramid House is actually a subterranian home, and the pyramid section is a large skylight. More details and additional photos

Gangster’s Wood House

Located in Arkhangelsk, Russia, it is believed to be the world’s tallest wooden house, soaring 13 floors to reach 144ft – about half the size of the tower of Big Ben…. and built by a ganster.  Full Story

Palacio de las Artes – Palace of the Arts

Located in Valencia, Spain, the building is the opera house and is one of the buildings within the City of Arts and Sciences.

Airplane House

Located in Abuja, Nijeria this home belongs to Said and Liza Jammal.  Liza requested in the early years of their marriage to have a home constructed in the shape of airplane. Almost 20 years later, the construction of the home began.  Full Story

Know of other unusual properties?  Post a link and I will add them to the list.

While your here, check out these posts:

• The Magic Mushroom House
• Amazing Castles, Palaces, and Chateaux in HDR
• Jello Architecture
• The Toilet House

Photo obtained from weirdasianews.com and contains additional photos of the Piano House