We're honestly not sure how to feel about this one. The two-way mirror is an interesting choice and makes for a very eye-catching monolith on the outside. However, would anyone really be willing to use the bathroom like this?
First of all, why is it placed right in the middle of everything? Even if you do have privacy while doing your business, the whole world is going to see you step out and know exactly what was going on in there. Plus, two-way mirror or not, it's got to be nerve wracking to use the bathroom while people are walking by just inches away.
For those not familiar with driving through roundabouts, this probably looks like a nightmare. But even if you hate driving in circles, you have to admit that this roundabout-parking garage combo in Nantes, France looks so perfect and orderly.
The way this is designed, it almost looks like cars circling a drain. You probably don't want to actually drive your car down into the sewer, but this is a nice, aesthetically pleasing alternative.
Okay, so this one is a bit of a mixed bag. From the outside, these are kind of an eyesore--they just look like the giant, concrete sewer pipes that they are. But things get much cooler once you're close enough to actually see what's going on.
Sitting in the sewer might not be everyone's idea of fine dining, but this is definitely one interesting way to seat guests at a restaurant. Although it does seem like things might get a little dark and murky if you were seated right in the middle of the pipe!
This staircase within a staircase comes from Delft in the Netherlands. However, there's no way a human could crawl through that tiny little passage. So who in the world is it designed for?
It's designed for ducks, obviously! This might not be the most essential infrastructre in the world, but there's no denying it's the cutest. A duck staircase down to the water is just a brilliant idea, and they managed to make this one look quite nice too.
Living in a gas tank doesn't sound like anyone's idea of great real estate, but somehow, the city of Vienna managed to make it work. These towers were constructed for storing gas in 1896, but they ended up serving a much different purpose--housing.
Considering how beautifully designed these repurposed gas towers are, they were probably filled with residents just as quick as they opened up. Unfortunately, they were only open for use from 1995 to 2001. But who knows what the city of Vienna will creatively repurpose next!
This park bench definitely gets an A+ for creativity. This is clearly not your average seat. We're not exactly sure what this thing looks like, but all the curving lines sort of give the impression of a wooden space ship. Like we said, you can't get much more creative than this bench.
That being said, there's still a very important question that needs answered about this thing--just how comfortable is it to sit on? Because if we're just going on appearance only, it doesn't look like the best place to sit down and take a load off.
Enjoying the great outdoors in New York City is a challenge. Everywhere you turn is another giant building devoid of any natural life. However, the designers of Little Island, located in Manhattan, managed to bring the natural world to the big city in a creative and beautiful way.
The creative park is actually on an artifical island constructed in the Hudson river. Despite being cancelled and revived multiple times, Little Island finally opened to visitors in May of 2021.
Does anyone really enjoy public transportation? Being packed like sardines into a tiny space with strangers is generally not something that sane people look forward to. However, this bus in Hong Kong is trying to change all of that.
While your trip on this bus might be just as miserable as normal one, at least getting off of it looks like a blast. It doesn't matter what age you are, everyone loves a good slide. And it's a much more fun alternative to walking off the bus like a chump!
Just because something has an out-of-the-box design doesn't mean it has a great design. And this..."bench" proves just that. They should probably go ahead and have a chiropractor set up shop right beside it for when people inevitably hurt themselves trying to use it.
If you're perfectly sized, one side of this might be able to function like a recliner, but even then, it seems like standing would be preferrable to trying to sit on this monstrosity.
Libraries are already pretty cozy places, but this beautifully designed building just takes thing to a whole different level. This whimsical design comes from just outside the city of Kannur in India. If there was ever a way to get kids to read, it's this.
Designing a library to make it look like it's built out of books is not the most revolutionary idea out there, but sometimes the best ideas don't have to be the wildest. Let's just hope these aren't all real books!
If you live in a city, it's not always the easiest to experience greenery. But the designers of this apartment building in Turin, Italy took matters into their own hands and brought the natural world to the residents' front doors. But all the lush wildlife is only half of what makes this building so great.
In addition to the trees, these apartments are also beautifully designed. Normally, you would expect to see a lot of no-nonsense squares in a building like this, but there are lots of unusual curves, twists, and turns to this building. It stands out from its surroundings in the best way possible.
Patience is not something that people have a lot of when waiting at a stoplight. However, this creatively designed pedestrian light spotted in France makes the waiting a little more tolerable by showing you just how much longer you have to wait.
In addition to helping you stay patient, this hourglass approach would be great for helping people estimate if they have enough time to cross the street before the light changes. This design is one that looks neat and helps keep people safe--it's a win win.
Sometimes you feel like a people person, and other times you just want to be left alone to look at boats. And with these cleverly designed benches, you can choose for yourself--just move the back to whichever position you want it to be in!
Whether you want to people watch or get a beautiful view of the water, these benches have you covered. They don't necessarily look like the most comfortable seats out there, but there's no denying that this design is very clever and surprisingly useful.
Some of the best urban designs are able to successfully merge beautiful design with practicality. But these amazing lights from Bethune, France prove that doesn't always have to be the case. These are nothing more than embellished street lights, and we are here for it.
Who doesn't want a couple iron work dragons keeping a watchful eye as you travel the road? We're honestly not sure why anyone would ever think of doing this, but we're very glad they came up with this creative idea!
A wet bike seat may not seem like a major problem, but you'd be surprised just how uncomfortable and awkard it is to get soaked just trying to get from point A to point B. Thankfully, these bike racks have made keeping a dry seat easier than ever.
These bike seat "roofs" not only serve a useful purpose--they're also very nicely and simplistically designed. It would be very easy to make something like this look absolutely dull, but the creators managed to make something that looked nice and solved a problem at the same time.
