Sustainable Shipping Container Home

As technology becomes an increasingly inescapable part of daily life, more people express a desire to get away from it. Campgrounds can be hard to locate, however, and there’s no guarantee of available spaces. Worst of all, you can’t even use your electric salad spinner at many of them.

Luckily, there is the Ecopod. Described as “a small and energy-efficient way for a homeowner to get off the grid” by the manufacturer’s official website , the Ecopod is a container home made in part out of rubber that’s been recycled from discarded tires. It can be easily relocated from place to place, and it derives its power from an 80-watt solar panel.

The Elmo Swart Architects 'Wright Conversion' House

Durban, South Africa, is the site of many thatched-roof dwellings, but only one has the curved extension that Elmo Swart Architects added and dubbed the Wright Conversion. The extension has allowed space for a new bedroom, two offices and an entertainment center, but it’s notable mainly for its warped exterior design.

The Klein Bottle House

Those who excelled in the lonely pursuit of advanced mathematics may remember references to non-orientable surfaces, or two-dimensional areas designed to obscure left from right, or inside from outside. This phenomenon is found in the Mobius strip and the Klein bottle, the latter of which was described by German mathematician Felix Klein.

Ever on the lookout for untried designs, architect Rob McBride found one in this arcane mathematical occurrence, and built a house inspired by it on Australia’s Mornington Peninsula. Built around a courtyard at the center, the interior also features an unorthodox layout that at times recalls the work of Dutch artist M.C. Escher. Remember to bring a map of the house when you visit, as well as a compass and a GPS.

Edge House by Mobius Architects

Mobius Architects is a firm based in Poland that began construction on the Edge House in Krakow in 2008. It was finished in 2010, and the visually striking final product is defined by a steep roof that doesn’t make it appear to lean so much as almost fully recline.

Karuizawa, Japan, Shell House

If one were flying over Karuizawa, Japan, and saw the roof of the Shell House, it’s possible that one could entirely miss the fact that it’s a house. The dwelling was created by the Japanese architecture firm ARTechnic, and its unusual exterior design resembles nothing so much as a cannoli transforming into a spaceship.

Described as “out of this world” on the website Trendir , the structure’s curves and ellipses give it a look like nothing before or since. It has sound design principles behind it, however, and takes advantage of natural light and interior textures, so you can feel at home once you’re actually inside of it.

Karim Rashid's Amazing Komb House in Cairo

Karim Rashid is the architect behind the striking-looking Komb House. Rashid was born in Egypt and studied in Canada and Italy, and according to his own website , he has more than 3,000 designs currently in production.

Komb House uses state-of-the-art technology to minimize its environmental impact. The water is heated by solar panels, and the structure reuses grey and pluvial water. It’s composed entirely of reusable materials, such as wood and glass, and it can be taken apart and put back together again…should the need to do so ever arise.

Dupli.Casa – Luxury Contemporary German House

Many dwellings have been built with what its creators call a “futuristic design.” However, Dupli Casa, from Germany’s J. Mayer H. Architects, truly lives up to the description. In fact, the website Digsdigs.com covered it in a 2009 article titled, “The Most Futuristic House Design in the World.”

Dupli Casa is a three-story dwelling near Ludwigsburg, Germany. On the top floor, bedrooms jut out dramatically from the structure’s core, each with a window strategically angled to provide optimum views of the surrounding area. One such view is of David Chipperfield’s Museum of Modern Literature, which sits across the valley in the town of Marbach am Neckar.