If you’re looking for unique architecture you’ll probably want to pencil in the third annual Chicago Canstruction event, which by the way kicked off the 2008 NeoCon World’s Trade Fair. I hadn’t heard of the can buildings, then came across the second one online a bit ago. It’s super cool and appears to be a summer event.

According to Chicago Architecture Today, “20 top local architectural and engineering design firms unleashed their precocious inner-child as they utilized over 86,000 full cans of food ranging from Spam to Campbell’s Soup to construct scaled-models of notable figures. These food items will be …read more

Three days ago, in Offbeat Gingerbread Homes 2008 – Part One I mentioned that I’d post a cool gingerbread contest soon. The contest – Bake for A Change, is a cool eco-gingerbread house contest.
This is a pretty basic contest – contestants must apply sustainable features to an edible gingerbread home. Each house must have at least 4 identifiable green home attributes and the whole darn house must be edible.
Last year’s winning house:

As you can see, last year’s winner had oodles of sustainable design aspects. You can see many more cool eco-homes at the BFAC2007 entries site.
You can enter …read more

In Offbeat Gingerbread Homes 2008 – Part One we saw, what else, gingerbread homes. Here are some more delicious creations…
This gingerbread home, from Rock Recipes is not that offbeat, but I like it anyhow, and am especially impressed that it lights up.

The details on this lighted gingerbread home are extraordinary – see many close-ups here.

Last year everyone loved the post; The World’s Best Offbeat Gingerbread Homes. With that in mind, I hunted down some new treats to share. This by the way, is getting harder to do. I think the world needs more creative gingerbread assemblers.
One of Offbeat’s favorite gals, Michelle Kaufmann has a killer (and gorgeous) template plus recipe posted that teaches you how to make your very own organic GingerLotus. Not quite as livable as the the mkLotus, unless you happen to be made out of sugary dough, but very cool.

I was on one of my normal, weekly stock photo searches, a task I do for other blogs, but not this one. That said, once in a while I find a stock photo worth sharing here. This week I found two.
First up this crumbling old mess of a house. Still, the design and uniqueness of it is pretty cool. Also, it’s oh so textured. Nice.

Secondly the pat of butter house; not that that’s it’s real name, it just strikes me as very butter-like. What do you think?

Sadly, if I ate this much ice cream, my thighs would cry tears of sorrow. Still it’s a spot on summer structure.

[Image via here]

Now, if you’re a music know-it-all, maybe you can guess from the post title which classic offbeat structures we’ll be viewing this week.
Did you make a guess yet?
What sort of structure will it be? Let’s see…

I know it’s always been my lifelong dream to live in an onion – what about you?

I’d actually rather live in something a little more sweet, like a blackberry for instance.
See more kooky homes at Funny Real Estate Photos at eBestAgent (lots of funny stuff).

Frog shaped house made of sugar!

Click it. You know you want to.

Talk about an action packed title, huh.
A year ago Offbeat Homes featured the fully restored version of the house where it all went down; crazy lamps, decoders, and of course the infamous Red Ryder BB Gun.
The Christmas Story is a slice of holiday cheer in my mind so this post deserves a second Christmas look. Click on the picture of the house to read the full classic post.

Your weekend challenge activity:
Unless you’re on the road to grandmas house, you still have time to gather the family and make some amazing gingerbread homes. Remember the gingerbread house post? I hope so; …read more