Arch.itect.us

The Jantar Mantar - 5 sprawling astronomical observatories - was built by Maharaja Jai Singh II in the early years of the 18th century. Not one of these elaborate observatories boasted a telescope. What they had, and have still, are grandeur, beauty, and exceptional accuracy as calculating instruments. The surviving Jantar Mantar observatories, preserved and restored, are a testament to the skill and ingenuity of India’s royal astronomers.

Upside down houses: they’re more common then you think… but why? Perhaps the artists and designers of these flipped out homes wanted to shake up the way we think of society’s most pressing need, shelter. Maybe they just wanted to stand out from the crowd. In that at least, they’ve succeeded.

Ghost ships are one of the most enduring legends of the sea, and tales of mysterious ships with missing crews have peppered the accounts of mariners both ancient and modern for hundreds of years. Some exist in the realm of rumor, others are real but remain unexplained.

Most scientists, sociologists and sci-fi writers agree: when humankind finally sets down roots somewhere other than the planet of our birth, Mars is our most likely destination. Chilly, lifeless (as far as we know) and frighteningly far away, Mars still offers the best hope for a human race whose figurative eggs have been kept in one basket for far too long.

These 10 examples of international, interplanetary space habitats show that colonialism isn’t dead, it’s just lying in wait for the next new frontier - which just may be the wide open real estate far above the clouds. Can I interest you in a condomoonium?

Evoking images of flying saucers, interplanetary space pods and science fiction futurism, the Futuro house offered homeowners a chance to live in the future without ever leaving their front yards. Finnish architect Matti Suuronen designed the Futuro house in 1968 and only 96 of the fiberglass-reinforced polyester plastic pods were produced over a 5-year period. Today, roughly half of the ellipsoid structures have been accounted for and their iconic design has made them a favorite of pop culture collectors, retrofuturism fans and all those who appreciate the impact of 1960s Space Age style.

Time capsules… messages from today to the world of tomorrow! Everything from perishable beer & cigarettes to an entire car have been sealed in vaults for 25, 50, 100 years or much more. Time capsules may not be time travel but they’re the nearest thing to it we’ve got. Here are 10 of the trippiest.

The invention of radar in the 1930s not only saved Great Britain from the German Luftwaffe, it gave the Allies a huge advantage over their enemies in World War II. Imagine where we’d be if radar panned out and its forerunners - Sound Mirrors, Acoustic Horns and War Tubas - were the only means of detecting incoming aircraft?

Once soaring symbols of the Industrial Revolution and material progress, smokestacks later became the poster kids of environmental degradation. Today, legions of artists, urban planners and preservationists are seeking to change those carbon chugging chimneys from sooty to beauty.

If the point of driving a supercar is to be seen to best advantage, then the owners of these 10 camouflaged supercars are doing it wrong. Then again, “stealth” is a relative term - and one of the best ways to stand out from the crowd is to blend right in.