Architecture is often associated with symmetry, straight lines and practical design. But around the world, some buildings appear to defy those conventions altogether. Their unusual shapes, playful facades, and unconventional designs have made them landmarks in their own right.

Here are five buildings that stand out for their distinctive architecture.

1. Casa Batlló, Barcelona, Spain

Casa Batlló

Designed by Antoni Gaudí, Casa Batlló on Barcelona’s Passeig de Gràcia is known for its flowing, nature-inspired design. Its colourful façade combines stone, wrought iron, broken glass and ceramics, while the roof resembles the back of a dragon. The balconies and windows also feature unusual organic, bone-like forms. Gaudí transformed the building between 1904 and 1906, and it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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2. Crooked House, Sopot, Poland

Crooked house during the night

The Krzywy Domek, or Crooked House, looks as though its walls have melted and twisted. Located in Sopot, the building was completed in 2004 and forms part of the Rezydent shopping centre. Architects drew inspiration from whimsical illustrations by Jan Marcin Szancer and Per Dahlberg.

3. Basket Building, Ohio, US

Basket Building, Ohio, US

Imagine an office building designed to look like a giant picnic basket—that is essentially what visitors encounter in Newark, Ohio. Now closed, the Longaberger Basket Building was built in 1997 as the headquarters of the Longaberger Basket Company. Its enormous basket-shaped exterior made it one of the most recognisable examples of novelty architecture in the US.

4. WonderWorks, Orlando, US

WonderWorks Museum in Orlando, Florida

WonderWorks in Orlando takes the idea of unusual architecture literally—the building appears to have landed upside down. The attraction’s exterior features an inverted building complete with upside-down architectural details. Its playful design pairs with an interactive science and entertainment centre featuring more than 100 hands-on exhibits.

5. Casa do Penedo, Portugal

Casa do Penedo

Known popularly as the “Flintstones House,” Casa do Penedo in northern Portugal is built between enormous boulders, making the home appear to emerge directly from the rocky landscape. Its unusual construction and remote setting have made it one of Portugal’s most photographed architectural curiosities.