Bent Trivia Quiz

Answer: Crooked House

This striking landmark looks like it came straight out of a Salvador Dali painting and, whilst that's not the case, it is true that it was inspired by works of art. In this event, it was the works of Polish illustrators Jan Marcin Szancer and Per Dahlberg.

Built in 2004, the construct is a part of the Reyzdent shopping complex and its curved and irregular lines make it appear as if you're looking at it through a distorted mirror. However, it is not an optical illusion, it is the result of some careful planning and stunning architecture by the firm Szotynscy and Zaleski.

Whilst you may be (immediately) drawn to the warped walls, it becomes easy to overlook the roof, which is concaved and covered in shingles, bluish-green in colour, making it look like the scales of a mighty dragon.

Answer: Montreal's World's Fair (Expo)

This edifice, which was an experiment to create quality housing for dense urban areas, was originally built as the Canadian pavilion for the 1967 Expo.

Designed by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie, the original idea was to have 354 identical, prefabricated boxes, arranged together in differing combinations that were held together by a network of steel cables. The apartments would be accessed by a series of streets, bridges and a central core of elevators. They would be arranged in such a way that they would provide residents with balconies and rooftop gardens.

The prefabrication and the scope of the project were designed to provide substantial cost savings, which would then equate to affordable inner-city accommodation. Unfortunately for Safdie, the Canadian government reduced the project to 158 units and the loss of project mass meant an over-run of costs. The concept, however, was hailed as ground-breaking and various other "Habitat" projects were soon springing up across the globe. Among these were ones in New York (1967), Israel (1969) and Tehran (1976).

Answer: Auguste Rodin

Situated in Mexico City and designed by famed Mexican architect Fernando Romero, the Soumaya Museum (Museo Soumaya) was developed to look like, both, a functional building and a work of art, as a way to signal a paradigm shift in modern Mexican architecture.

The exterior was put together by using twenty eight uniquely carved steel columns, each of a different size and shape, stabilized by a system of seven rings located on each of the building's six levels.

Along with its collection of Rodin's sculptures there is a wing set aside for Medieval and Renaissance art, as well as a separate gallery for Impressionist works. Overall the museum boasts some 66,000 items of art divined from thirty different centuries. The building also plays host to an auditorium, a library, restaurants and administration offices.

(Footnote) "The Kiss" is a full sized marble statue created by Rodin between 1889 and 1898. It depicts the figures of Paolo and Francesca, 13th-century Italian lovers from Dante's "Divine Comedy" (1321). It is, however, housed at the Musee Rodin in Paris, rather than here, the Soumaya Museum.

Answer: Fred and Ginger

The building is the Nationale-Nederlanden, which is the name of the Dutch insurance company that agreed to sponsor the construction of it in 1992. The site that the "Dancing House" resides upon is of great historical significance to the country as it was the location of an apartment building that was destroyed when the United States bombed Prague in 1945. It had lain in a state of waste for many years and its redevelopment was promoted by the last President of Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel.

The structure was designed by Croation-Czech architect Vlado Milunic in concert with Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. The idea was to create a building in two parts, one that appeared static and the other dynamic, as a way to symbolize Czechoslovakia transitioning from a communist regime to a parliamentary democracy.

It was Gehry who'd originally nicknamed the building after Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, however, he withdrew the notion, feeling that it was a case of "importing Hollywood kitsch to Prague".

Answer: True

Now called the King Power MahaNakhon, the tower, which stands at 314 metres in height, had only a short reign as Thailand's tallest building. It was overtaken two years later by the 315 metre tall Magnolias Waterfront Residences Iconsiam.

MahaNakhon's most striking feature is its pixelated spiral shape which, not only enhances its visual appeal but also provides the opportunity to create balconies and floating rooms for the residents. The building boasts 78 storeys, retail shops, and a hotel. Those may appear mundane against the building's SkyWalk, a features that resides on the 74th, 75th and 78th floors and would have you walking across a glass tray floor as high as 310 metres off the ground. It also boasts a 360 degree observatory.

Answer: A form of war memorial

Designed by Jordan and Iskra Grabuloski and inaugurated on the 2nd of August, 1974, the Makedonium, also known as the "Ilinden Monument, is a symbol of defiance and the quest for freedom by the Macedonian people. The inauguration date was not a random choosing, it represents the 71st anniversary of a group of Macedonians charging into battle against the Ottoman Empire, sparking the movement for a free Macedonia.

Your journey to this monument will take you past a sculpture of five broken chain links that represent five centuries of Ottoman rule over the nation. Once inside the complex you will find the final resting place of Nikola Karev, the president of the Krusevo Republic and one of the revolutionary leaders of that 1903 uprising. The four windows of the building, which is shaped like a mace (bozdogan), and not a heart valve, will direct your gaze to the four cardinal directions, with each one providing the view to the site of an important event in Macedonia's history.

(Footnote) The Krusevo Republic was a short-lived, unrecognized rebel state proclaimed in August 1903 during the Ilinden Uprising against the Ottoman Empire.

Answer: Rotterdam

The area of Oude Haven is, possibly, the most historic section of Rotterdam's port region. Problem was that it was destroyed during World War II and only a few of its buildings managed to survive the onslaught. In 1974 urban regeneration and, in particular, housing became a major priority of politician Hans Mentink who raised the banner that "Rotterdam was in need of architecture with some life in it." To this end he commissioned architect Piet Blom, whose own ideal was that "a building did not need to be recognizable as a house for it to qualify as housing", to provide a design to reinvigorate the Oude Haven area.

Blom, who'd previous created cube housing in the town of Helmond, added the stipulation that the result should not look like it was the work of a single architect. To achieve this vision, he split the development into three individual projects. Aside from the cube houses, he created a 13 storey, hexagonal, apartment tower, that looked like a giant pencil, called Blanktorm, and the Spaanse Kade, a set of terraced buildings that surrounded a courtyard.

When designing the cube houses, he imagined people, as a village, living in trees. Look closely at the picture (expand if necessary) and you will note that the body of the building is elevated on a trunk, giving the impression that each house is a tree within a forest.

Answer: Moon

It is also known as the "Crazy House", and this fairy tale design was created by Vietnamese architect Dang Viet Nga, who stated that he drew inspiration for the project from the works of Antoni Gaudi. His vision was to draw people back to nature, remain close to it and to show it some love.

The building, which resembles a giant tree, finds room to represent various aspects of nature, such as animals, spider webs, mushrooms and caves. The structure, which was constructed between the years 1990 and 2010, represents so much more than being a mere guesthouse, it stands as a salute to artistic freedom.

Answer: The House of Bones

The house was originally built in 1877 from a design created by Emili Sala Cortes who was, previously, one of Gaudi's professors. Twenty six years later (1903), Gaudi was approached by businessman Josep Batllo to redesign the six storey edifice that he'd recently purchased. The owners thoughts were that the house, whilst grand in size, was otherwise unremarkable. Gaudi extended the house, both at the rear and upwards and his transformation of the once sombre façade has turned into one of his most enduring masterpieces.

He began by adding balconies supported by skeletal like shapes, which led to the construct's nickname, "Casa dels Ossos" (House of Bones), then wrapped the façade in ceramic cladding, coloured with broken fragments of blue-green glass before dressing the roof with tiles that made it resemble a large reptile.

The Batllo family moved out of the house in 1950 and the property was taken over by an insurance company and turned it into its commercial office. It was then purchased by the Bernat family in 1993 who have put a lot of time and effort into returning the house back to Gaudi's standards. The property is now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and has been recorded as a part of Spain's cultural heritage.

Answer: Bio-architecture

Bio-architecture is a design method that creates a human structure using the lines of the ecosystem in which it resides. In the words of Senosiain "we find the shape, instead of giving it shape." In the case of the "Nautilus", the land on which it was to be built was spiral in nature, so the house, which looks like a giant snail, became a spiral.

Nautilus was constructed using a technique called ferrocement, in basic terms, a steel frame coated with a sprayable ceramic called Grancrete. This enabled the builders to create the home's natural curves, provided a finish that is stronger than concrete, a finish that is fireproof and one that has excellent insulating qualities.

Christopher Wren said that "architecture aims at eternity" and, with this building, Senosiain has surely taken steps toward that realm.

(Footnote) Passivhaus (Passive House) is a design concept that focusses on ultra-low energy uses for heating and cooling.