Airbnb funds $10 million to build the world's strangest houses

A house in the shape of a giant camera, bedrooms shaped like fruit, rooms elevated to form the constellation Orion, an eco-sustainable beehive house: these are some of the bizarre architectures that Airbnb is funding with its OMG fund, $10 million to support the creation of buildings with the most bizarre and extravagant architectures that will become accommodations. Airbnb opened the competition in June to award twenty imaginative designs: in the end, 100 entries were chosen from aspiring designers from 20 countries, who will be awarded up to $100,000 each to shape their creations by summer 2023. The stays can be booked from Airbnb’s “WOW” category.

The jury, made up of entrepreneur and designer Iris Apfel, architecture expert Koichi Takada, Airbnb superhost Kristie Wolfe, and Airbnb Vice President of Experiential Bruce Vaughn, had to evaluate more than 10.000 projects, for which some numbers were also pitted: 400 ideas offered stargazing, 961 had to do with music, 777 were inspired by fruit, 680 by wine, 7,931 participants included the use of solar panels, 1,214 ideas involved tree houses and 389 suspended buildings, and 509 projects were inspired by mushrooms.

From a lighthouse in Sweden accessible only by boat, to a fossilized adobe dinosaur skull in the desert, the 100 winners, according to the jury, broaden the idea of what an Airbnb stay can be and are fueled by participants’ passions. “The inspiration came from the works of many science fiction movies,” said one of the winners, Pablo C., from Mexico. “The idea was to make something out of the ordinary, never seen before, something rare and beautiful that would impress any human being. The result is a spaceship with an organic form: a 20-foot-tall pillar, embraced 360 degrees by trees.”

Others have drawn on local wildlife and tradition, Ignacio R. from Chile, who said his Floating Avocado House idea “is about connecting with nature. I spent most of my life on our family farm, the happiest memories of my childhood come from there. It has something so special that resonates with me. That’s why I have this dream, this calling, to share it with more people.”

Some also expressed devotion to the environment as the main impetus for creating something unique. “We want to remind guests of our connection and responsibility to the natural world,” said Kimberly S. from the United States about her idea for a house shaped like a giant tire. “The structure will be shaped by reusing 1,000 old landfill tires and other recycled materials. The effect will be a stunning, unique and unforgettable experience-a creative environmental solution to a tire deflation problem!”

Most of the winners are from the United States, but several projects in Europe have also won, and there is one winner from Italy as well: Luca Beltrame, a 32-year-old who will make a pine-shaped house in the Alps. “As a child growing up in Tarvisio,” he said, “like most children my dream was to live, play, hide, sleep in a tree house. Years later, as an architect, I began to develop this dream and together with my father, also an architect, and from this was born Il Pino, a small house in the tree, or rather among the trees, from which it is conceptually inspired. It has three levels, each dedicated to different ways of living and experiencing the forest. There will indeed be intimacy at the base, serenity among the foreheads on the middle level, and breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains from the highest level. I would like this project to become a small icon for an ecological way of experiencing tourism, but also to realize those dreams of children that live in all of us.”

“What an incredible journey it was to be part of the OMG Fund jury!” said Kristie Wolfe. “There were so many inspiring stories and destinations that I had never heard of before that I am now looking forward to visiting. I can’t wait to see these ideas come to life. These are more than just places to spend the night-each one offers an entire experience!”

Below is a gallery with some of the winning ideas.

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Airbnb funds $10 million to build the world's strangest houses

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