Some people believe that truly great art, regardless of the medium, finds its origins in some degree of mental illness.

The theory (as I understand it) is that expanding the horizons of human existence through creativity has to break through the boundaries of the “normal” mind and go where no one else has gone before. I’m no expert on art of any kind, but I’ve never accepted that concept as having much validity.

But now I’m not so sure, because the photographs below prove without a doubt that the field of architecture is populated by some really, really strange dudes.

As you peruse these examples of creative minds run amok, think about any architects you know and ask yourself if they could be capable of designing buildings like these.

And if the answer is, “Yes,” do yourself a favor and watch them very carefully.

The Mind House (Barcelona, Spain)

The Crooked House (Sopot, Poland)

Stone House, (Guimarães, Portugal)

Lotus Temple (Delhi, India)

Cathedral of Brasilia (Brazil)

La Pedrera (Barcelona, Spain)

Atomium (Brussels, Belgium)

Museum of Contemporary Art (Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Kansas City Library (Missouri, USA)

Low impact woodland house (Wales, UK) (Must be owned by a Hobbit)

Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao, Spain)

Rotating Tower (Dubai, UAE)

Have you ever seen a building in motion that actually changes its shape? This marvel will never appear exactly the same twice. You can wake up to sunrise in your bedroom and enjoy sunsets over the ocean at dinner. In addition to being an example of incredible engineering, it will produce energy for itself and other buildings. Wind turbines fitted between each rotating floor (picture 2) will create an 80-story true-green power plant with up to 79 wind turbines.

Habitat 67 (Montreal, Canada)

Casa da Musica (Porto, Portugal)

Olympic Stadium (Montreal, Canada)

Nautilus House (Mexico City, Mexico)

The National Library (Minsk, Belarus)

National Theater (Beijing, China)

Conch Shell House (Isla Mujeres, Mexico)

House Attack (Vienna, Austria)

Cubic Houses (Kubus Woningen) (Rotterdam, Netherlands)

Ideal Palace (France)

The Church of Hallgrimur (Reykyavik, Iceland)

The Museum of Play (Rochester, NY)

Atlantis (Dubai, UAE)

Montreal Biosphere (Canada)

Wonderworks (Pigeon Forge, TN)

The Basket Building (Ohio, USA)

Kuntzhaus (Graz, Austria)

Forest Spiral (Darmstadt, Germany)

Wooden Gagster House (Archangelsk, Russia)