10 OFFICE-BOOSTING FURNITURE ITEMS CREATED WITH RECYCLED PLANE PARTS

10 Office-Boosting Furniture Items Created with Recycled Plane Parts
By Julian, Business Pundit, 27 April 2015.

From elegant airliners to military jets, airplanes are truly incredible examples of engineering ingenuity, and they’ve made journeys that were thought impossible only a hundred years ago into an everyday reality. Still, even these cutting-edge machines have a limited existence, as fatigue and advancing technology conspire to make individual aircraft obsolete. The result? An undignified dump in a scrapyard.

Today, though, a handful of modern design companies are transforming redundant plane parts reclaimed from aircraft graveyards into striking contemporary office furniture. Bold and vibrant, these pieces are perfect for creating an inspirational workspace at any company, and there’s also the bonus of helping, in a small way, to save on waste and preserve the planet.

10. 1968 A-7 Corsair II Belly Tank Sofa

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Want your organization to stand out from the crowd? Then perhaps this bright red sofa - which started out life as an attack jet’s fuel tank - is just the ticket when it comes to picking out office decor. Part of U.K. design firm Hangar 54’s “aviation furniture” range, the eye-catching piece boasts a part taken from a 1960s-era Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II jet that was sadly scrapped. Brothers Brett and Shane Armstrong, however, have imaginatively repurposed the tank to create a handsome couch with room enough for three people. The piece’s price tag of US$37,000 shows that such workmanship doesn’t come cheap, although renting it instead through Hangar 54’s product-leasing scheme may be another, more affordable option. Wherever it ends up, though, this bespoke sofa is sure to turn heads.

9. Fuselage Desk

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Anyone who thinks that workspace cubicles have to be dull should have their mind changed forever by MotoArt’s astonishing Fuselage Desk. Conceived by Donavan Fell and Dave Hall, this inspired piece combines a section of the main body of an airplane with an aluminium-clad table to offer a dynamic and robust workstation. Even better, it’s customizable: there’s the option of having as many as five porthole windows within the fuselage section, as well as either an additional painted, polished or satin exterior finish to coordinate with other office design elements. Indeed, the Fuselage Desk was designed to remind employees that “they are part of a force that isn’t like the rest of the world” - a force that, in fact, is as unique and creative as the desk itself.

8. DC-8 Dual Cowling Reception Desk

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The McDonnell Douglas DC-8 aircraft first went into production in the late 1950s, but this brilliantly reimagined reception desk - crafted from two of the jetliner’s engine coverings - is more than fit for a 21st-century office. The DC-8 Dual Cowling Reception Desk conforms to U.S. government standards for use by those in wheelchairs and can be used by either one or two employees, who may want to take advantage of its ever-necessary data ports. Moreover, the audacious design from California-based firm MotoArt has been built with longevity - as well as style - in mind. Fitting, perhaps, as the McDonnell Douglas DC-8 aircraft themselves are certainly durable; in fact, some are still in operation to this day.

7. Lycoming R-680 9 Cylinder Radial Engine Table

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Transforming recycled airplane parts into inspired examples of interior design can be a protracted process, but the results may be stunning, and this incredible coffee table is certainly a case in point. The piece incorporates a gleaming air-cooled radial engine sourced from the Canadian Museum of Flight; in a previous life, the engine was part of a Boeing-Stearman PT-13 biplane that was constructed in the late 1930s and operated by the U.S. Army. Beautifully crowned by a square glass top, the Lycoming R-680 9 Cylinder Radial Engine Table is available to purchase from London-based modern design firm Decoratum for the princely sum of nearly US$30,000. Although not a specialist in aviation furniture, the company also offers a striking centre table made from propeller heads among its range.

6. F-Light

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Paris-based architect Paul Coudamy’s F-Light venture proves that, with a little imagination and skill, the internal walls from a scrapped Airbus A300 jetliner can be transformed into a stunning lighting fixture. Coudamy originally created the system for French aircraft recycling project FLOWN, which in turn has described F-Light as “monumental” - and it’s easy to see why. The result is a bold visual statement with a modular design that leads to near-infinite possibilities in terms of size and shape. The F-Light’s arched contouring, meanwhile, effects a “floating ceiling” that can separate a space and produce a warm, consistent light underneath, making it the perfect fit for an innovative workplace.

5. C-130 Navigator’s Chair

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Another iconic stalwart of the skies, the Lockheed C-130 Hercules has been in military service since 1954. And with over 2,400 of the planes produced, it’s perhaps not surprising that various parts from decommissioned Hercules aircraft have found their way into the hands of MotoArt. This time, the firm took a C-130 Hercules navigator’s seat and gave it a striking makeover, completely reconditioning the original metalwork and reskinning the chair in vibrant red fabric. The limited-edition item also boasts what MotoArt calls “low-profile casters” for easy movement; and with its adjustability and built-in arm rests, comfort is a given.

4. Fuselage Clock

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U.K. firm Fallen Furniture’s innovative Fuselage Clock acts as an exceptionally stylish way to keep track of time in that next crucial client appointment. And a fair few hours went into the creation of the timepiece itself: after being carved out of the grounded hulk of a Boeing 747, the window piece that makes up the clock underwent a painstaking sequence of washing, modelling and refining. With the addition of those all-important hands, the creation reached its current statement-making form - and it’s something that would look very slick indeed on any boardroom wall. The clock is part of an impressive plane-repurposing furnishings range from Fallen Furniture, a company begun by siblings Ben and Harry Tucker.

3. Demonstrator Sidewinder Missile Table

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The AIM-9 Sidewinder missile has been fitted to - and fired from - generations of fighter jets ever since it was conceived by the U.S. Navy in the mid-20th century. And although the weapon has destroyed more than 250 aircraft in its time, it’s nevertheless perfectly safe - and looks amazing - as part of this cool, contemporary glass-topped table. The highly polished shell of a once-lethal Sidewinder forms the base of the stunning creation from British aviation furniture company Intrepid Design. At US$22,000, though, this isn’t an impulse purchase, but for a table that gives an office considerable style impact, look no further.

2. Mk3 Ejector Seat Black Leather

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Using a vintage ejector seat as an office chair is a sure-fire way to inject a bit of thrill into the workplace, and this clever design from the team at Hangar 54 ought to do just that. Moreover, it incorporates a device with a rather heroic pedigree. Martin-Baker’s ground-breaking ejector seat first saved a pilot’s life in 1949; the company’s Mk3 model, meanwhile, was alone responsible for preventing 255 further deaths. And it’s the base of a 1955 Martin-Baker Mk3 ejector seat used here, upholstered with plush black leather and mounted on superbly restored, chrome-finished exhaust cylinders. Sadly, though, it’s unlikely to be able to fling its owner out of that next tedious accounts meeting.

1. Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet Conference Table

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Few airplanes are more iconic than Boeing’s 747, and few conference tables are as impressive as the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet Conference Table, created around a retired General Electric engine housing for a 747 craft. A dozen people can fit round the inspiring custom-made item - built using a magnificent engine stator with rainbow LED lights, all set below a sleek glass surface. It’s also fit for a contemporary workspace, as those all-important data ports and phone sockets can be included in the design. MotoArt is behind the stunning table, and any firm wishing to snap it up will join some of the world’s biggest brands on the furniture company’s impressive client list; these include Microsoft, Red Bull and - appropriately - Boeing.

Top image: Hanger 54’s Cowling Reception Desk, made from salvaged plane engine coverings. Credit: Hangar 54.

[Source: Business Pundit. Edited. Top image and some links added.]

8 EXTINCT ANIMALS THAT REALLY WEREN'T

8 Extinct Animals That Really Weren't
By Stacy Conradt, Mental Floss, 27 April 2015.

Most of the time, when a species has been declared extinct, it's truly gone. Occasionally, however, a species that has been declared kaput, sometimes for hundreds of years, can appear in the most unexpected places. These creatures are known as “Lazarus species” since they seem to have made a miraculous return from the dead, much like the biblical story of Jesus resurrecting Lazarus. Here are some of the species we’ve declared gone a little too soon.

1. Hula Painted Frog (Latonia nigriventer)

Credit: Mickey Samuni-Blank/Wikimedia Commons

Believed to have died out 60 years ago, this frog with the polka-dotted belly was the first amphibian to be declared extinct - so you can imagine a park ranger’s surprise when he glimpsed one hopping across the road in 2011. The species dwindled in the 1950s when the Hula marshlands in Israel were drained to prevent malaria. An additional 10 frogs have been spotted since the initial discovery four years ago, leading researchers to hope that the little guys are on the rebound.

2. Myanmar Jerdon’s babbler (Chrysomma altirostre)

Credit: © Robert Tizard/Wildlife Conservation Society

One of the most recent additions to Lazarus society, a bird called Jerdon’s babbler, was last seen in Myanmar in 1941, leading researchers to conclude that degrading grasslands had sent the little brown bird the way of the dodo. But in 2014, a team from the Wildlife Conservation Society was surveying the grasslands near the two of Myitkyo when they happened to hear the call of a bird that sounded like the babbler’s song. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just a couple of Jerdon’s babblers - it was a whole slew of them. The babbler’s grassland habitat is still threatened, so conservationists are now working on systems to help the birds thrive and repopulate.

3. Yellow-Tailed Woolly Monkey (Oreonax flavicauda)

Credit: Platyrrhinus/Wikimedia Commons

For nearly 50 years, scientists thought the yellow-tailed woolly monkey had been eradicated from the planet. Then, in 1974, one of the little primates was found in Brazil - not in the wild, but being kept as a pet. It’s estimated that less than 250 of the monkeys remain, making it one of the most endangered primates in the world.

4. Gilbert’s Potoroo (Potorous gilbertii)

Credit: Mick wackers/Wikimedia Commons

Also known as the rat kangaroo, this teeny-tiny marsupial flew under the radar for more than a century, disappearing in the 1800s. In 1994, a Ph.D. student studying quokkas on the South Coast of Western Australia managed to accidentally trap a couple potoroos. The nocturnal mammals somewhat resemble quokkas, though much smaller - so at first blush, the student thought she had captured baby quokkas. These days, it’s estimated that there are only 30 to 40 potoroos left in the wild, with an additional 90 to 100 in two conservation colonies. This tiny population makes it the world’s rarest marsupial.

5. Arakan Forest Turtle (Heosemys depressa)

Credit: Eoghanacht/Wikimedia Commons

The Arakan forest turtle was last seen by a British explorer in 1908 - and even then, it was just a single specimen. The semi-terrestrial turtle then dropped out of sight until 1994, when several of them were found in a Chinese food market. Though they’re still considered one of the world’s rarest turtle species, five of them were observed in the wild for the first time in 2009.

6. Forest Owlet (Athene blewitti/Heteroglaux blewitti)

Credit: Dr. Raju Kasambe/Wikimedia Commons

As if it wasn’t bad enough that we thought the forest owlet was extinct for decades, we also managed to lose one of our only stuffed specimens of the bird - or so we thought. It turned out that ornithologist Richard Meinertzhagen had stolen the forest owlet from the British Museum of Natural History sometime after 1925. He later submitted that exact owl to another museum, claiming he found it in India in 1914. When researchers could find no evidence of the owlet in India, they concluded that it must be extinct. Meinertzhagen was later exposed as a fraud, but it took until 1997 to find the forest owlet in the wild again.

7. Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis)

Credit: Martin Thompson/Wikimedia Commons

Often called “the world’s most mysterious bird,” the night parrot stayed in the shadows for more than 100 years. Though there were a couple of sightings of the Australian bird reported in 1979 and 2005, no one was able to capture it on film for proof. A couple of dead parrots also turned up occasionally - insert your own Monty Python joke here - but the first hard evidence we had of their continued existence didn’t occur until 2013, when Queensland ornithologist John Young captured video of two of the elusive birds.

8. Lord Howe Island Stick Insect (Dryococelus australis)

Credit: Granitethighs/Wikimedia Commons

Most of us probably wouldn’t be too thrilled to stumble upon this 5-inch stick insect, but most of us aren’t entomologists. And don’t worry - you’re not going to find one of these so-called “tree lobsters” in your house. They’re found in the wild only on Ball’s Pyramid near Lord Howe Island between Australia and New Zealand - and even then, only under a specific bush. It was assumed that a population of black rats had eaten all of the giant insects sometime after 1920, but scientists found a small colony of them living around a single plant in 2001.

Top image: Myanmar Jerdon’s babbler, via YouTube.

[Source: Mental Floss. Edited. Some images added.]

13 ANIMAL-SHAPED BUILDINGS

13 Animal-Shaped Buildings
By Matt Hickman, Mother Nature Network, 27 April 2015.

Architectural menagerie

Novelty architecture can take on many fantastical forms - think municipal water towers done up like peaches and soft serve-shaped ice cream stands - but animal-shaped buildings are in a league of their own.

Often built as roadside attractions meant to lure motorists off the highway, these completely functional structures serve a greater purpose than just kitschy ornamentation. Some are truly mimetic - that is, the building is representative of its original purpose be it a poultry shop, seafood restaurant or woollen clothing boutique. Others are more symbolic, which is probably a good thing.

We’ve rounded up several examples of zoological-inspired architecture from around the globe, focusing on an array of critters, terrestrial and aquatic, domesticated and wild, cute and fearsome.

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1. Big Sheep Wool Gallery and i-Site Visitor Centre

Photo: Phillip Capper/Flickr

While the two most Instagrammed structures in the tiny farming outpost of Tirau on New Zealand’s North Island have likely birthed a non-stop, bottleneck-induced traffic headache for the locals, at least it’s easy to give directions. Just take a left at the incredibly large sheep. Can’t miss 'em. He’s right next to the dog with the stained glass windows and public loo inside.

Built from corrugated scrap iron in 1994, the Big Sheep Wool Gallery, a woollen goods emporium and souvenir shop, was the first of the two mimetic structures to be erected. A few years later, a dog-shaped visitors centre, also designed by local artist and entrepreneur Steven Clothier, went up directly next to the sheep on the town’s main drag. While the two structures are Tirau’s only corrugated iron buildings shaped like animals, an array of whimsical sculptures and signage also crafted from the popular roofing material can be found throughout town, a town that’s lifted itself from rural economic depression to become New Zealand’s premiere folk art-heavy pit stop.

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2. Blue Whale

Photo: Nicolas Henderson/Flickr

While hard to classify as a proper building, the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Oklahoma - aka the world’s most famous cement sperm whale with a waterslide jutting out of its side  - is considered royalty in the world of kitschy roadside attractions. After all, the gentle leviathan is beached permanently right off of Route 66, the most iconic American roadway of all.

Built over a private pond by retired zoologist Hugh Davis in the early 1970s as an anniversary gift for his whale figurine-collecting wife, the Blue Whale was initially a family-only affair. But as Davis soon found out, when you erect an 80-foot-long marine mammal alongside America’s most vacationer-heavy highway, people will pull over and gawk. And pull over and gawk they did. It didn’t take long for Davis to open the Blue Whale up to the public and convert the pond into a proper swimming hole complete with a sand beach and picnic area. Other attractions, including a reptile zoo, followed. While the Blue Whale isn’t quite the hotspot it used to be and the pond is more stagnant than swimmable, preservation efforts lead by the Catoosa Chamber of Commerce have helped to keep Oklahoma’s most well-known cetacean on the map.

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3. Lucy the Elephant

Photo: Tony Fischer/Flickr

You’ve really got to hand it to Lucy, the most famous pachyderm on the Jersey Shore. At 134 years of age, she’s a true survivor, having persevered through decades of vandalism and violent weather, demolition threats and extended periods of decay. Hell, both Prohibition and Hurricane Sandy proved to be no match for this feisty 90-ton gal.

Built from wood and clad in tin, Lucy has towered over the seaside resort town of Margate City (home to Marvin Gardens of Monopoly fame) since 1881 when she was erected by Irish-born animal-shaped building progenitor James V. Lafferty. Lucy has served numerous functions over the years: real estate office, café, summer cottage and, most notoriously, a tavern. A community-led relocation and restoration helped Lucy make it through the neglect-heavy dark years and, in 1976, achieve designation as a National Historic Landmark. The six-story beast’s current function is that of gift shop and good, old-fashioned tourist attraction. In fact, she’s apparently the most popular “non-gaming attraction” in the Atlantic City region. Come for Harrah’s, stay for the howdahs.

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4. Dog Bark Park Inn

Photo: Adam Levine/Flickr

Ah, Idaho - glorious land of potato farms, chichi ski resorts, monstrous trout and beagle-shaped bed-and-breakfasts.

Located right off Highway 95 in the sleepy Camas Prairie community of Cottonwood, the Dog Bark Park Inn is the only lodging establishment that we know of in which guests hunker down for the night within the (air-conditioned) belly of a 30-foot-tall hound dog. The luxury of sleeping inside of said hound - the loveable beagle also responds to the name Sweet Willy - will set you back US$98 per night, “expansive continental self-serve breakfast” included. Your gracious hosts are world-renowned chainsaw-wielding folk artists Dennis Sullivan and Frances Conklin, whose creations can be purchased in the gallery next door. And yes, canine guests are indeed welcome to stay at the inn - all done up with doggy-themed décor, naturally - pending prior approval and a non-refundable US$15 pet surcharge.

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5. Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum

Photo: Aaron/Flickr

Ever dreamt of saying “I do” within the gaping jaw of a 143-foot long muskellunge? We’ve got just the spot for you.

The semi-terrifying crown jewel of the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum, the massive fiberglass muskie (a large and particularly unattractive member of the pike family that’s caught for sport in the Midwest, if you’re unfamiliar) is a singular spot for intimate wedding ceremonies - or, at the very least, super-ironic wedding photography. Boasting a needle-toothed mouth/observation deck that can accommodate about 20 people, the belly of the four-and-a-half-story fish is home to the museum’s Shrine To Anglers. And since the museum’s extensive outboard motor exhibit, intriguing as it is, doesn’t exactly scream “after party,” good times can be had at Hayward, Wisconsin’s other top attraction: the Moccasin Bar.

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6. The Big Duck

Photo: Adam Moss/Flickr

A wacky, quacky work of avian-themed novelty architecture, this plus-sized bird has been a grade-A source of rubbernecking since it was first unveiled in the early 1930s by Long Island duck farmer Martin Maurer as a roadside egg emporium. While the 20-foot-tall reinforced-concrete waterfowl has moved around a handful of times over the years, born-and-bred Suffolk County residents should easily be able to identify the current location of “that really large duck” in Flanders, New York.

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997 and more recently named one of the 7 Wonders of Long Island (it beat out that Montauk Lighthouse and a motor lodge with heart-shaped Jacuzzi tubs and mirrored ceilings), the Big Duck is more than just a souvenir-peddling tourist trap. In a direct nod to the historic structure, husband-wife architect duo Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown coined the term “duck architecture” in the 1970s. Also known as programmatic architecture, the term refers to a building-cum-advertisement that, instead of relying on signage, takes the stylized form of the product or service offered inside of the building.

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7. Turtle Building

Photo: Steve Moskowitz/Flickr

On the market for a 67,000-square-foot complex that bears an uncanny resemblance to a lackadaisical, leathery-skinned reptile?

Niagara Falls Redevelopment is still looking to hand over the keys to this down-and-out downtown landmark with distinctly chelonian curves to the right venture. Opened in 1980 as the Native American Centre for the Living Arts, the short-lived cultural institution didn’t enjoy the longevity of its architectural inspiration and, in a cruel bit or irony, went belly-up just a little over a decade later. It’s been sitting empty ever since. While the building’s shape very much fit its original purpose - the much-revered turtle is central to Iroquois creation myth - finding new use for a massive abandoned turtle with a geodesic dome-topped auditorium/shell hasn’t been easy. Armchair redevelopers and April O’Neil fanboys: What would you do with the space?

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8. The Big Merino

Photo: MD111/Flickr

The Sydney Opera House. The Cape Byron Lighthouse. The Harbour Bridge. The Queen Victoria Building. The Tower Eye. The Big Merino.

While that last architectural landmark may not ring a bell with most visitors Down Under, particularly those who stick to Sydney and the coastal areas of New South Wales, if you ask a native about the “knitwear boutique housed in a 50-foot-tall concrete ram,” chances are they’ll know exactly what you’re talking about. Located in Goulburn, a mid-sized NSW city best known for its maximum-security prison and fine wool industry, the Big Merino - locally known as “Rambo” - has been distracting motorists since 1985. In 1997, the 97 metric ton ruminant - the largest sheep in the world, by the way - was relocated from its original spot to a more high-traffic location near a new expressway exit. Visitors were verboten from entering the belly of the beast for an extended period following the move but the Big Merino is currently back in business. While the structure itself is still very much the main draw, folks, ahem, flock from all over to snatch up mohair throws, possum-blend wool jumpers and sheepskin Ugg boots.

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9. Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel

Photo: Accor Hotels

Vegas may have hotels shaped like Egyptian pyramids, Bavarian fairy tale castles and the New York City Skyline, but you’ll have to travel deep into the wilds of Kakadu National Park - the largest national park in Australia (the land of Mick "Crocodile" Dundee) - to sleep in the belly of a massive croc.

While the reptilian resort in question has changed hands in recent years (many still know it as the Gagudju Crocodile Holiday Inn), the Mercure Kakadu Crocodile Hotel is still in the business of devouring adventure-seeking tourists from across Australia and beyond. As the only full-service hotel within Kakadu, the 110-room property (the cheapest rooms are in the tail) is a civilized, air-conditioned respite from the surrounding wilderness and its stunning natural beauty. There’s also an outdoor pool within the croc’s landscaped midsection/courtyard, which offers a very preferable alternative to cooling off in the nearby Magela Creek, a body of water that’s teeming with venomous snakes and not-so-docile crocodiles.

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10. Giant Koala Tourist Complex

Photo: Mattinbgn/Wikimedia Commons

If we’ve learned anything about animal-shaped architecture while compiling this list, it's this: Aussies love their “Big Things.”

Amongst the most iconic - and cuddliest - of Australia’s 100-plus Paul Bunyan-sized roadside tourist traps is a souvenir-peddling visitors centre in the tiny Victorian town of Dadswell Bridge that takes the form of a gargantuan koala bear. Completed in 1989 and later affectionately named "Sam" in remembrance of a sweet-natured female koala that was rescued during the catastrophic Black Saturday bush fires of 2009 and became the resilience-symbolizing poster-animal of the tragedy, the 46-foot-tall Giant Koala Tourist Complex is also home to an adjacent restaurant, ice cream and lollipop shop, outdoor BBQ area and a small zoo that’s home to two real-life arboreal marsupials named Karla and Cuddles. If house-sized koalas don’t tickle your fancy, a small army of other Big Things can be found looming across Victoria including the Big Pheasant (Tynong), the Big Strawberry (Koonoomoo), the Big Tap (Cowes) and the Big Miner (Ballrat).

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11. Crab Building (Alimango Restaurant)

Photo: Simon Burchell/Wikimedia Commons

Forget about the kittens, ducks and koala bears. Here’s a building in the Philippines that’s crawled straight out of the ocean and into our nightmares.

Unfortunately, there’s really not that much floating around out there concerning the back story of Dagupan’s creepy crab-shaped building other than at one point in time the abandoned structure was a seafood restaurant named after a cannibalistic but oh-so-delicious crustacean - the alimango or mud crab - that’s farmed and consumed throughout the Philippines and Southeast Asia. (We do wonder what happened to the restaurant’s former fry cook). And hey, it could be even more nightmarish when it comes to derelict, seafood-shaped buildings. Try imaging your car breaking down in the middle of the night in front of the boarded-up Lamprey Bar & Grill.

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12. Fisheries Department

Photo: Nagaraju raveender/Wikimedia Commons

Although large-scale examples of programmatic architecture that transcend roadside attraction status are increasingly rare, there are few fine contemporary examples of playful structures that take on the stylized form of whatever is going on inside including the Longaberger Company’s basket-resembling corporate headquarters in Ohio and a flashy and conspicuously fishy office building - an office building out of water, if you will - located in the Indian city of Hyderabad.

You’d be inclined to think that offices of the National Fisheries Development Board would occupy a few floors of an anonymous commercial tower but no…only the finest four-story shaped fish building would do for the NFDB, an aquaculture-promoting organization formed to bolster Indian fish exports and lead the “blue revolution.” Opened for business in 2012, the complex - locally known as Matsya Bhavan - is reported to have been inspired by another plus-sized fish monument: Starchitect Frank Gehry’s glorious, glittering Barcelona Fish statue, El Peix, erected on the Spanish city’s waterfront for the 1992 Summer Olympics.

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13. Elephant Tower

Photo: Jarcje/Wikimedia Commons

Last but not least, an elephantine edifice for the ages…

Although decidedly more abstract in form than some of the other critter-shaped structures on our list, Bangkok’s impossible-to-miss Chang Building is well-deserved of its alternate name: the Elephant Tower. Rising 32 floors above the Chatuchak District, this mixed-use mammoth - inside, you’ll find luxury housing, commercial space, retail and much more - was designed by architect Sumset Jumsai to resemble Thailand’s national animal. As noted by journalist and historian Hoag Levins, the Elephant Tower’s arrival in 1997 presented a bit of a marketing challenge to the folks behind Lucy the Elephant, a significantly smaller work of pachyderm-inspired architecture and long-time landmark on the Jersey Shore. After enjoying more than a century as the world’s largest elephant building, Lucy was forced to hand over her title to this hot cubist mess in Bangkok. Issues of size aside, we still love Lucy.

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Top images: The Big Merino by MD111/Flickr (left) and the Blue Whale by Nicolas Henderson/Flickr (right).

[Source: Mother Nature Network. Edited.]