10 optical-illusion buildings that will play tricks on your eyes

Erin McDowellSep 15, 2023, 20:53 IST

Those people were all lying on the ground, and the "building" is actually a giant mirror.John Phillips/UK Press via Getty Images; JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images

Many optical illusions have gone viral, dividing the internet and stumping everyone online.
Some "buildings" are actually works of art meant to trick your eyes.

Architects and artists have clever ways of tricking you with optical illusions.

Their building designs can trick you into seeing two-dimensional paintings as three-dimensional objects, make skyscrapers seemingly disappear into thin air, and hide apartment units inside giant cubes.

Here are 10 buildings from around the world that will leave you questioning what's real and what's an optical illusion.

Lucy Yang contributed to an earlier version of this story.

This house looks like it only has one, very thin wall.

The "Flat House" in Ukraine.Iryna Savina/Shutterstock

This building hasn't been smushed or destroyed.

The "Dancing House" in Prague.kaprik/Shutterstock

Is this house bending toward or away from you? Or is it just a cartoon?

"House I" designed by iconic pop artist Roy Lichtenstein.Chiyacat/Shutterstock

Don't worry, this house isn't actually sinking.

A building near the Sacré-Cœur Basilica at the summit of Montmartre.Alexandr Piddubnyy/Shutterstock

Here's what it actually looks like.

A building near the Sacré-Cœur Basilica at the summit of Montmartre.Alexandr Piddubnyy/Shutterstock

When conditions are just right, this building becomes almost invisible against the sky.

Pinnacle at Symphony Place.Marcus E Jones/shutterstock

This cluster of apartments isn't what it seems.

"Le Mur des Canuts" in Lyon, France.Pierre Jean Durieu/Shutterstock

From a certain angle, this face appears to project away from the building toward you.

A mural is painted on the side of a building in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia.Nils Versemann/Shutterstock

At first glance, you might think these people are standing at the bottom of an inground swimming pool.

A photo shows "The Swimming Pool" underwater optical illusion of Leandro Erlich at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan, on August 24, 2018.Manuel Ascanio/Shutterstock

They are actually viewing an art installation.

"The Swimming Pool."Manuel Ascanio/Shutterstock

These people aren't dangling precariously from a window.

People appear dangling as a large-scale installation art piece by Leandro Erlich, named "Dalston House," is displayed on June 24, 2013.Dan Dennison/Getty Images

They were actually lying on the ground, and the "building" was a giant mirror.

Visitors enjoy Dalston House by Argentine artist Leandro Erlich on June 24, 2013.John Phillips/UK Press/Getty Images

These yellow cubes perched atop these buildings are actually houses.

Cubed homes designed by architect Piet Blom.Firdouss Ross Rosli/Shutterstock

Here's a look inside one of the cube houses.

A living room inside one of the cube houses in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, designed by architect Piet Blom.Henk Vrieselaar/Shutterstock

A 'whimsical' domed home next to Washington's Camano Island State Park is on sale for $295,000. Take a look.

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