The World’s 19 Scariest-Looking Structures
No one can prove that ghosts actually exist (even though my freshman-year dorm was definitely haunted), but that doesn’t mean certain structures do not appear to have a nefarious look to them and seem to be occupied by non-living entities. What with their zigzag exteriors, sharp-edged windows, and ominously lit interiors, it’s no wonder some buildings appear too eerie to enter. And while some were designed by relative no-names, others, such as the Glasgow Riverside Museum, were created by architects like Zaha Hadid or have lent their chilling appearances to Hollywood films, in the case of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House. These buildings add an imposing and intimidating presence to city skylines from Las Vegas to Bilbao. Below, AD rounds up the 19 most terrifying-looking structures in the world, some of which have been abandoned for years or others that were built more recently and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Enjoy the views of these hauntingly spectacular buildings, but enter at your own risk.
Photo: Getty Images1/19The Sphere (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA)
If you’re walking through Paradise, Nevada, and feel like you’re being watched, it might just be the Sphere. Designed by the architecture firm Populous, the structure, which opened in 2023, is the largest spherical building ever constructed and boasts the world’s highest resolution wraparound screen. The 18,000-seat live entertainment and concert venue’s exterior screen displays everything from advertisements to art and, perhaps most unsettling, the image of an eyeball.
Photo: Getty Images/View Pictures2/19Riverside Museum (Glasgow, Scotland)
Located in Scotland, Glasgow Riverside Museum by Zaha Hadid Architects was completed in 2011. The building cost roughly $95 million to complete, and it went on to win the 2013 European Museum of the Year Award.
Photo: Alamy Stock Photo3/19Federation of Industries of the State (São Paulo, Brazil)
São Paulo’s Federation of Industries of the State handles the many issues of Brazil’s trade unions. The building is among the tallest in the area. It was built by the Brazilian architect Rino Levi in 1979, creating a distinct lower half that cantilevers over the sidewalk. Standing 99 feet high, it is one of the largest buildings in the immediate area.
Photo: Getty Images/Jaap Arriens4/19Shakespeare Theatre (Gdańsk, Poland)
Completed in 2014 by the Italian architect Renato Rizzi for a sum of roughly $24 million, the Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre has a menacing all-black façade with only a few windows that are difficult to see from the street. But looks can be deceiving, as the interior is a beautiful venue to experience a performance.
Photo: Cristina Arias/Getty Images5/19Department of Health of the Basque Government (Bilbao, Spain)
Watch your step near the Department of Health of the Basque Government in Bilbao, Spain. The building's folded façade recalls shattering glass with sharp angles and asymmetrical panes. Madrid and Bilbao–based architecture firm Coll-Barreu Arquitectos completed the 94,744-square-foot building in 2008, crafting the distinctive envelope and adding a tower, which houses a conference room, at the top.
Photo: Getty Images6/19Flame Towers (Baku, Azerbaijan)
A view at dusk of the Flame Towers in Baku, Azerbaijan. Completed in 2013, the buildings were designed by the US-based firm HOK.
Photo: Getty Images/Suhaimi Abdullah7/19Supertree Grove (Singapore)
The Supertree Grove near the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore appears to have structures that could grow on another planet. Measuring anywhere from 82 to 164 feet tall, they provide much-needed shade during the day and illuminate at night.
Photo: Getty Images/UIG8/19Velasca Tower (Milan, Italy)
Located in Milan, the Velasca Tower was built in 1950 by the Italian-based firm BBPR.
Photo: Getty Images9/19MahaNakhon (Bangkok, Thailand)
Bangkok’s skyline forever changed when the Ole Scheeren–designed MahaNakhon skyscraper was completed in 2016. Spanning some 1,030 feet in the air, the structure cost nearly $1 billion to build.
Photo: Getty Images/Raymond Boyd10/19Cleveland’s Museum of Contemporary Art (Cleveland, Ohio, USA)
Cleveland’s Museum of Contemporary Art was designed by the world-renowned Iranian-born, London-based architect Farshid Moussavi.
Photo: Getty Images11/19The Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto, Canada)
The Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. The structure was selected from among 50 finalists in an international competition.
Photo: Getty Images12/19DC Tower 1 (Vienna, Austria)
Vienna’s DC Tower 1 is the second-tallest structure in the country (814 feet). Designed by Dominique Perrault, the building is recognizable for its woven-like façade.
Photo: Getty Images/Nikada13/19Marina Bay Sands hotel (Singapore)
Designed by Moshe Safdie and completed in 2010, the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore resembles a three-legged spaceship.
Photo: Getty Images14/19Chongqing Guotai Arts Center (Chongqing, China)
China Architecture Design & Research Group drew inspiration from traditional Chinese architectural techniques for the design of the Chongqing Guotai Arts Center in the Yuzhong District of Chongqing, China. Bright red and black beams accentuate the striking and vaguely threatening exterior and appear in motion— as though they’re coming straight at you. The building houses 32,000 square feet of exhibition space.
Photo: Getty Images/Peera Sathawirawong15/19Asahi Beer Tower (Tokyo, Japan)
Created in 1989 by the French designer Philippe Starck, the flame atop the Asahi Beer Tower in Tokyo is as beautiful as it is terrifying.
Photo: Getty Images16/19National Library of Belarus (Minsk, Belarus)
The National Library of Belarus is an imposing figure in the Minsk landscape. Completed in 2006, the library was designed by Victor Kramarenko and Michael Vinogradov in the shape of a rhombicuboctahedron (not a typo), a polyhedron with 26 faces. The 22-story building has over 4,646 color-changing LED lights installed on the exterior, which are illuminated in a variety of designs at night.
Photo: Getty Images17/19Ennis House (Los Angeles, California, USA)
When movie directors wanted to create an eerie atmosphere for their film, the Ennis House was often their residence of choice. The home, which was designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1924, appeared in House on Haunted Hill, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Day of the Locust and Blade Runner. Wright incorporated precast concrete blocks and drew inspiration from Mayan architecture for the design of the home, located on a hill above the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Photo: Getty Images18/19Denver Art Museum (Denver, Colorado, USA)
The cliffs of the Rocky Mountains inspired architect Daniel Libeskind’s sharp (in more ways than one) design for the Denver Art Museum’s Frederic C. Hamilton Building. The structure is covered in 9,000 titanium panels and the building culminates in a a spear-like tip, known as “the prow.” The 146,000-square-foot building features angular interiors, jagged light fixtures, and asymmetrical atriums and skylights.
Photo: Getty Images/Lars Ruecker19/19Apartment buildings in Hong Kong
A look up at hundreds of colorful yet eerie-looking apartments in Hong Kong. The high cost of living in the area means many residents are forced to live in tiny dwellings.
