Hyderabad's Iconic 'Fish Building' Named Among World's Strangest Buildings

In a city better known for its IT parks and historic monuments, one government building has quietly swum into global attention. The headquarters of the National Fisheries Development Board in Hyderabad has found a place on international lists of the world’s strangest-looking buildings, drawing renewed curiosity to one of the country’s most unconventional architectural landmarks.

Built in 2012, the four-storey structure is designed entirely in the shape of a giant fish, complete with a metallic sheen, sweeping fins and two large circular windows that resemble eyes when viewed from a distance. The design falls under what architects call “mimicry architecture”, where the form of a building reflects its function. In this case, a fisheries body operates

from a building that quite literally looks like a fish.

The visual impact becomes even more striking after sunset. Illuminated by blue spotlights, the structure appears like a massive fish gliding through water, an illusion that stands out sharply against the surrounding urban landscape.

While the design initially drew mixed reactions during its construction, the building has since evolved into a prominent city landmark. It now attracts tourists as much as it does officials, with visitors frequently stopping to photograph the unusual facade and admire its bold departure from conventional government architecture.

Internationally, the Hyderabad structure now shares space with other famously eccentric buildings, including the basket-shaped headquarters of a former office supplies company in the United States, Poland’s twisted-looking Crooked House and Florida’s guitar-shaped hotel. Its inclusion among these architectural curiosities has given India a rare moment of global recognition for experimental public infrastructure.

Beyond its visual appeal, the Fish Building has come to symbolise a shift in thinking about civic spaces. It stands as a reminder that government offices need not be anonymous concrete blocks, but can also be imaginative, expressive and capable of capturing public imagination in the heart of a modern city.