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Describe an unusual building you have visited

IELTS Cue Card Question 48 With Model Answer: 

Describe an unusual building you have visited.

You should say: 
  • where it is
  • what it is used for
  • what it looks like
and explain why you think it is unusual.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you're going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

Model Answer 1:
People love unusual or weird things and accordingly try to make their own things bizarre and thus special. When buildings are made unusually, they actually gain fame as the Basket Building in Ohio has turned so.

The Basket Building is, in fact, headquartering for a corporation named Longaberger Company. It is located in Newark of Ohio in the United States. The idea to make such a strange and attractive building came from the founder of the company and replicates a medium size basket produced by the corporation. The building is seven-storied and made of steel structure. It took around seven years to complete the construction of the building and it was opened for activities from 1997. The building has a unique interior and exterior decoration that has made it strange and attractive to the media and global people as well.

The building is used as the headquarter of Longaberger Company and the plan was that the other office buildings of the company will be made on the basket design, but after the death of Dave Longaberger, the company owner, his daughter did not allow to make all the buildings by the same design. Due to the steel structure and decoration, the building resembles the basket made by the company and has been awarded too for its splendid design and unusual decoration.

The Basket Building is the exact replica of a medium market size basket produced by the Longaberger Company. The company manufactures baskets and other lifestyle products in the USA. From a notable distance, people become perplexed at the first sight that a large basket is standing but they realise their mistake when they approach near the building. Due to its strange look, the building has become the issue of media attention and media-men of different countries have paid their visit to the building. Inside of the building is also decorated in an efficient manner to grab attention by the first sight of the visitors. The grand staircase is the most notable thing after the entrance inside and many of the visitors start playing the grand piano kept aside of the staircase.

The building is unusual in a positive sense. It is truly beautiful. The interior and exterior decoration is a wonder of modern days. The glass ceiling inside the building allows the visitors to look at the basket handles and the family paintings on the wall inside are amazing too. The floors are made of marble and the woodworks were done from cherry wood farmed in private gardens of the founder family. The seven storied building is also considered as the world’s largest basket in the world. The building looks beautiful most at night for the lighting.



Sample Answer 2:
I have encountered a good number of strange things in my recent visit to India. In fact, I had an official tour last month in India for expanding some of our products from Germany, and I visited some of the parts of the capital city. The Lotus Temple appears an unusual building to me. Thank you for the smart question.

Actually, this is a place of worships are a bit dissimilar than the usual buildings while the Lotus Temple is completely different than the other usual temples in India. It is a flower shape building that is used as a Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi in India. The construction of the structure was completed in 1986. This is a temple but it has a different value. It attracts a good number of people annually in India. Besides, the temple is opened for all regardless of religion, caste, creed and colour. It has nine doors and can accommodate 2500 people at a time.

This is a kind of prayer hall of the Bahá'í. But there are some basic differences here. The authority imposes a ban on some specific issues like fundraising for the structure, delivering lectures or sermons among others. The visitors are to remain quiet while they are inside the structure. Music or chorus is also allowed inside the building. But they should be performed or sung without any instrument. Actually, this is a place where all religions are respected. People of all religions are invited here and they also can perform their respective rituals without being hurt or feeling shy. The building has appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines for its unique applications.   

This is a beautiful building. It looks like a flower, particularly lotus. The structure has 27 free-standing marble-clad petals which have brought the look of lotus. Besides, the petals are arranged in clusters and they have formed nine sides. There are nine doors in each of the sides and they open to the central hall. The height of the structure is around 40 meters from the ground. Due to its attractive structure and modern features, the Lotus Temple has won a notable number of awards. The marble-clad has brought the shape of a lotus and it looks gorgeous from inside when someone looks on the top. As a result, it has become the centre of attractions for many of the people across the world. A substantial number of people frequently visit this temple annually and I was one of them from outside of India to be amazed.

This building appears unusual to me in some positive senses. I have seen many places for worshipping in different parts of the world. But none of them was like this. This is not the place for any particular religion rather it attracts all of the people from every religion. I also liked the noise-free feature of the building. The most important thing about the building is that it covers a notable area and the design is stunning in terms of architectural consideration. Over 100 million visitors have visited the place so far after its inauguration in 1986 – the same year it was constructed. In fact, this is a building that has gained national and international attraction only for its distinctive style of architecture like the other notable structures in India.

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