The prank has been used as a device throughout architectural history to undermine the seriousness of functionality and orthodox rigidity that plagues the profession. Robert Venturi called himself the "Dennis the Menace of Architecture," while Stanley Tigerman was referred to as a "gadfly."

Humor as criticism has a potential that is only now beginning to be tapped. The technique not only makes jokes about buildings themselves, but also about how we make them, how we experience them, how we live in them, and how they reflect broader notions of the social and the political. Here are some of the best architectural pranks from around the world:

Image via The Onion

"Local Building Too Wheelchair-Friendly" is from The Onion and just a downright funny image.

Image courtesy Klaus

Klaus makes cartoons about architecture and its absurdity. Here, Apple's new Cupertino campus by Norman Foster is mocked for its UFO aesthetic.

Image courtesy FAT

Beloved pranksters FAT have made a career of critical jokes; the Camo House is among them.

Image courtesy Oiio Architecture Office

Oiio Architecture Office made this playful proposal to extend the Guggenheim's iconic corkscrew sky-high.

Image via Archinect

Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown's entire career was a serious joke, from the decorated duck to the misuse of Ionic columns. It could be said that it all culminated with this exhibition at Yale in 2009 and the large McDonald's sign in the main exhibition hall.

Image via The Onion

"Plans For 9/11 Museum Revealed" on The Onion dreams of experiences that interrogate our reactions to 9/11 and how we memorialize disaster while dealing with their emotional and political aftermath....Continue Reading

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