Fish Building, India
See the full Unusual building of the week series here.
The unofficially named ‘Fish Building’ is a regional office for the National Fisheries Development Board, located near Hyderabad, India.
The four-storey building was officially opened in April 2012, and was reportedly inspired by Frank Gehry's monumental ‘Fish’ sculpture in Barcelona which was completed in 1992.
The building is an example of mimetic architecture, incorporating elements of the fish form into its functionality. This includes the left pectoral fin doubling as an awning above the staircase to the entrance, and the two circular windows acting as eyes.
The building is clad in stainless steel panels and, apart from the central core, is completely raised off the ground on pale blue pilotis. Blue-purple spotlights illuminate the building at night, giving the impression that the ‘giant fish’ is swimming through Hyderabad.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Big Duck.
- Blobitecture.
- Dancing House, Prague.
- Haines Shoe House.
- India looks at using plastic instead of sand.
- India needs to build more infrastructure fast. Here's how.
- Indian construction industry.
- Indian infrastructure.
- ING House.
- Loyly, Finland.
- Lucy the elephant.
- Mahabat Maqbara, India.
- Mimetic architecture.
- Owl House, South Korea.
- Piano Building.
- Robot Building, Bangkok.
- Sheep and Dog Buildings, Tirau.
- The Big Basket.
- The Headington Shark.
- The Kelpies.
- Unusual building design of the week.
- Vastu Shastra.
- Walt Disney Concert Hall.
- Wonder Egg, Japan.
Featured articles and news
The future workforce: culture change and skill
Under the spotlight at UK Construction Week London.
A landmark moment for postmodern heritage.
A safe energy transition – ECA launches a new Charter
Practical policy actions to speed up low carbon adoption while maintaining installation safety and competency.
Frank Duffy: Researcher and Practitioner
Reflections on achievements and relevance to the wider research and practice communities.
The 2026 Compliance Landscape: Fire doors
Why 'Business as Usual' is a Liability.
Cutting construction carbon footprint by caring for soil
Is construction neglecting one of the planet’s most powerful carbon stores and one of our greatest natural climate allies.
ARCHITECTURE: How's it progressing?
Archiblogger posing questions of a historical and contextual nature.
The roofscape of Hampstead Garden Suburb
Residents, architects and roofers need to understand detailing.
Homes, landlords. tenants and the new housing standards
What will it all mean?
The Architectural Technology podcast: Where it's AT
Catch-up on the latest episodes.
Edmundson Apprentice of the Year award 2026
Entries now open for this Electrical Contractors' Association award.
Traditional blue-grey slate from one of the oldest and largest UK slate quarries down in Cornwall.
There are plenty of sources with the potential to be redeveloped.
Change of use legislation breaths new life into buildings
A run down on Class MA of the General Permitted Development Order.
Solar generation in the historic environment
Success requires understanding each site in detail.