Urban exploration is the practice of seeking out (and often documenting) abandoned buildings, feral homes and other run-down, cast-off spaces. We've featured dozens of photo shoots that capture successful urban exploration, and each one is equal parts disturbing, beautiful and somber. These modern ghost towns betray our addiction to all that is new and shiny and our temporary, consumerist culture.
Implications - Abandoned buildings in general has always been intriguing due to its mystique. The mysteriousness of these historical structures is fascinating due to its history and the stories that no one may ever hear of again. These buildings may look sad, somber or even disturbing, but after looking through these, you can't help but wonder what may have gone on inside the walls.
50 Urban Exploration Photo Sets
From Abandoned Building Photography to Feral Homes:
Marissa Brassfield — Jun 21, 2010 — Art & Design
50
Abandoned Celebrity Mansions
Mike Tyson's Old Home
49
Abandoned Shopping Malls
Brian Ulrich Captures Recessionary Fallout and Urban Decay
48
Abandoned Future City
San Zhi, Taiwan
47
Modern Ghost Towns
10 Recently-Abandoned Cities
46
Feral Homes
Abandoned Houses in Detroit Become Feral Beasts in Summer
45
Clothes-Free Urban Explorers
Miru Kim's Fearless and Confident Photography
44
Abandoned Airplane Renovations
Clipper Juan T. Trippe is a Ghost Town With Wings
43
Unsettling Imagery
'Dyssomnia' by Andrey Rogach Gives Me an Uncomfortable Feeling
42
Humanized Urban Portraits
'(In)vulnerable' by Steef Veldhoen Mixes Models & Abandoned Buildings
41
Architectural Corpses
‘Stages of Decay' by Julia Solis Captures Abandoned Theaters
40
Abandoned Photography
Fabiano Parisi Focuses on Human and Industrial Waste
39
Dilapidated Hospital Photography
Reiss Cleal Captures the Abandoned Severalls Mental Hospital
38
Abandoned Man-Made Creations
'Artificial Owl' Website for Derelict Enthusiasts
37
Haunted Urban Exploration
Old Don Jail in Toronto Opens Doors to Sinister Past
36
Abandoned Building Photography
Visually Brilliant Derelict Power Plants Captured on Camera
35
Vampire House
Anne Rice's Rosegate Estate Sale + Ghosts Free
34
Isolation Photography
The Haunting Photos of Stephan Opitz
33
Creepy Urban Exploration
Abandoned Ruins by Tom Kirsch
32
Abandoned Bank Photography
Jonathan Castellino Revists the Bank of Toronto
31
Isolation Photography
Michel Rajkovic's ‘Nowhere' Features Abandoned Areas
30
Capturing Dilapidated Buildings
‘100 Abandoned Houses Project' by Kevin Bauman
29
Dilapidation Documentography
Jake Dobkin Captures the Real New York
28
Eerie Empty Suburbia
'The Space Around' by Gavin Stewart Explores a People-Free Landscape
27
Apocalyptic Railway Shoots
Antoni Szczupal Finds Beauty in the Desolate for 'Ghost Train'
26
Dilapidated Building Dance Recitals
Alexey Novikov Captures a Ballerina in an Abandoned Edifice
25
Apocalyptic TV-Smashing
'Post Nuclear' by Antoni Szczupal Depicts a Gritty, Edgy World
24
Life-Sized Dollhouses
Abandoned Farmhouse Transformed Into Giant Playhouse
23
Abandoned Housicles
The Ice House Detroit Raises Awareness About Housing Crisis
22
Derelict Psych Wardtography
The Exhibit of Spring Grove Hospital Shows Creepy Scenes
21
Couture Amongst Clutter
Freja Beha Erichsen Poses in a Mess for Vogue UK
20
Capturing Abandoned Abodes
'Deserted Homes' by Sigal Ben David Takes Us to New Orleans
19
Creepy Abandoned Homes
Abandoned Homes Become Popular on Facebook, Green Websites
18
Homeless Kidtography
'Abandoned' by Coral Fletcher Captures an Orphaned Child
17
Abandoned Urbanscapes
Empty L.A. Photgraphs Capture the Isolation of City Life
16
Bright Blue Doors
Lisbon Street Art Features Indigo Paint and Portuguese Poetry
15
Abandoned House Photography
'Island Feelings' Shows the Beautiful Side of Summer's Spoils
14
Choo Choo Churches
Communities Put Abandoned Train Cars to Good Use
13
Squatters' Rights Exhibits
‘100 Abandoned Houses' Keeps Spooky Homes at a Distance
12
Breaking & Entering Blogs
'No Promise of Safety' Showcases Urban Adventurers
11
Abandoned Real Estate Bus Tours
Long Island Foreclosure Tours
10
Derelict London
Alternative London Guide Website
9
Geometric Shape Photography
Georges Rousse Turns Abandoned Places into Artistic Geometry
8
Derelict Flats As Art
Roger Hiorns' Copper Sulphate Den
7
Fake Infestations
Helen Nodding Gives an Abandoned Studio a Buggy Story Line
6
Cast-Off Chairtography
'Abandoned Chairs' by Adam M Shows Rejected Furniture in the Wild
5
Urban Upcycled Lamps
Super Guppy Street Light Takes Upcycling to a New Place
4
Camouflaging City Blocks
Blue Buildings by Florentijn Hofman Attract Tourists
3
Psychedelic Buses
'Knitta Please' Uses Yarn to Decorate Abandoned Bus
2
Empty Pool Photography
J Bennet Fitts' 'No Lifeguard on Duty' Captures the End of Summer Fun
1
Ghost Town Canvases
'The Ghostvillage Project' Offers a City-Sized Work of Art
Related Ideas
Subterranean Japanese Libraries
This Underground Library is Situated Beneath a Sustainable Farm
A-Frame Alpine-Inspired Cabins
The Adventure Whare Retreat by Studio Well is Demure
Cat-Centric Compact Homes
This Japanese Dwelling Embraces Feline-Friendly Design Choices
Displaced Persons House Designs
The Essential Homes Research Project Has a Bunker-Like Form
Mobile Office Tiny Homes
The Uncharted Tiny Homes 'The Office' Can Be Taken on the Road
Plant-Filled Latticed Buildings
Wallflower Architecture + Design Creates the Touching Eden House
Toronto Film Exhibitions
Imposter Cities Exhibition Explores Architecture & Cinematic Authenticity
AI Post-Apocalyptic Cities
Top10Casinos Explores the Future, Inspired by the Dune Universe
Corrugated Metal Barn-Like Houses
StudioAC Designs a New Home Overlooking Devil's Glen
Garden-Centering Urban Townhouses
This Vietnamese Home's Layout is Arranged Around an Inner Garden
High-End Cottage-Like Tiny Homes
The 'Burrow' Tiny House from Rewild Homes is Family-Friendly
Streetwear Gorpcore Fashions
The North Face Urban Exploration RE:EXPLORATION Patch Up is Tactical
Futuristic Auto Micro Factories
Most Architecture Unveils a Modern Factory for Charge Cars
Time Passage-Celebrating Restored Homes
NYAWA Restores a Traditional Timber Home in Toyama
Ghost Kitchen Towers
Dowen Farmer Architects Proposes a Multistorey Ghost Kitchen Tower Block
Picturesque Family Retreats
Malcolm Davis Architects Adds to This Beautiful Building
Art Museum-Inspired Campaigns
Kachorovska's Latest Campaign is Located in a Ukranian Museum
Abstract Fantasy Home Exhibitions
Fort Makers Invite Six Creatives to Design Their Dream Home
Tranquil Elevated Tiny Homes
Jan Tyrpekl Designs the Cozy Zen House in Austria
Minimal Mid-Century Hollywood Homes
Studio Qasabian Designs the Mulholland Home in LA
Arts and Crafts-Inspired Homes
Rural Office Designs the Middle Avenue House in Surrey
Cave-Inspired Installations
Cave Bureau Design an Installation for Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
Wildlife-Embracing Jungle Homes
This House is Fully Exposed to the Costa Rican Jungle
Backyard-Transformed Dwelling Units
Catch Architecture and Obreval Design the ADU Carpintaria
Japanese Inn-Inspired Apartments
Intheory Design Creates an Apartment Inspired by Ryokan
Natural Surrounding Luxe Retreats
Auberge Resorts Collection by Wildflower Farms is in Catskill
Modern Multi-Purpose Japanese Buildings
Akio Isshiki Architect Overhauls an Old Wooden Building
Stunning Mid-Century Coastal Homes
Design Theory Updates a House from the 1960s
Bauhaus-Inspired Pattern Collections
Design En Rogue Architecture Recently Debuted Its New Line
Timber Nature Reserve Towers
The 'Lookout Tower' from Robert Gutowski Architects is Sculptural
Circus Tent-Inspired Holiday Homes
Cubo Design Architect Designs the Circus Home in Japan
Store-Transformed Modern Apartments
Kelly Behun Transforms a Modern Apartment at The Whiteley
Remodelled Denim-Detailed Modern Apartments
Studio Edwards Remodels the Microloft in Melboune
Sci Fi-Themed Glamping Retreats
The 'Outpost X' Retreats Boast An Ancient Yet Futuristic Aesthetic
Perception-Challenging Art Exhibitions
Raise the Moral Studio Presents the Becoming Familiar Show
A-Frame Forest Tranquil Houses
Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados Designs a New Forest Home
Bunker-Borne Vacation Homes
This Subterranean Home Was Formerly a Wartime Bunker
Remote Work-Catering Modern Homes
Studio Plow and Brit Epperson Creates a Workspace-Home
Gridded Urban Apartment Blocks
Office for Strategic Places Designs La Carboneria Block
Partially Buried Tranquil Retreats
WillemsenU Completes the House Under the Ground
Immersive Urban Woodwork
Roguski Reimagines Urban Landscapes in Wooden Masterpieces
Chic Modern-Industrial Buildings
YN Studio Designs a Slick Facade in Gillett Square
Excavated Underground Living Space
Cera Stribley Creates the New Hideaway House on a Lot
Secondhand Fashion Editorials
Vinted Styled a Shoot Exclusively with Vinted Finds
Large Headquarter-Transformed Housing
Studio Egret West Designs Hayes Park Central and South
Intricately Patterned Interiors
Viruta Lab's Latest House Renovation is Visually Captivating
Transformed Historic Bank Buildings
Ivy Studio Overhauls the Interior of a Historic Building
Highland Building-Converted Studios
Moxon Architects Renovates a Cluster of Farm Buildings
AR Infrastructure Lenses
This Augmented Reality Lens Reveals Innovation Everywhere in NYC
Toy Brick-Inspired Studios
Sukchulmok Designs the Curving Block Photography Studio
Prefabricated Exposed Structural Homes
Workshop Architecture Inc Designs the Unfinished House
Futuristic Totemic Lighting Series
Jeremy Anderson Designs a Set of Floor Lamps for Space Relics
Subterranean Courtyard Galleries
Buzz Designs the Hermit Space Yards in Beijing Park
Revitalized Grain Terminal Buildings
This Grain Terminal Will Be Turned Into a Hotel and Residence
Minimal Philosophy Toronto Homes
Burdifilek Designs the Sleek Forest Hill Residence
Nature-Surrounded Miniature Homes
STUDIOFEM Designs The Mini Located in the Village of Cavusin
Hidden Urban Oasis Cottages
Winwood McKenzie Adds an Extension to the Quarry House
Elevated Timber-Clad Homes
Habitable Form Designs the Victory Bay House on Kiawah Island
Social Experiment Virtual Apartments
Christoffer Jansson Creates the New Uncanny Spaces Project
Urban Waste-Made Furniture
Javier Guzmán Cervantes and Ex Soup Join on an Exhibition
Village-Inspired Tapered Stone Airport
Foster + Partners Designs a Set of Stone Buildings
Upgraded Historic Buildings
Kohn Shnier and ERA Architects Renovate a U of T Building
Meadow-Overlooking Sleek Homes
StudioAC Designs a Holiday Home iwth a Cedar-Clad Build
Harmonious Traditional Home Designs
MAKHNO Studio Updates the Century-Old Kyoto House
Library-Converted Modern Sheds
The Act of Quad Creates the Light Box in Mumbai, India
Blackened Timber Tranquil Cabins
The Hideaway House is Nestled in the Abundance of Nature
Rustic Ruin-Inspired Aquariums
Tatiana Bilbao Estudio Designs The Sea of Cortez Research Center
70s-Inspired Interior Office Renovations
dMFK Architects Renovates the 45 Whitfield Street Office
Romantic Narrative-Inspired Fashion
Edward Cuming Unveils a New Capsule for the SS24 Season
Green-Tinged German Villas
Studio Alexander Fehre Updates an Old Villa in Stuttgart
Gallery-Like Minimal Home Designs
Daytrip Completes the Interior Design of a Home in North London
Environmentally Blending Residences
A Threshold Studio Designs the Ineffable Light Home
Former-Bakery Modern Apartments
Auba Studio Designs the Newly Converted NZ10 Apartment Space
Modern Ruin-Inspired Californian Homes
Kelly Wearstler and Masastudio Design the Romick House
Prayer Room Government Offices
Agata Kurzela Studio Rewors a Floor of a Heritage Building
Charred Timber Home Extensions
Grotto Studio Adds a New Shadow House to a Cottage in Perth
Virtual Pub Museums
Heineken Pub Museums Spotlight Important Cultural Locations
Vernacular Architectural Home Designs
Studio Onu Designs the Dom Las in a Polish Forest
Exposed Concrete Factory Structures
Iksoi Studio Adds a Concrete Grid to the Mallcom Factory
Interactive Quiet-Locating Maps
Quiet Places Finder Helps People Locate Calm in the Big City
Optical Illusion Replica Artworks
Leandro Erlich Forms the Building in the Liberty Science Center
Contemporary Nature-Inspired Homes
Fuller/Overby Architecture Designs the Nebo House
Crystalline Chinese Museum Buildings
The 'Space Crystal' Building Looks Like An Otherworldly Rock
Reclaimed Stone Modern Homes
Brown & Brown Creates the Arbor House Design in Scotland
Metal-Wrapped Exhibition Spaces
Trace Architecture Office Creates a Structural Steel Wrap
Laser-Cut Urban Artistry
Hubert Roguski Unveils Metropolis, an Exhibition of Laser-Cut City Maps
Energy-Efficient Museum Complexes
This Museum Uses Innovative Design to Curb Energy Consumption
Nature-Connecting Office Spaces
Hawkins\Brown Designs the Here + Now Office Buildings
Curvaceous Brick Forest Homes
Blurring Boundaries Designs the Asmalay Home in a Forest
Revamped Monolithic Galleries
The Revamped National Portrait Gallery Emphasizes Public Space
Location-Based Photo Sharing
Harbor Creates Personalized Picture Albums Through location Sharing
Suburban-Inspired Art Exhibitions
Stacy Leigh Unveils Her Latest 'Escape to B-Roll' Art Exhibition
Renovated Historic Design Complexes
Studio Seilern Architects Transforms the Boksto 6 Building
Artfully Inspired Home Renovations
Reflect Architecture Designs the North Drive House in Toronto
Parisian Haussmann-Era Apartments
Uchronia Designs a New Opulent Apartment in Paris
Renovated 19th-Century Homes
Byró Architekti Renovates a House in Kutná Hora with Bright Joinery
Functionally Elegant Modern Homes
Monica Fried Design and Mojo Stumer Create the Old Westbury Home
Painting-Immersive Photo Exhibits
Abelardo Morell Presents the New Ground Exhibition
Historically Rooted Elevated Hotels
The Trilogy Montgomery Hotel Restores a Trio of Buildings
Solo Flexible Study Spaces
YounghanChung Architects Designs the Tiny Forest Study Space
Traditional Garden-Inspired Cultural Centers
Open Architecture Designs the Shanfeng Academy
Cave-Like Discovery-Themed Centers
Studio Gang Designs the Gilder Center in Manhattan
Forested Residential Buildings
GAAGA Designs the Forest Bath Building Framed by Tree Trunks
Renovated Old Hallf Ruins
Donald Insall Associates Updates the Hardwick Old Hall Ruins
Flexible Tranquil Guesthouses
Ibiza Interiors Renovates the Campo Atelier Holiday Home
Tranquil Plant-Filled Offices
Daniel Boddam Studio Transforms a Warehouse for Wyer & Co
Sunset-Inspired Polish Apartments
wiercinski-studio Reimagines the 18TH Apartment
Renovated Asymmetric Building Projects
Formation Association Designs the Atwater Canyon Building
Minimal Urban City Apartments
GRT Architects Designs the East Village Apartment in NY
Minimal Bird-Watching Cabins
Inclume Architects Designs the Cozy Hide Cabin in England
Renovated Oak-Facade Mews Home
Trewhela Williams Completes a Minimal Renovation in North London
Minimal Renovated Modern Townhomes
Also Office Joins Colony on the Bed-Stuy Townhouse
Pale Yellow Minimal Townhomes
i.B. Archstudio Designs the VVV Townhouse with Pastel Hues
British Youth-Culture Photography Books
Alasdair McLellan Unveils his HOME and AWAY Photo Book
Pale Tonal Brick Homes
Fletcher Crane Architects Designs the Kingston Villa in Richmond
Copper-Accented Apartment Blocks
Edition Office Designs the Fenwick St Project in Australia
Wooden Multi-Building Brazilian Convents
Mixtura Unveils a New Convent in Salvador de Bahia
Failed Digital Product Databases
Dead Product Marketplace is a Graveyard for Abandoned Projects
City-Honoring Furniture Projects
The Symbiotic Urban Furniture Project is Imaginative
Industrial History-Inspired Art Spaces
Coffey Architects Designs the Tannery in London
City Exploration Apps
Concrete is a Social Exploration App Inviting Users to Discover Their City
Wabi Sabi-Inspired Wellness Hotels
Gry Space and M Royce Architecture Create the kodō hotel
Industrial Warehouse-Inspired Offices
Carr Designs a New Office Block with Industrial Themes
Eco-Friendly Antarctic Research Buildings
The 'Discovery Building' Aims to Cut Carbon Emissions
Rejuvenated Heritage University Buildings
This Centuries-Old Building Has Received a Facelift
Travel-Friendly Location Scouting
LocationScout Helps Travelers Find the Most Beautiful Spots
Vacant Wood-Clad Offices
Kurosawa Kawara-ten Designs the Ichihara Life and Work Commission Office
Unfinished Mall Textile Installation
Limbo Accra Designs the Super Limbo Series
Disaster-Ready Housing Prototypes
Holcim & Norman Foster Join on the Essential Homes Project
Weathered Stone Minimal Homes
Oliver Leech Architects Designs the Cotswold house in Stourton
Converted Textile Factory Studios
Productora Transforms an Industrial Building to an Art Studio
Juxtaposing History-Preserved Homes
PRO-STORY Designs the Double Gable House in Czech Republic
Immersive Artful Apartments
Tereza Porybná and Objektor Architekti Design the Ovenecká 33
Historical Building Angular Extensions
Fraser/Livingstone Adds a New Tenement to an Old Site
Creative Work-Encouraging Homes
Mork-Ulnes Architects Designs the Silver Lining House
Intersecting Block-Formed Narrow Homes
Fujiwaramuro Architects Designs the House in Fujidera
Slaugherhouse-Transformed Unique Museums
Cave Bureau Creates the Anthropocene Museum 9.0
Repurposed Imperfection-Embraced Buildings
Civic Architects & VDNVP Elevate a Series of Workspaces
Terraced Naturally Lit Homes
Unknown Works Designs the Bright Oasis Home in London
Weatherized Visual Wooden Homes
Denizen Works Creates the Hundred Acre Wood House in Scotland