( CNN ) -- What happens when a North Korean architect is given free rein to design what he or she likes ? Over the course of the last four years , one Beijing based tour company has sought to answer that question by asking a practicing architect from North Korea to create futuristic designs for sustainable tourism developments in the country . Koryo Tours -- which offers organized trips around North Korea -- provided the anonymous participant who works at the Paektusan Architectural Institute in Pyongyang with an open brief and no limits on costs , scale or physical possibilities . The fascinating results depict something akin to Soviet-era iconography and the Jetsons and are now on display at the Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy . According to Nick Bonner , the man who arranged the project , `` there is very little exposure to contemporary architecture in North Korea . '' `` The architect who led this project for us drew upon his own thoughts and experiences , '' he added . Unsurprisingly , the career path of an architect in North Korea is very structured . `` All architects ( in North Korea ) are trained at the University of Architecture and all work for the government . There are no private projects , '' Bonner continued . `` In a way , it 's not much different than working for a council -- limited projects , but the better you are the more chance you have of working on more interesting projects , and the more chance of influencing design . '' Some designs appear more rooted in reality than others which take big leaps into what the architect believes may be possible in the future . The image above shows a hotel and gondola on the West Sea Barrage in the port city of Nampo , an area currently without major accommodation facilities . Exhibiting slightly more blue-sky thinking , this image depicts a flying house that can double up as a hovercraft . Combining the old and the new , meanwhile , this nifty-looking bridge is designed to connect the famous mountains of Myohyangsan . People walking across it in the morning will be high above the early mist providing the sensation of floating above the clouds , the architect said . `` Apart from blocks of architecture that reflect Soviet influence , there is a certain futuristic style ( and ) modernism in many of the buildings '' in North Korea , Bonner said . In the image above , visitors to a mountain villa retreat interact with each other in an atrium designed to encourage social interaction between holidaymakers . Reaction to the exhibition has been mixed so far . `` Some people see it as retro and kitsch , while others see it as inventive , fun and with some valid ideas , '' Bonner said . `` It was never intended as anything more than a visual brainstorm -- a way to stimulate engagement , ideas and discussion . '' The designs will be on display at the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale until November while Koryo Tours will be running a seven day architecture trip to North Korea in late October .
A tour group asked North Korean designers to come up with their visions of the future . The results depict a mixture of Soviet style and futuristic technology . Images are currently on display at the Venice Architecture Biennale .