What were these architects thinking?

[Josh]

These luxury residential towers, set to be completed in Seoul in 2015, are supposed to be evocative of a pixelated cloud floating overhead. But to be honest, the only thing they remind me of are September 11. How did no one cry foul?

From higher angles the ten story tall pixelated cloud structure that connects the two 850+ foot towers certainly looks more whimsical, as I'm sure the architects at MVRDV intended it to be. But most people will be viewing it looking up from ground level. And I'm afraid from that angle it's very reminiscent of the images and events that were seen around the entire world that day. So I'm not really sure how the eerie similarities weren't spotted before this design was approved.

When it's completed in Seoul's Yongsan business district, The Cloud will feature luxury residential spaces, a conference center, hotel, fitness facilities, restaurants, as well as public and private park space and gardens. All of which I'm sure will be lovely on the inside. But from where I'm sitting, it looks like a horrible memory. [MVRDV via designboom]

Source

[wraith808]

They were thinking that they were designing a building for Seoul, South Korea, almost 7,000 miles from New York?  I could see if these were in downtown Manhattan, or even Los Angeles, CA, or anywhere in between.  But half way around the world?  Really?

[Josh]

I personally have no opinion, good/bad, on the buildings. Just thought they looked cool. Yeah, I see the resemblence, but like you pointed out wraith, they are how many miles away? Cool idea!

[wraith808]

Like someone said in the comments- reminds me of Minecraft more than anything else.

[nudone]

I guess the angle used in the photograph doesn't help matters, it looks 9/11 related to me. I certainly wouldn't want to gaze up at such a site and be reminded of the twin towers every time.

[Josh]

Am I the only person who sees this and thinks "Tetris gone wrong"?

[Ath]

Am I the only person who sees this and thinks "Tetris gone wrong"?

-Josh (December 08, 2011, 05:27 PM)

Yes

[IainB]

Well, it's certainly different. I'm not sure, but I think I quite like the look of it, though I don't know about living in it.
Maybe they based the design on the concept of a tesseract?

[40hz]

They really need to start taking LEGO blocks away from some people a lot sooner.

[f0dder]

I think it looks damn cool.

Yeah, I can see the similarity to 9/11, but I didn't think of it until I read the comment. Too bad for the americans that have too much trauma to appreciate the building.

[40hz]

Too bad for the americans that have too much trauma to appreciate the building.

-f0dder (December 09, 2011, 12:02 PM)

More like too bad for those of us who get a queasy feeling seeing all those tons of cantilevered concrete and steel hanging something like 28 stories above a city sidewalk.

Please tell me they don't get earthquakes in Seoul!
 

[skwire]

I didn't "see" any twin towers connection until I read the blurb and, even then, it's a bit of a stretch.  I'm with wraith on this one; it's halfway around the world for Pete's sake.  Reminds me of Jenga or a Wii game called Boom Blox.

[app103]

The smaller the image of the building gets, the more it looks like the WTC disaster, but I supposed the larger it gets, right on up to standing outside of it, the less it looks like it.

[JavaJones]

I'm with many others here, didn't really get the association until it was pointed out. I personally feel many people are too quick to make such associations. I have sympathy for people who were actually there to experience it in NY that day, but anyone who wasn't and claims to carry around some huge weight 10+yrs after the fact really needs to examine their psyche I think. Why *let* such an event wound you so deeply, especially if you had no direct contact with it?

Anyway, my first thought was more along the lines of "woah, there's a glitch in the building routines!" hehe. Like some kind of scrambling or pixelation filter run on an architectural drawing. Kind of cool though...

- Oshyan