South Korean Luxury Residence

... I thought of MineCraft.

Reithe, ME TOO!

I thought of the twin towers too...maybe they should put the cloud at the top instead.

I definitely saw the WTC

Looks like those cancerous growths on trees to me.

my first thought was "how would that survive any natural disasters?" i think seeing the wtc is like people who see racism in things that weren't intended to be.

I thought of the Twin Towers done in Lego.
Hard to believe nobody during the design process (which must have taken quite a while) noticed this.

@Megamindy

The Twin Towers isn't important in every single country. Why would they think of the WTC if it didn't happen in their own country? It's not important or significant to them. I don't think the Dutch meant any harm in it, of course the US people would be like "omg its the WTC! How could they?!" But honestly, why would it matter to the Dutch?

how cool would it be to have a glass floor in one of those overhanging appartments.

Keep in mind that the 9-11 resemblance is due partly to the vantage point and technique of this rendering, and therefore would not be as obvious from earlier design sketches or models. MVRDV often work with colored foam when building models, which would suppress the tendency to see the WTC in the work.

On the other hand, several years ago, architect Joshua Prince-Ramus noted the potential for an 'image problem' in two tower building designs, in reference to his then under development (and since canceled) Museum Plaza project in Lexington, KY. So you would think that someone at MVRDV would have seen this coming.

I immediately thought of the WTC. My next thought was that the design is hideous.

@AA "On the other hand, several years ago, architect Joshua Prince-Ramus noted the potential for an 'image problem' in two tower building designs"

Sorry but nobody can suggest that you shouldn't build dual tower blocks because of what happened to WTC. It's like those people who actually wanted images of WTC removed from the opening titles of a TV show.

People should remember what happened, not try to erase it from the collective memory.

My first thought was that it looked like the WTC. Then I read the description and I was happy to see that it wasn't a symbol of a terrible time, but of something very whimsical. I hope they go forward with the design.

It is in S. Korea. Typical Americans think its all about us- when it really has nothing to do with us.

I thought Habitat (the Expo 67 apartment building), in the sky.

I think they heard about 9/11 in Holland. And probably even in South Korea, way on the other side of the world.

Really, really bad design idea. One wonders if it's real, because nobody could be THAT stupid, could they?

I thought WTC too. My second thought was that I hope they have not built it yet. I think that it is in bad taste. I guess you could build it if you really wanted to, everyone is free to do what they want, but I would not move into it myself and I think there are others that would not move into it either.

How is this in bad taste? This has nothing to do with the WTC. I'm an Australian, (aka little America) and lo and behold the first thing I thought of wasn't the WTC (it was that this building is ugly as hell). Not everything revolves around the USA, and if this offends Americans, well that's just great, but this thing is going up in SOUTH KOREA.

@rane I'm with you. I'm an Australian too and yes @ted, we heard about 9/11 and like most of the world we were horrified by it. But we haven't spent the last however many years thinking about it and it definitely hasn't impacted on our daily life like it probably has in the US.

My first thought wasn't WTC, it was concerned with how the cloud would fit together so that it was secure, and what sort of layout the rooms or offices would have. Because that's what interests me. Now when I look at it, I can see the WTC thing, but I'm still more interested in the structure of the cloud and the tetris like columns.

Time to move on Americans. Worse has happened all over the world.

Some might think that readers would be influenced by the post itself into thinking that this looked like the WTC. I immediately thought of the WTC before I read the post, though.

Obviously some of you out there have an anti-American bias. Why? Because nowhere - either in the post or in the comments - does anyone say "As an American I am offended!".

As I recall this was a global event. They have TVs in Holland and South Korea, right?

Almost 3,000 people died during the attacks on 9-11 and not wanting to be reminded of those events doesn't make you "pro-American", it makes you "anti-murder".

Besides, it's fucking ugly.

WTC didn't even cross my mind. Now after reading the post, that's all I see. Damn you!

@Jolly
"Sorry but nobody can suggest that you shouldn't build dual tower blocks because of what happened to WTC."

I'm not saying there should be a law against it; I'm just relating that at least one other architect has pointed out that many people will see the WTC in any twin tower block design, and don't be surprised if a subset of that group has a strong reaction. I believe MVRDV when they say they never saw the resemblance, I'm just surprised they didn't.

As to your point about TV show titles, there's a difference between sanitizing the past and changing how you proceed in the future.

(Also, just so it's clear, the Museum Plaza project in KY was canceled for economic reasons, not because of objection to the design.)

My two cents (I am a Dutch graphics designer btw). Here in The Netherlands the whole 9-11 tragedy wasn't just another news item. We did/do care, since it affected not just the United States. Now, as for design...Yes it cán be what some call provocative, but that's not bad per se. Although not intended that way, it makes people (including me) think of 9-11. But how is that bad? Discussion is enrichment, why else would we record tragedies in history book?

And besides that, I like the idealogy/real intent of the design.

*books.

Barkin Bud. To build a tower that's reminiscent to most of the world not only of another tower that collapsed, but that appears to be depicting that other tower in mid-collapse, does not make much sense. it seems to be reminding potential buyers that buildings collapse.

Say, let's build a spaceship that looks like the space shuttle Challenger - not as it was, whole, but as it looked when it was exploding over the Florida coast. That should inspire confidence in our product.

Or maybe a ship that looks like the Titanic or Lusitania broken in two pieces and apparently sinking. It's not intentional - they're really just fluffy cloud shapes.

To resemble the WTC is one thing - to resemble the WTC in mid-collapse is stupid design.

Prime example of pareidolia. It's just like seeing shapes of animals in clouds or Jesus on a piece of toast.

First thought was Tetris and waiting for freaking ever for that one four block to drop in to complete it.

I agree with ted. It isn't the similarity to the twin towers that is a problem. Double tower designs are ubiquitous, and are no big deal. It is the similarity to the images of the attacks that is uncomfortable for us. I believe that this design visually recalls the events of 9-11 in a striking way. Is it possible that the designers actually were as stunned by the attacks as we were, and will always have those images in the backs of their minds? I like the design, but I don't see how anyone could not be reminded the twin towers in flames.

I'm an Australian, and the first thing I thought of in relation to the image was the twin towers and 9/11.

the architects are deluding themselves if they believe their plan will not be seen as anything other the collapse of the towers............now then let's see how good they are at selling their idea to the client

WTC to me too!

It's a building in South Korea, so they're not going to think "oh, what will the Americans think about this!?" The rest of the world doesn't care as much about the USA as Americans think they do. This has nothing to do with the WTC. I'm from Canada, and the first thing I saw was not the WTC, just a strange architectural design.

Wow, I am amazed at all the USA haters. I didn't read all the comments, but I didn't hear anyone saying that it should not be done, just that it reminded them of the twin towers. That is what I saw before reading the caption. The attacks of 9/11 hurt all Americans and many others around the world. I don't think there is anything egocentric about acknowledging that this image reminded many of that pain.

as i scrolled down on my screen and came to this pic, before even reading a word of it, i immediately thought of the moment the 2nd plane hit the towers...

but hey, i sit at a desk in pittsburgh, not south korea...

anyway, i think it's a stupid design regardless. even if you moved the "cloud" up to the top. if they want to build it, let 'em build it. i have no plans to ever visit (or give a damn about) the country of south korea.

I took it as it was intended, a pixelated cloud building thing. But now that the WTC has been mentioned I can't unsee the WTC in it. Neat idea, I hope they build it for the sake of a neat idea and don't try to turn it into a political statement.

Well, as I commented recently on another site, until the rise of Nazi Germany, the swastika was a perfectly innocent good-luck symbol. Imagery does change meaning with time and historical events. And although the WTC isn't going to have the same meaning in Korea that it does in the US, it's impossible to ignore the connotations.

But should every iteration of twin upright towers be avoided until the end of time? Probably not. Towers that look like they've got pyroclastic clouds coming out of them? ...Perhaps.

You mean every country mustn't build something that the americans don't like, right? Should US set up an approving authorities to grant the world permits for what to build?
Some said 9/11 hurts. Do they know who were hurt before 9/11 and by whom?