Saw a story the other day about a Dutch architectural firm that was catching flak because its design for a new project in South Korea kind of looks like the twin towers of the World Trade Center blowing up.
The design by MVRDV is called The Cloud, and that billowing “smoke” in the middle is a bridge between the 2 towers and is meant to suggest, you know, a cloud.
The firm has since posted an apology on its Facebook page. It says it “regrets deeply any connotations The Cloud projects evokes (sic) regarding 9/11.”
Some people may look at the design and think, How could they not see that it looks like 9/11, but I understand, because I live in a city where the skyline is dominated by a building that looks like Batman.
The AT&T Building (formerly the South Central Bell Building) was completed in 1994 and is topped by twin spires. When you look at it from the street, it looks like a regular office building, but from a distance, it looks like the silhouette of Batman. In fact, locals call it the “Batman Building” or just the “Batbuilding.”
Photo by nolifeik, via Flickr
It’s hard not to notice the resemblance, but a few years ago, I was talking with someone who worked at the local firm that designed it, and I asked, “When you were designing it, didn’t anyone notice that it looked like Batman?” She said no.
She said the towers are there because they suggest a pair of antennae (I don’t know if they actually work), which seemed appropriate for a communications company.
According to the Wikipedia article about the building, the president of the architectural firm Earl Swensson Associates said South Central Bell wanted “a signature piece of architecture.”
I’d say they got it.
In 2009, the French online business journal Le Journal du Net named “la ‘Bat Tower’” one of the 12 most-original office buildings in the world. Plenty of mid-sized cities have glass office towers or old buildings with gargoyles, but only the Nashville skyline is guarded by the Dark Knight.
It just goes to show you when you work on something for too long you become blinded to the obvious. Do you watch How I Met Your Mother? There’s an episode all about a building model that looks like a male body part….
You could argue that would describe any skyscraper.
What a great post.
Both those buildings look TOTALLY like 9/11 and Batman. Perhaps the model versions didn’t really look like it until it was fully completed and then from a distance…oh, no! Batman is funny and becomes a beloved landmark. However, to remind others of something so tragic as 9/11 is your worst nightmare. Perhaps they can add something to the top/outside of the building to make them look a little differenty? How in the world would you fix that?
I think you either plough ahead or start from scratch.
“South Central Bell wanted “a signature piece of architecture.”
Executive ego 1, Customers and citizens, 0
No, the citizens of Nashville are the winners, because we have a building that looks like Batman. I’ll bet your city doesn’t have a building that looks like Batman.
Well when you put it that way . . .
I’m glad you find these interesting tidbits Todd.
I’ve been looking for an excuse to talk about the Batman Building for a while, actually. I mean, it’s a building that looks like Batman.
It would be cool to have something that looked like Batman (or even Robin!)…
They’re building a parking garage in Saint John, New Brunswick that a friend likened to a granny square afghan…yeah…our new buildings are exciting…
http://bit.ly/tJplls
Wendy