Dutch build twin towers that only idiots would think look like the WTC exploding.

[Apelila]

http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news...hitects-design

Some see Twin Towers blast in architect's design

A Dutch architectural firm says its design for a South Korean housing complex is simply meant to convey the feeling of being in the clouds, but others see something they'd rather not remember: the collapse of the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2011.

"A real media storm has started and we receive threatening emails and calls of angry people calling us Al Qaeda lovers or worse," the firm, MVRDV, posted on its Facebook page on Friday after a Dutch newspaper, the Algemeen Dagblad, published a front-page architectural rendition of the project and the headline: "Inspired by Twin Towers?"


"MVRDV regrets deeply any connotations The Cloud project evokes regarding 9/11, it was not our intention," MVRDV added. "The Cloud was designed based on parameters such as sunlight, outside spaces, living quality for inhabitants and the city. It is one of many projects in which MVRDV experiments with a raised city level to reinvent the often solitary typology of the skyscraper.The cloud structure is used to connect the two towers with corridors that also serve as meeting places. The complex is set to open in Seoul in 2015.


The towers are part of a bigger project, called the Yongsan Dream Hub, whose designer is Daniel Libeskind -- the master plan architect for reconstruction at New York's Ground Zero."It was not our intention to create an image resembling the attacks nor did we see the resemblance during the design process," the firm stated. "We sincerely apologize to anyone whose feelings we have hurt, the design was not meant to provoke this."The firm said a better visualization of the project is an image, seen here at left, showing a more abstract feel.


A retired New York Fire Department deputy chief whose son was killed on 9/11 said he didn’t believe the architects."I think it’s a total lie and they have no respect for the people who died that day," Jim Riches told the New York Daily News. "They’re crossing a line.


"I think they’re trying to sensationalize it. It’s a cheap way to get publicity."
On MVRDV's Facebook page, some people rallied to its defense.
"9/11 was horrible and an atrocity, we all agree," said one person. "However, this does not mean that nobody can build two similar rectangle shaped buildings (I hear those are quite the fad in architecture) anymore."
And MVRDV elaborated on its earlier apology with a post after several dozen comments were made on its Facebook page.


"Dear all, honestly we did not see the connection in 3 months of design process ... We take these feelings quite serious but we never intended to design a project looking like an exploding building, why on earth would we? This is quite shocking in this discussion that people think we might have done this on purpose. No!"

And since this is useless without images:

What they where going for




From the air:



From the ground (mock view)




So I understand that other countries wouldn't think of 9/11 but god damn, how can you not see that?

[Tyche]

I saw this on flipboard. Thought it was neat design. Sometimes we're too sensitive.

[Julian]

I saw this on flipboard. Thought it was neat design. Sometimes we're too sensitive.

2nd. Saw it a few days ago, and it looks really cool.

You're(op, not tyche) also a dick for not showing what it's supposed to look like inside!

edit: inside
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/...31_634x316.jpg

night view
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/...14_634x277.jpg

[Ragnus]

Yeah. That was my first reaction too Tyche.

[dejet]

Come out, say it does look a little like the towers and say. "not the plan who gives a fuck" done.... lol the two main buildings where bland as fuck in the WTC.

[Viq]

This is totally a case of people looking through red, white and blue colored glasses. I haven't seen this on the news in Korea at all, and when I asked my Korean friends and teachers about it today, none of them had ever heard of it. When I showed them pictures they all unanimously said that they saw the cloud design, and it makes a lot of sense in such a densely packed city like Seoul. It's also worth noting that these buildings are not yet built, not yet approved to begin building, and in all likelihood will never exist. People getting bent out of shape over nothing.

[Gwynplaine]

My friend showed this to me yesterday without any comment. I read the whole article and evaluated it and it wasn't until after that I saw his implication it looked like an explosion.

It just didn't occur to me given the fact it's named "cloud" so my mind went with that instead, and it just would never occur to me. I won't speculate on what the architect had in mind. But for what it actually is I don't particularly like. It looks wrong to have shafts with big tumorous bulges in the middle. If the whole building were made of the jenga style in the middle it would seem more consistent. So I don't know if this guy's trying to be controversial, but either way its ugly and could be improved.

[Elvis]

Looks awesome

The inside is a shopping center or something?

[Necronus]

I just saw an article on this on Yahoo and thought "wow, this is so retarded" .. but thats because I forgot I was reading it on Yahoo and that 90% of the relevant info wasn't there. The Yahoo article only showed the exterior angle which looks like the WTC explosion and they NEVER mention that the design was supposed to be clouds.

Why oh why do I visit that website.

[Bregor]

Man, Muslims are way too sensitive about Mohammad in cartoons and satire.

HOW DARE YOU BUILD TWO TALL BUILDINGS NEXT TO EACH OTHER NEVER FORGET NEVER SURRENDER GIULIANI AMERICA'S MAYOR

[archibaldcrane]

That looks awesome.

[Apelila]

Hey article I linked didn't have pictures of the inside That looks badass.

[Salodin]

Why does that building look like it took them all of 5 minutes to design...in Minecraft.

Looks awesome though, wish they would build it. We americans need to get the fuck over ourselves...

[Ksandra]

I saw this on flipboard. Thought it was neat design. Sometimes we're too sensitive.

^

considering the amount of "LOLJAPANPAYBACKFORPEARLHARBORWHICHMOSTOFUSDON'TRE MEMBER" during the tsunami, I don't think anyone in the US has a right to complain over a couple of buildings.

[Niiro]

The world revolves around the US.

Fact.

[ronin sparthos]

Not gonna lie, the outside does look like the exploding Twin Towers but I'm not gonna get bent outta shape over it as they could easily modify the 'cloud' to be at a different height and achieve the same effect without it looking like an explosion.

The design is neat though. The inside gives me that futuristic feel of living within a high-rise and never needing to leave it because all of the relevant things you need would be within. Work, shopping, housing and entertainment rolled into one place.

[aru]

Why does that building look like it took them all of 5 minutes to design...in Minecraft.

Looks awesome though, wish they would build it. We americans need to get the fuck over ourselves...

They have quite a few designs that look like minecraft.

As for this particular design, I believe them when they say that they weren't out to make something sensational in the manner that american's have taken it. These guys are established enough in the architectural world to not need this kind of publicity to get recognized.

[Correction]

So I understand that other countries wouldn't think of 9/11 but god damn, how can you not see that?

Bit of a stretch to see the similarity. If they'd painted the 'cloud' all red and black, maybe. Look out! It's architecture!

[Shade]

BG: Always surprisingly level-headed for a forum of videogame nerds. Hanging out in the League of Legends forum for awhile has made me appreciate this all anew.

I think the buildings look pretty rad.

[Byrd]

Bit of a stretch to see the similarity. If they'd painted the 'cloud' all red and black, maybe. Look out! It's architecture!

I was thinking it didn't look like the towers because the "explosions" are at the same height. The twin towers never really looked like this building during any period of the collapse.

These are probably the same over-sensitive people who were calling for New Line Cinema to change the title of the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.