^makes Seoul look positively deserted. ;)

Any chance this tower will be honored as building of the year? Imagined the attention it would have gotten had it been built in a more modest city like NY, Chicago or Hong Kong?

^It's a curtain wall over an empty concrete structure. It's not really a building. People live and work in buildings. This is more like a glorified TV mast right now.

^^^ Wasteful spending in North Korea sure goes far in that country.

Distinct Soviet monumentality lives on. Remember the roots:

http://www.npointercos.jp/images/Mos...ssCRW_3762.jpg
http://www.npointercos.jp/images/Mos...ssCRW_3762.jpg

I never said "wasteful". I said it wasn't a building. No qualitative judgement was made beyond that.

It may not be a popular hotel or even a hotel at all, but where's your proof that it will remain empty? If occupancy is your qualifier for a building, is Detroit's Central Train Terminal not a building any more? You may claim that this new tower is not a building because it's unfit for inhabitation due to absence of HVAC systems and such, but then again, where's the proof to that? So far, it looks like any other construction site. Sure it's base is still barren, but so is 1WTC's base. I don't get your point.

I never said it wouldn't or couldn't be a building in the future. It just isn't one now. While I have a feeling it will remain that way (from what I understand a Telco funded the completion of the cladding in order to get permission to put the antenna on top, but like anything from the DPRK it's hard to substantiate) I will concede I have no firm proof, again because it's the DPRK.

1WTC is going to be occupied, and this is a TV mast that will not be occupied and made to look like a skyscraper people live and work in. Not sure how you dont see that. It is heavily repeated throughout the thread that this is a TV mast for an eqyptian corporation and not meant for occupation. Did you even look at the pictures before the cladding went on? There are no windows or openings besides the air vents. This is an attention grabber that people will not be able to come within 100 feet of.

It sure turned out hey! which remindes me, where are all the haters? haha they was wrong about this one. it looks like a real jewl now that its done.

Hmm, these seem to be some really oversized air vents:

So are all supertall buildings, especially considering that in most cities on Earth, it is economically unfeasible to build above 60 stories.

More baseless speculation.

Then what are the empty gaps around the top for. Nothing?, because from my viewpoint of the pictures they seem to be open to the elements. Those could be the air vents up there, and besides as we have seen the dark windows are signs that they are mechanical floors, and thus is similar to the dark bands on the original Twin Towers at the WTC. Most likely this building is going to be occupied, and I will quote from BBC. Even if it's an old article.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8306697.stm
Thus this building is going to most likely be occupied in the future. Especially with the base being constructed.

^Thank you for getting the discussion back onto the factual, and not speculative, path.

Take away the scaffolding in the lower right, and this shot could pass as one of STR's renders....

^^^ And the gleam on the left

lol, true. Even the gleam looks real enough. Maybe STR is Kim Jong Il's account, and the whole thing is a scam after all.

Lots of mysteries in this thread...all of these things would be easier to figure out perhaps for forumers who can speak korean...

Keep in mind that this building is over 1000ft tall. Those are not air vents, but are actually quite large windows.

Of note, I watched a great episode of The Vice Guide to Travel about North Korea today. It's the first really good glimpse into North Korea that I've seen, though it isn't able to show any of everyday life there. Nonetheless, I love that show and it has a couple of pre-clad shots of this tower:

• Video Link

What's a matter, a guy can't gleam around here?
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/641/wx4t.jpg

Reminds me of the new 1WTC.

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Most recent pictures from Flickr Members Kirvis, and Poliphile. All of them were taken on April 17 & April 24, 2011. Note the recently installed telecommunication rings.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2605/...d55dfc71_z.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5261/...72f64f07_z.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5148/...be0d58b5_b.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5066/...23e37475_b.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5268/...4640f3a5_b.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/...64ee5fbc_b.jpg
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5226/...fb497d80_b.jpg

A vertical Potemkin village.

:previous: unrelated, possibly related, linguistic fact of Russian derived from Potemkin Villages:

"In Russian, the term pokazukha (показуха) is also used for the idea of something done for effect.[15] It comes from the root "pokaz" - "to show"."

Looks like rush hour in Pyongyang:D

I like this building, but in this area, it looks like a spaceship;)

This is the ugliest building in the world. Which is kinda fitting. The ugliest building in the world in the ugliest country in the world.

It isn't ugly with the cladding, just ludicrous and puerile.

^ Actually this was the morning rush hour! :D

I don't feel like reading the whole thread to see if this comment was already made, but it looks like the Citadel in Half-Life 2.

Is the dislike for this one simply structural or because it is a "potemkin village"? I've always found it interesting when that term is used in relation to architecture because it varies so wildly. I can't see why anyone would have a problem with the Toepfer-designed "potemkin village" in Cleveland, for example. It's basically just trying to create an appealing presentation to hide the way poverty and destitution during the recession have ravaged the interior. Of course there's also the less-colorful "potemkin village" of the Theresienstadt variety, which I believe was just revealed as a model worker's camp while on the interior it was far different. Theresiendstadt later was a transit stop on the route to Auschwitz and then closed down. When people complain about Potemkin Villages, sometimes it doesn't make sense to me that the focus instead isn't on how this results from a lack of economic security and what the reasons for that may be.

It was only called ugly when it was an uncompleted shell of concrete back in page 1. The cladding fixes the looks of the building, but the country is still not that great.

Great pics! Clad it does look better than expected; but still pretty fugly.

How some architects get chosen with such terrible designs that mix conflicting design elements cones & circles with linear lines is beyond me. :brickwall:

I really don't get why you guys are criticizing this building as North Korea isn't responsible for the completion of this building in the first place. Orascom placed a contract with the North Korean Government to complete the building if they want to use it as a telecommunications mast. As I will once again quote from BBC.

Excerpt from "Will The Hotel of Doom ever be finished?"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8306697.stm

This is such a fascinating building. Looks so surreal, and sci-fi-like, and forever shrouded in mystery.

That time of the month again??? Newbies please note that this thread is about the Ryugyong Hotel building in North Korea. . . not about the North Korean government and society. . . surely there are other forums on the internet for you to post your regurgitated opinions, half-witted retorts and poorly thought out remarks. . .

For the rest of you. . . thanks for not feeding the trolls. . . [/sarcasm]

. . .

I wonder if they're having any problems with utilities (electricity to be specific)...that's a HUGE building, and I think the current infrastructure is already pretty strained.
Actually, I like that this building is where it is...makes it that just more interesting to observe.

Maybe my comment was too off-topic. Oh well.

Anyway, the antennae looks awesome.

No, lots of people still don't like it but i'm certain many of them hate it for political reasons rather than architectural. I think it's the coolest looking building ever.

I asked the Mrs. what she thought of it and she didn't believe it was real, she figured it was CGI.

Anyway I did some calculations and figured out that each floor of the building is 10.3 feet high from floor to ceiling. Though the question is would this building have air conditioning?. Also how many inches would the building equipment take away from the floor to ceiling ratio?.

^it is a fact that people in North Korea are substantially shorter than their South Korean counterparts, on account of 2-3 generations of extremely poor nutrition.

If they're on rolling blackouts in Pyongyang, how can they even POWER that thing? Otherwise, its a good building

Surprisingly awesome and, as some have said, looks a lot like a render. That's some nice glass.

I wonder if we'll ever get a night shot of it.

To reiterate Tom in Chicago, please stay on topic. This thread is about the building and nothing else. That means no Kim Jong-il, North Korean politics, communism, etc.

Yes, but its not a building but simply an antenna owned by Orascom Telecommunications. Orascom paid to make the building look finished so they can place their mast on top (as you can clearly see). This isn't my opinion or some conspiracy theory I have but it is simply fact. I'm not saying its good or bad but it is just purely factual. It looks nice but once again it is not a building.

Duly noted. . . :rolleyes:

. . .

What exactly is the point of a massive antenna in North Korea? As far as I know, there isn't massive cell phone use there. Or really any public networking of any kind, for that matter.

Is going to be one of those things were everyone thinks I'm crazy and I have to prove you wrong.

First of all, so everything you post is everything there is to know about this building?

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/JL23Dg01.html
Notice the quotes.

Use your common sense, who is going to use this hotel and all its amenities? All its tourists? Not in the most xenophobic country in the world.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/...O9654020080717
Its a building with just exterior glass and an antenna.

You might be thinking "Gee, that's pretty stupid who would do that?" North Korea would: http://www.cracked.com/article_17165...ship-ever.html

Golyadkin Orascom Telecommunications has a contract with North Korea to provide cellphones to the elite, and for the rich. Currently as of 2011 there are 400,000 subscribers, and it is growing. Also Obey the building isn't going to just be a hotel. If you realized the other lines they are going to have residential, and office units in there. Also if you read from some other sources for example
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/JL23Dg01.html
that they are also building the revolving restaurants on the top. Also there are tourists that visit North Korea as proven on pages before. North Korea has for example the Koryo Hotel. You can't just say no one is visiting North Korea. Not talking to just you, but people should stop making random ideas that this building is going to fall apart, or it isn't real. Just, because North Korea is a evil regime doesn't mean these things doesn't exist. It also doesn't mean North Korea is deserted. People should read and watch some more documentaries about North Korea from the History Channel before assuming. As I have had done the same thing.

Please, do take a look at the info I provided. I have nothing against this building and I don't think its going to fall apart but all it is, is an antenna. I advise reading the last article in my comment. Its comedic but only because its unfortunately true.

I did watch a National Geographic special on North Korea, which I can assure you doesn't help any case for North Korea.

^Perhaps it's you who should "calm down". . . it's fine that you don't think the building is going to amount to anything rather than a veiled antenna. . . but going on a crusade to try and convince everyone else of that fact is counterproductive. . . so let's just watch as things develop and see if the actually build out the interior. . . or not. . .

. . .