The Ryugyong Hotel, which remains unfinished more than 25 years after construction began, was, the BBC says, “intended to communicate to the world an impression of North Korea’s burgeoning wealth.” Following a lack of funds after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it is now symbolic for all the wrong reasons.
The building consists of three triangular sections, each 100 meters long. The sections converge at the summit, giving an overall pyramidal outline to the structure. It is a gigantic building containing roughly 360,000 square meters of floor space. At the very summit of the hotel is a 40-meter-tall, eight-floor conical structure, which was supposed to house seven revolving restaurants. The hotel's original plans called for 3,000 rooms, as well as plenty of space for additional commercial venues.
According to the original plan, the hotel was supposed to open in 1989, however construction problems forced the government to postpone its opening several times. In the early 1990s multiple problems hit the project. Poor quality materials, electricity shortages, and a widespread famine in the country all became serious obstacles to the completion of the building. Expected foreign investments never materialized. Finally, in 1992, construction was halted.
The planned seven revolving restaurants have never moved and nor has anyone admired the sights of Pyongyang from its enormous viewing platform. Due to the drab and menacing look of the naked concrete structure, it has been variously dubbed as “The Hotel of Doom” or “The Phantom Hotel” and was labelled by Esquire magazine as “the worst building in the history of mankind”.
Nevertheless, work resumed in 2008, and a slick glass facade was installed. Today, the 105-storey, pyramid shaped building boasts a shiny, modern exterior, masking the bare concrete interior. See more http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-19741830
BBC
SOURCE
BBC
SOURCE
0 comments:
Post a Comment