The Ryugyong Hotel Revealed
Twenty-four years in the making, the Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea is finally in its completion process. This ominous looking hotel started construction in 1987 and was placed on hiatus due to those Soviets and their Cold War.
However, the hotel which now has unveiled its post-production exterior is getting some serious negative feedback. With its 105 stories towering over North Korea’s capital city of Pyonyang looks like something straight out of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.
Ryugyong Hotel Exterior, Pyongyang, North Korea
The Ryugyong Hotel and its tetrahedronical shape mountains over the the entire city of Pyongyang and seems imperfectly out of place for this Asian city. Nicknamed as the “Hotel of Doom,” its exterior is quite an eyesore to behold and aids in making North Korea seem like a tyrannical state of oppression and evil-doings.
Ryugyong Hotel North Korea
This castle of darkness may have taken almost three decades to complete, yet, the thought-process behind it seems as if it took a vacay back in the 1980’s. To me, this building screams Cold War all over again battling the likes of once-Soviet Union inspired architecture that focused on power, aggression, sterility, and jagged linear shapes. Yes, one could mistake this building for an futuristic-inspired work of art.
However, I find that it joins the ranks of Orwellian 1984 status. I am just waiting for The War of the Worlds to happen or for Harrison Ford to pop out ala Blade Runner.
Hotel Ryugyong, Pyongyang, North Korea
In such times of current socio-economic demise, one would have thought to reconsider the design of the Ryugyong Hotel to make it inviting and softer through modern architectural trends of curvatures and slanted cut-outs. Instead, this bad boy looms over the city of Pyongyang heeding tourists to stay away from the crystal castle.
North Korea Hotel Ryugyong
This imperial palace could easily be the home to likes of Gargamel, Dr. Frankenstein, and modern-day Count Dracula, or The Witches of Eastwick. If anything, at least it makes an interesting structure for Sci-Fi movies. No thank you very much-o, Mr. Roboto.
Ryugyong Hotel Interior
This design blog was published by Nazmiyal antique rugs in New York City.
