Twin Tower Building Design Awkwardly Resembles September 11

Built to maximize sunlight and outside space, Seoul's planned Cloud Towers undoubtedly took into account numerous design factors... but perhaps not the bigger picture.

The two luxury rental towers, scheduled to be completed in 2015 in the South Korean capital, feature a "cloud" that would connect both buildings on the 27th floor. It was quickly noticed, however, that at a glance the "cloud" bears a close resemblance to images from September 11, 2001, when two planes hit New York City's World Trade Towers.

The Cloud Towers were designed by the Dutch firm MVRDV. MRDV proposed a plan that would connect two luxury apartment buildings with a ten-floor high "pixelated cloud of additional program offering amenities and outside spaces with wide views."

The firm published an apology on its website, stating that it "regrets deeply any connotations The Cloud projects evoke regarding 9/11." Interestingly, though, the firm may have foreseen the unfortunate comparisons. MVRDV's Jan Knicker added in the Dutch Algemeen Dagblad: "I admit that we also thought about 9/11 for a second, but it was not our intention to create an association with the attacks."