Ryugyong Hotel, the Hotel of Doom Isn't so Bad

The Ryugyong Hotel is being called the worst building in the world and is known as the Hotel of Doom. An unfinished debacle of the North Korean government, the Ryugyong Hotel can be found in Pyongyang, Korea. I studied architecture for a while in school (far too long ago for me to mention...) and quickly found myself very bored with the standard square and rectangular buildings. Others saw beauty in the ordinary, but I enjoyed playing with unique shapes and designs. The Ryugyong Hotel, far from being the worst building in the world in terms of its design, strikes me as an original and pleasing design. Now, there may be other reasons why the Ryugyong Hotel is termed the worst building in the world or the Hotel of Doom, but from my viewpoint, design isn't one of them. The unique silhouette of the Ryugyong Hotel will be immediate recognizable throughout the world.

Ryugyong Hotel Shares Design Features with Las Vegas' Landmark Hotels

The Ryugyong Hotel features a functional design. The Hotel of Doom is built with three opposing wings designed to maximize the view from every room. You will see a similar design on virtually every major hotel in Las Vegas. The architect of the Ryugyong Hotel designed it this way to make sure that every room has a window and that all of those windows look out over the surrounding countryside rather than a view of another window. This is the proper way to design a building to maximize its capacity when the view from each room is important. The Hotel of Doom should offer beautiful views throughout.

The Shape of the Ryugyong Hotel

The basic design of the Hotel of Doom is unique and aesthetically pleasing. The pyramid-like shape of the Ryugyong Hotel ensures that many more of the rooms in the lower part of the building will receive sun instead of being blocked by the upper stories. There is nothing more depressing than lack of sunlight. The grounds surrounding the majestic Ryugyong Hotel will also receive more sunlight, allowing vibrant gardens or simply brightening the surrounding area. Again, I applaud the architect for a well-conceived design. The grounds surrounding the so-called Hotel of Doom will be bright and airy.

Why is the Ryugyong Hotel the Worst Building in the World?

So, now that we've let the architect off the hook for the Hotel of Doom. Why is the Ryugyong Hotel the worst building in the world? According to Reuters, it looks as though The Hotel of Doom may be in its finishing stages and soon officially open for business after twenty years in the making. Twenty years? Ok, that's one reason why I'd call the Ryugyong Hotel the worst building in the world. Over the course of that construction, the builders have spent an incredible amount of money, estimates range from $750,000 million to well over, $2 billion and it's not completed yet. OK, we can go with Hotel of Doom from a financial perspective. That's strike two. There are many hotels that match or exceed the capacity of the Ryugyong Hotel in the busiest tourist cities in the world. Unfortunately, Pyongyang isn't one of those busy locations. I find it hard to believe that the Ryugyong Hotel will ever begin to approach filling its 3000 rooms. That's strike three. Worst building in the world? Hotel of Doom? It seems doomed to future emptiness, at least, and it certainly is one of the worst planned and executed building projects (not counting the Big Dig in Boston which will at least be used...) on record.