Ryugyong Hotel
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This article contains information about a building currently under construction. It may contain information of a speculative nature, and the content may change dramatically and frequently as construction progresses and new information becomes available. |
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The Ryugyong Hotel (Korean: 류경호텔)(or Ryu-Gyong Hotel or Yu-Kyung Hotel)[citation needed] is an unfinished concrete skyscraper. It is intended for use as a hotel in Sojang-dong, in the Potong-gang District of Pyongyang, North Korea. The hotel's name comes from one of the historic names for Pyongyang: Ryugyong, or "capital of willows." Its 105 stories rise to a height of 330 m (1,083 ft), and it contains 360,000 m² (3.9 million square feet) of floor space, making it the most prominent feature of the city’s skyline and by far the largest structure in the country. At one time, it would have been the world's tallest hotel.[1] Esquire dubbed it "The Worst Building in the History of Mankind" and noted that the government of North Korea has airbrushed the building out of pictures. Over the years, the skyscraper has earned such nicknames as the "Hotel of Doom," "Phantom Hotel," and "Phantom Pyramid."[2] Construction began in 1987 and ceased in 1992, due to the government's financial difficulties. The unfinished hotel remained untouched until April 2008, when construction resumed after being inactive 16 years.[3]
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[edit] Background
The building's plan for a 105-story height was reportedly a Cold War response to a South Korean company's completion of the Westin Stamford Hotel in Singapore the previous year. North Korean leadership envisioned the project as a channel for Western investors to step into the marketplace. A firm, the Ryugyong Hotel Investment and Management Co., was established to attract a hoped-for US$230 million in foreign investment. A representative for the North Korean government promised relaxed oversight, saying, "The foreign investors can even operate casinos, nightclubs or Japanese lounges if they want to."[4]
[edit] Construction
Construction on the pyramid-shaped hotel began in 1987 by Baekdu Mountain Architects & Engineers.[5] The reinforced concrete structure consists of three wings, the face of each wing measuring 100 m (328 ft) long and 18 m (59 ft) wide, which converge at a common point to form a pinnacle. At the top is a 40 m (131 ft) wide circular structure which contains eight floors intended to rotate, topped by a further six static floors. A construction crane is perched at the top, and has assumed the role of a permanent fixture. The hotel is surrounded by a number of pavilions, gardens, and terraces. Its walls slope at a steep 75 degree angle. It was added to maps and North Korean postage stamps before it was half-finished.
[edit] Building deadlock
The Ryugyong's planned 3,000 rooms and seven revolving restaurants were scheduled to open in June 1989 for the World Festival of Youth and Students, but problems with building methods and materials delayed it. Japanese newspapers estimated the cost of construction was US$750 million[6]—equivalent to 2% of North Korea’s GDP. Official pictures of Pyongyang often show the building illuminated at night, but this is due to photo manipulation.[7]
[edit] Recent history
The basic structure is complete, but no windows, fixtures, or fittings have been installed, and it has never been certified safe for occupancy. Construction came to a halt in 1992 and has only resumed 16 years later, in 2008.
The hotel is structurally unsound. The concrete used to build it was of poor quality, and it is crumbling. Even without this to consider, the state of the North Korean economy is such that it doesn't have the raw materials, energy or financing for a project of this magnitude.[1]
Esquire called the hotel a colossal economic failure, likening it to what would have happened had Chicago's John Hancock Center been left unfinished with no prospect of being completed.[2]
The North Korean government is trying to invite foreign investment of US$300 million to improve and finish the hotel. However, it could cost more than that, since it may have to be completely rebuilt due to the claimed structural problems. In the meantime, it has removed the Ryugyong from maps and stamps and built a newer five-star hotel of more conventional design on the Taedong River.
The hotel is so massive that it is clearly visible from nearly everywhere in the city, but it is nearly impossible to get anyone to talk about it. It is often seen as a metaphor of the highly secretive nature of North Korea. Mike Chinoy, a former reporter for CNN, once likened it to the giant calcium deposit on the neck of late dictator Kim Il-sung. Like the Ryugyong, the growth was clearly visible despite official attempts to hide it from view.[1]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Beckmann, Dan. "Pyongyang: Home to the Tallest Hotel in the World That Could, but Will Never Be", ABC News, The Walt Disney Company, 2006-10-23. Retrieved on 2008-02-05.
- ^ a b Hagberg, Eva. "The Worst Building in the History of Mankind", Esquire, Hearst Corporation, 2008-01-28. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "N. Korea resumes construction of luxury hotel", Hotels, Reed Business Information, 2008-05-20. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
- ^ Ngor, Oh Kwee (1990-06-09). "Western decadence hits N. Korea". The Japan Economic Journal.
- ^ Companies - Baikdoosan Architects & Engineers. Emporis. Retrieved on 2007-04-19.
- ^ "North Korea builds record-height hotel" (November 15 1990). Engineering News-Record: 41.
- ^ such as in Pyongyang, 1990, Foreign Languages Publishing House, and many other books about the city
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