Does This Design of Two Towers Remind You of Anything?

(Photo: Concept Image MVRDV)

These residential high-rise buildings to be completed in Seoul, South Korea, by 2015 are connected in the middle by a cloud, which the designer says “differentiates the building from other luxury developments.”
The towers designed by architects at MVRDV are 300 and 260 meters high with a “pixelated” cloud in the middle at the 27th floor. The cloud allows for more light and room for decks and greenspace.

(Photo: Concept Image MVRDV)

Inside the "cloud" (Photo: Concept Image MVRDV)

As peaceful as that sounds, there is something a bit disconcerting about the design. Here’s what Gizmodo has to say about what may look a little too much like the towers of the World Trade Center beginning to come down on 9/11:

From higher angles the ten story tall pixelated cloud structure that connects the two 850+ foot towers certainly looks more whimsical, as I’m sure the architects at MVRDV intended it to be. But most people will be viewing it looking up from ground level. And I‘m afraid from that angle it’s very reminiscent of the images and events that were seen around the entire world that day. So I‘m not really sure how the eerie similarities weren’t spotted before this design was approved.

What do you think of the concept?
Update: Since the posting of this story, MVRDV has issued a statement of apology (be sure to click “read” on the site to see the statement) over the design. The design company writes “MVRDV regrets deeply any connotations The Cloud projects evokes regarding 9/11. The Cloud was designed based on parameters such as sunlight, outside spaces, living quality for inhabitants and the city.  It is one of many projects in which MVRDV experiments with a raised city level to reinvent the often solitary typology of the skyscraper. It was not our intention to create an image resembling the attacks nor did we see the resemblance during the design process. We sincerely apologize to anyone whose feelings we have hurt, it was not our intention.”  More >>