When new-fangled architecture hits our cities, we’re quick to bestow a nickname upon the weird and wonderful buildings it produces. For example, if we asked you what the actual name of the Walkie Talkie Building in London is, would you be able to tell us the answer? Aspire Doors decided to get a bit creative and have some fun with a few of the most well-known nicknamed buildings around the world. From London to Wellington, they’ve covered a lot of ground.
The Armadillo
As with all of these buildings, it’s not hard to see how they got their nicknames. The SECC Complex is actually the result of interspecies breeding between the armadillo and the Sydney Opera House. One of many eyebrow-raising buildings to mark the new millennium, it cost around thirty million pounds to build.
The Bathtub
The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam has earned itself the rather unfortunate nickname of ‘The Bathtub’. The lead architect said that it’s dazzling white exterior is a tribute to the old Stedelijk museum, because of its white rooms. Seriously though, it doesn’t look like anything other than a giant bath. It looks more like a bathtub than actual baths.
The Batman Building
The AT&T Building in Nashville bears a striking resemblance to the Caped Crusader’s mask. With 33 floors and a cost of over seventy million dollars, construction was completed in 1994. We think it looks more like a supervillain headquarters. What do you think?
The Beehive
The Beehive Building in Wellington, New Zealand is one of the few aesthetically pleasing buildings of the 1970s. From its conception in 1964, it wasn’t until 1979 that construction was completed. A Scotsman, Sir Basil Spence, was the brains behind the design which features on the New Zealand twenty-dollar note.
The Cheesegrater
The £286 million ‘Cheesegrater’ building in London is one of a fair few buildings in the capital that has earnt itself a nickname. Construction was completed in 2013 and its 48 floors are shared by 18 different companies.
The Gherkin
Only a few streets away from our old friend The Cheesegrater, the Swiss Re Tower in London is perhaps the UK’s most famous nicknamed building. We would estimate that if you asked 100 Brits if they know the Swiss Re Tower, 99 of them would say no. And the other one was just lying. Ask those same people if they know of the Gherkin and they’ll all say yes. Unmistakable and an uncanny resemblance.
The Sponge
One of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s halls of residence, Simmons Hall, has been likened by many to a giant sponge. Its many thousands of small windows contribute to this effect. This seems like overkill for a hall of residence, but it does look amazing. Source and images Courtesy of Aspire Doors