Gate to the East

Chinese news agency Xinhua reports of a new building in Suzhou—the 74-storey Gate to the East—that was designed to look like an arch, but unfortunately, in the eyes of many it appears as a giant pair of trousers. The developer of the landmark building has recently come under much criticism for the unconventional look. The 278-metre-high gate was developed by the private firm Suzhou Chianing Real Estate Co. Ltd to accommodate offices, hotels, malls and apartments. The eight-year construction process costs a total of $700 million approximately.

Xu Kang, the company's vice executive of sales, defended the design, saying the linked-twin-tower structure is based on classic garden gates and ancient city gates in China. Suzhou's building is not the first unfortunate piece of architecture in this world.