How do you say flame-broiled in dutch?
Yesterday, the New York Times reported that Beijing’s striking new headquarters for China Central Television as well as the Mandarin Oriental Hotel had gone up in flames. Some cracked out fireworks display went errantly wrong. Set to open in May, the building was designed by fancy-pants starchitect Rem Koolhaas.
New Yorkers know Koolhaas as the designer of the SoHo Prada store, ‘scuse me, epicenter as Miuccia likes her ware shops to be known, where a skateboard half-pipe displayed thousand dollar shoes. Four years after opening, this store too was engulfed by fire.
I smell a rat and his name is Rem. What’s he building these places out of? Rolled up newspapers and dry tinder? Maybe he should spend some more time with the fire regulations and research flame retardent materials. You know, maybe go retro and line the walls with asbestos. Shopaholics certainly will take to donning protective masks to enter the epicenter and buy with abandon. Anything to push consumerism into dangerous territory.
Then again, I guess you’re taking your life in your hands whenever you enter a Koolhaas building. Or maybe he just likes firemen. If so, he should change his Hotthaas.
