London's newest skyscraper ridiculed for resemblance to male genitalia

Spire London, announced last month, will be western Europe’s tallest residential building when it is completed in 2020. The 771-foot, 67-storey tower, coming to the Isle of Dogs, will feature 861 luxury apartments, a spa, a swimming pool and a swanky bar, and has a petal-shaped design said to resemble the "prow and bow" of a ship - a nod to the nautical heritage of its surroundings.  

That vision is certainly apparent from street level. But gaze at it from the sky, as thousands coming into land at nearby London City Airport will every single day, and the more puerile among us may notice similarities with something rather different.  

The building's apparent resemblance to male genitalia went seemingly unnoticed at first, with CGIs depicting interiors and the skyscraper from the ground. The website Londonist, however, made the startling discovery of an bird's eye view - and quickly noticed the cock-up.

That unfortunately-shaped rooftop will feature glass facades and outdoor terraces, from where residents of the tower’s premier and penthouse apartments can take enjoy views over the Thames, Canary Wharf, and the city’s other major landmarks.

Designed to give its residents and visitors a “memorable first impression”, according to HOK, the London-based architectural firm behind it, Spire London will be erected on Hertsmere Road, overlooking West India Quay and a few minutes’ walk from the Canary Wharf Crossrail station.

The new tower, offering 861 apartments, including suites and three-bedroom duplex penthouses, will also house a five-star spa and club bar on its 35th floor. Residents and guests will also have access to a new public piazza around the tower, dotted by birch trees, benches and fountains inspired by those found at Somerset House.

Construction of the Spire London has begun and is expected to be completed by 2020, Greenland Group, its Chinese developer, announced last month. 

It will by no means by the only building in London with a supposedly rude appearance. The capital’s Norman Foster-designed Gherkin tower, for example, has been described as phallic. 

Beyond Britain, Barcelona’s 33-storey Torre Agbar tower is said to resemble a male member, as does Michigan’s Ypsilanti Water Tower. 

Zaha Hadid's winning design for the 2022 World Cup stadium was said to resemble a vagina, while a spaceport in New Mexico, the base for Virgin Galactic operations, faced similar comparisons.

Few might be able to dispute that the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in California looks like a pair of breasts, while the Pentagon is said to look like anus, apparently, from the sky.

Tokyo’s Asahi Beer Hall, meanwhile, is said to resemble both a stool and sperm.