# ID this building from a description **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 16, 2009, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556 "2009-01-16T04:47:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/1 "2009-01-16T04:47:16Z")
There was a building on the cover of a professional journal my wife was reading. SInce it was on the cover I would assume it is some well known building. But there was no cover photo credit. So I am hoping someone here might recognize it. It was primarily square, or actually rectangular (taller than wide) and not excessively tall. Faced in silver colored glass. The real stand out feature was a large square opening that went all the way through the building. And by large I mean 10-12 stories tall, and about that wide. The entrance doors seemed to be inside this “hollow.” Am I ringing any bells here? Oh yeah, looked as if it sat sort of by itself and was surrounded by a large expanse of concrete. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/2 "2009-01-16T05:00:04Z")
Any chance you can give us the title of the journal? Or even perhaps a scan of the cover? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/3 "2009-01-16T05:20:34Z")
Is this it?: > **[Grande Arche](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Arche)** > > La Grande Arche de la Défense (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}French: \[la ɡʁɑ̃d aʁʃ də la defɑ̃s\]; "The Great Arch of the Defense"), originally called La Grande Arche de la Fraternité (French: \[fʁatɛʁnite\]; "Fraternity"), is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense and in the commune of Puteaux, to the west of ... ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/4 "2009-01-16T06:28:06Z")
This? [http://tinyurl.com/8dbwpf](http://tinyurl.com/8dbwpf) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/5 "2009-01-16T06:36:00Z")
Or this? [http://tinyurl.com/ay3fqh](http://tinyurl.com/ay3fqh) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/6 "2009-01-16T06:39:52Z")
Or perhaps this? > **[Shanghai World Financial Center](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_World_Financial_Center)** > > The Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC; Chinese: 上海环球金融中心; pinyin: Shànghǎi Huánqiú Jīnróng Zhōngxīn, Shanghainese: Zånhae Guejieu Cinyon Tsonsin) is a supertall skyscraper located in the Pudong district of Shanghai. It was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and developed by the Mori Building Company, with Leslie E. Robertson Associates as its structural engineer and China State Construction Engineering Corp and Shanghai Construction (Group) General Co. as its main contractor. It is a mixed-use ... Actually, buildings with holes in them are fairly common. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/7 "2009-01-16T08:43:36Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Is this it?: > > [Grande Arche - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Arche) Oooh,this is a fun game! I bet on this one! Joe ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/8 "2009-01-16T08:44:39Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Or perhaps this? > [Shanghai World Financial Center - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_World_Financial_Center) > > Actually, buildings with holes in them are fairly common. Just ask the WTC… What? Joe ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/9 "2009-01-16T10:15:05Z")
Not the [Umeda Sky Building](http://www1.linkclub.or.jp/~spanky/YH001/osaka/skybill.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/10 "2009-01-16T12:51:23Z")
My money’s on the Grande Arche. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/11 "2009-01-16T13:35:10Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > My money’s on the Grande Arche. Yeah, but it’s more fun to suggest more buildings with holes in em. Definitely not the [Fuji TV building](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Fuji_TV_headquarters_and_Aqua_City_Odaiba_-_2006-05-03_edit2.jpg), right? ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/12 "2009-01-16T14:41:57Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Is this it?: > > [Grande Arche - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Arche) Got it in one! Awesome. Looking at the picture, I’m impressed as my memory was kind of off on some details, but it was the best I had, with the magazine to scan or even refer to the title. Best I could have done was one of 5 or 6 journals on material handling and procurement since that is what Mrs. rainy does. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/13 "2009-01-16T14:44:13Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Or perhaps this? > [Shanghai World Financial Center - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_World_Financial_Center) > > Actually, buildings with holes in them are fairly common. That’s a cool building too. Yeah trying to google building and square gets tons of images of square steel tubing, but not lots of results I wanted to see 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/14 "2009-01-16T14:52:07Z")
So that was it in the background of the movie “Ronin” the other night. Seeing that was actually what rekindled my interest in finding the answer. But it was so far away and fleeting in that movie I couldn’t be sure I had actually seen it. And I still couldn’t summon it up in a Google search after including France in the search string. ---
**Author:** ![terrymiff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@terrymiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terrymiff)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-building-from-a-description/481556/15 "2009-01-18T04:41:36Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Or perhaps this? > [Shanghai World Financial Center - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_World_Financial_Center) > > Actually, buildings with holes in them are fairly common. If I had to describe this building I would have said it looked like a big bottle opener.