New Chinese university building mocked for resembling a toilet

Images via Xinhua

A new university building in China has become the object of much online fun after aerial photography revealed its strong resemblance to a toilet.

From a distance the building’s circular front section does a passable impression of a toilet’s bowl, while the rectangular tower behind completes the double act by looking like a cistern.

Adding to the joke is the fact that the building in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, was built on the campus of the North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, reports the English-language Sina news site.

The building in Zhengzhou City was built on the campus of the North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power

The building is yet to be occupied but there are plans for it to be a service centre for university student start-ups in Henan, according to reports.

Online commentators have been enjoying the irony, according to Shanghai List.

"From a fengshui standpoint, the design is very auspicious," quipped one netizen.

"Yep, it’s definitely a toilet," said another, while another remarked: "The architect really had a sense of humour."

While it seems unlikely that the architect sought inspiration from the household commode, one can’t be sure since the famous Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollio did, after all, insist that buildings should be "commodious".

The building is yet to be occupied but there are plans for it to be a service centre for university student start-ups

His oft-cited triad of desirable characteristics in architecture included utilitas, firmitas and venustas – commodity, firmness and delight.

Nevertheless, had the building been designed today it may very well have fallen foul of China’s official ban on bizarre buildings, which was introduced in February this year to curb some of the exuberant weirdness attending the country’s rapid urbanisation.

Images via Xinhua