A 77-storey skyscraper is set to become the latest, and tallest, addition to Bangkok’s ever-changing skyline, already transformed by a construction boom that has raised fears of a property bubble.

Variously described on Internet forums as looking “like it has been eaten by giant termites” and reflecting “the chaos of Bangkok”, the MahaNakorn ― Great Metropolis ― will tower over the Thai capital when it is finished in 2014.

At 314 meters it will be the city’s tallest building, but size was not what mattered, said Sorapoj Techakraisri, head of PACE Development, which began building the skyscraper in June.

“I just wanted something unique, something interesting,” he told AFP.

MahaNakorn’s unusual pixelated spiral design was created by German architect Ole Scheeren, who was behind Beijing’s futuristic China Central Television headquarters.

The $640 million tower will house apartments, a shopping centre and a Ritz-Carlton hotel.

“When the economy gets better, the buildings go higher,” Sorapoj said. 

(AFP)