Love dogs? Check out Bau Haus dog cafe in Seoul, South Korea

by Jessica Festa on



When I say Bau Haus is a dog cafe, I don’t mean that there are cute dog photos on the walls or that it’s a meeting place for dog owners (although both of these are part of it) . The eatery is, literally, a cafe for dogs and dog-lovers to eat and hangout at. It is located in Hongdae in Seoul, South Korea, and canines roam around the eatery as visitors feed and play with them. You can purchase dog treats and pet presents, and there are small toys like frisbees lying around to use. Most of the pooches belong to the cafe’s owner and are very well behaved, although anyone is allowed to bring their dog to Bau Haus. And don’t worry about the animals making a mess as the employees at Bau Haus tend to the pooches, caring for them and cleaning up after them.

Architectural firm called “Al Qaeda lovers” over new project’s resemblance to New York City’s Twin Towers under attack

by Jessica Festa on

MVRDV, an architectural firm located in Rotterdam, Netherlands, has recently become the target of an outraged public. The company’s new luxury highrise project in Seoul, South Korea, called “The Cloud”, is being said to resemble New York City’s Twin Towers during the tragic 9/11 attacks. Not only have many of the media outlets and public turned against the company, but they are receiving threatening letters and are being called “Al Qaeda lovers”, among other names.

On the MVRDV Facebook page, the company has issued an explanation and apology to the public:

“MVRDV regrets deeply any connotations The Cloud projects evokes regarding 9/11, it was not our intention. The Cloud was designed based on parameters such as sunlight, outside spaces, living quality for inhabitants and the city. It is one of many projects in which MVRDV experiments with a raised city level to reinvent the often solitary typology of the skyscraper. It was not our intention to create an image resembling the attacks nor did we see the resemblance during the design process. We sincerely apologize to anyone whose feelings we have hurt, the design was not meant to provoke this.”

On a their Facebook page under the photo shown here, the debate has gotten heated, with over 600 comments and over 100 shares. While some feel strongly that the design is beautiful and a common design framework there are others who are arguing that it is ugly, disgraceful, and that the architects weren’t thinking (along with an overwhelming amount of obcenities and name-calling). What are your thoughts?

Photo of the day – Seoul Lantern Festival

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Through November 20th, the Seoul Lantern Festival will continue to light up spirits in the South Korean capital. Of the many images of the festival posted by Flickr user LadyExpat (Back in Daejeon) at the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr, it was this one that really stood out: a simple game of swan lanterns, luminous against an inky pool.

Got a photo you’d like to share with the world? Upload it to the Gadling Group Pool on Flickr. If we fall in love with it we might just select it to be a future Photo of the Day.

Video of the Day: Arkanoid on a Seoul building

by Mike Barish on

We kind of love finding YouTube videos without descriptions. It’s endlessly fun to try to piece together what the heck is happening. In the video above, it appears as if someone is playing the old Arkanoid video game on the massive LED screen in Seoul Square in South Korea’s capital. In fact, it looks like it might just be the world’s largest LED screen. Beyond that, your guess is as good as ours. What’s the high score? How many lives do you get? How close can you sit to the screen before your mom tells you that you’re going to go blind?

Photo of the Day – Korean festival lanterns

by Jeremy Kressmann on

I love taking photographs at festivals. The riotous colors, local costumes and friendly demeanor of locals usually means you’ll have a chance to capture some truly great shots. Take today’s photo for instance, captured by Flickr user Trent Strohm at a Buddha’s Birthday celebration in Seoul, Korea. The rainbow colors of the lanterns create a visually arresting pattern, punctuated by the curvy black outline of a tree, rising from below.

Taken any great travel shots of your own recently? Why not add them to our Gadling group on Flickr? We might just pick one of them as our Photo of the Day.