Beyoncé’s influence can be found from fashion to music and more, but now it’s scheduled to pop up somewhere unexpected: the cityscape of Melbourne, Australia. The architects at Elenberg Fraser, the designers behind the forthcoming Premier Tower, have shared on their website that their unique vision was inspired by the pop star’s music video for Ghost.
Set to be built at 134 Spencer Street, near Melbourne’s Southern Cross railway station, the Premier Tower will be a 78-story skyscraper. The architectural firm highlighted the fact that the project has “twists and turns,” also noting that the principles behind it were “pure and simple.” They briefly got technical about how safety and science factored in, and then refocused on the art. In their statement, they shared the Beyoncé connection, stating, “We will reveal that the form does pay homage to something more aesthetic – we’re going to trust you’ve seen the music video for Beyoncé’s Ghost.”
Released in 2013, the Ghost music video is filled with shots of the singer surrounded by billowing black fabric. Other parts show women clad only in skintight fabric as they stand with their arms extended over their heads and slowly sway, twist, and turn. Impressively (and rather surprisingly), the Premier Tower’s design really is reminiscent of the video.
When the Beyoncé-scraper is complete, it will offer retail space, hotel rooms, and apartments. To make room for it, however, the city will first need to demolish a 1970s-era pub called the Savoy Tavern, according to The Guardian. So bye-bye pub, hello massive silver homage to the world’s biggest pop star. We’re thinking once the tower is constructed, that title will be indisputable.
The Premier Tower project is backed by the Fragrance Group, which is a real estate company owned by Koh Wee Meng, a billionaire from Singapore.
Watch the video that inspired the building below.