Barcodes and Buildings: If you build it, they will scan…

Continuing in the spirit of fun and interesting barcode facts, we wanted to share some of the most incredible barcodes we’ve ever set our eyes upon—barcode buildings! We’ve found two dazzling structures inspired by barcode design, the Barcode Hall in China and the Shtrikh-kod shopping mall  in Russia.

The Barcode Halls

In the Chinese planned city known as “Lingang New City”, German architects Gerkan, Marg and Partners have built an incredible building called the Barcode Hall (see images 1 & 2).  The city is still under construction and will not be complete until 2020.

The Shtrikh-kod (“Barcode”)

In the Narodnaya ulits (“People’s Street”) of St. Petersburg, Russia, looms the next amazing barcode structure we have to share with you—the Shrtirkh Kod. Appropriately, the building is a popular shopping destination and home to a variety of retail shops (see images 3 & 4).

It appears that these buildings are sticking with the UPC symbology many are familiar with, but we hope that more symbologies find themselves worthy of architectural representation soon. Wouldn’t you want to live in a giant QR code? Or scan a UPC code shaped city from space!?

We’d be thrilled if buildings were scannable… imagine the use cases! While we are not sure if any data has yet been associated with these monolithic barcodes, we are curious to hear your thoughts about what kind of data you would want to get access to. Let us know below. And stay tuned for more fun and wacky barcode posts!