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Ethanol-fueled [soylentnews.org] writes:

From the article, paraphrased,

The rivalry between the South Korean tech giants Samsung and LG isn't just played out over sales of smartphones and curved television screens. Both companies are building new American headquarters, and on this score, the contest isn't close. Buildings are corporate symbols and advertisements, after all. Samsung comes across as a good citizen here; LG as a lousy neighbor.

Samsung's 1.1-million-square-foot North American offices, include a boxy, sleek glass behemoth that vaguely harks back to office parks of the 1970s. Most importantly, though, The building links to the city's light-rail system and fits into San Jose's street grid. It's eco-friendly, with public gardens, plazas and a cafe near a parking garage that is partly camouflaged behind solar panels.

LG's new headquarters, in contrast, LG's new $300 million, 490,000-square-foot headquarters would rise 143 feet high and above the treeline next to a national natural landmark. The site had been zoned to prohibit anything over 35 feet high, a provision that protects the view, but the company, a hefty local taxpayer, won a variance.

Directly quoting the article:

" Getting more to the point, You'd think the company's bosses wouldn't want to look bad, compared with their rival. The project in San Jose is thoughtful. LG's is a public shame. "

[ Submitter's note: This is an excellent opportunity to discuss corporate social responsibility and the ignorance and/or arrogance of corporate leadership, but in my opinion, something seems a bit "off" about the above quoted sentence as displayed to an American audience. Could the article in fact be a subtle or not-so-subtle "hit-piece" on LG? ]

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Original Submission