In the case of Shanghai’s Jin Mao Tower, it’s aspiration: Jin Mao means ‘golden prosperity’. 

Today’s tenants are not just viewing potential space when they move office; they’re also viewing names, often bestowed by developers and agents, keen to let buildings.

Names are equally impactful in residential schemes, according to Helen Gough, Lead Director, Buildings and Construction, JLL UK. “We were working on a project to convert a former factory into a four storey high-end residential space and wanted a name to reflect its musical heritage,” she says.

“Although its working title was The Piano Factory, following a detailed review of its background to support the planning application we found it used to manufacture brass instruments. It was therefore formally launched as The Brassworks – complete with some references to its former life in the interior design elements of the reception area.”

Over in the Gulf States, meanwhile, real estate developments often acquire a name when they’re very much in the blueprint stage.

“Building names are often part of marketing strategies to sell off-plan property,” Kevin Mitchell, interim provost at the American University of Sharjah who also teaches the university’s College of Architecture, Art and Design, tells United Arab Emirates (UAE) news publication the National. “The names applied to real-estate projects are intended to evoke exclusivity or conjure up idyllic images that may not represent the reality of completed buildings.”