It looks like the Bathroom Readers’ Institute may have a new headquarters building to consider: a facility at a Chinese university that looks just like a really big john.

There’s a gigantic, shimmering new building on campus at the North China University of Water Conservancy and Electric Power in the city of Zhengzhou in Henan Province. Part of the building is a traditional rectangular structure. But attached to one side is another section that juts out, and it’s oblong, oval-shaped, and stands about half as high as the boxy section. In other words, the structure looks exactly like a toilet. There’s even a giant blue roof on the “bowl” part, making it look like it’s filled with water.
Designers say that the resemblance of the new building is unintentional, especially because it would be illegal if it appeared untoward in any way. In February 2016, the Chinese government banned the construction of new buildings that didn’t follow traditional, sedate design guidelines. It was enacted in light of the recently built headquarters of People’s Daily, the state-run newspaper. Many people on the Internet pointed out that the tower with a rounded top looked extremely phallic. (Another incident involved the opening of a new terminal at China’s Beijing Airport which resembles a certain part of the female anatomy when viewed from above—which is how most people see an airport terminal.)
But was it an accident? After all, the building is located on the campus of a university that teaches students about plumbing and water. A giant toilet would be oddly appropriate, and about the only place where it would be appropriate, if it wasn’t, you know, illegal. Whether intentional or not, government funds—taxpayer money—was used to build a giant toilet.