You know that feeling when you’ve been working on something so long that you can’t see it objectively? It happens to all of us from time to time: whether you’re a humble Gizmodo writer or, perhaps, the person who’s responsible for installing a sign on a massive skyscraper.
Thankfully, all it takes is another set of eyes to spot what’s wrong (and trust us, things can go really wrong with skyscraper construction).
Last week, an eagle-eyed Redditor u/Micktallica posted on the r/Sydney subreddit that he’d noticed something while staring out of his North Sydney office window.
Opposite him, the finishing touches were being placed on Zurich’s new Australian headquarters. But he noticed something was off: the ‘Z’ in Zurich sign was not quite right. In fact, it just wrong: it was upside down.
But fortunately, some Good Samaritan took the opportunity to let Zurich know that it wasn’t quite right.
And then lo-and-behold: it was fixed one week later. u/Micktallica posted again — this time sharing a delightful time lapse of the building against a rather stunning Australian skyline — celebrating the fix.
So is Reddit the reason this skyscraper’s sign was fixed?
Although some Redditors were quick to claim credit, Gizmodo spoke to a representative from Zurich who said that they were already aware of the upside down ‘Z’.
Zurich Life & Investments’ head of communications & media Caroline Hendra said the letter’s position was part of the planned construction.
“No, we weren’t tipped off. Social media — Twitter, Reddit — definitely picked it up and ran with it, but essentially the signage was (still is) under construction so they were looking at a work in progress,” she said in an email.
Hendra took the opportunity to spruik the new offices, which have been under construction since 2018.
“The building has been gorgeously designed and has been awarded a five-star NABERS environmental rating from the Green Energy Council of Australia,” she said. “The placement of the building, it’s quality and facilities are reflective of Zurich’s commitment to our customers, employees and communities in Australia and New Zealand.
Even still, she saw the humour in the situation.
“We’re delighted we can bring some light relief to North Sydney office workers though,” Hendra said.