Image: Sou Fujimoto Architects
There’s nothing quite like a tower to signify that a city has really made it. From Gustav Eiffel’s eponymous Eiffel tower in Paris to Seattle’s Space Needle, super-tall viewing platforms can define a skyline and attract tourists. But in Shenzhen’s Quanhai District, Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto is asking: ‘how can a tower evolve while continuing to attract attention?
The answer? By blurring the line with sculpture and symbolism.
Image: Sou Fujimoto Architects
Image: Sou Fujimoto Architects
Image: Sou Fujimoto Architects
Sou Fujimoto Architects’ 880 ft-high proposal is a ghostly ‘floating’ island on the waterfront comprising 99 individual towers. Singular components will have minimal contact points, to create the illusion they are floating above the harbour while mimicking the appearance of a waterfall with clouds of mist.
When viewed from above, the Qianhai New City Center Landmark’s platform looks like a sci-fi film reel with futuristic spokes fanning from a central core housing the tower’s restaurant and cafe, and walkways around the perimeter of the platform.
The tower is supported by a centralised core, with peripheral tension cables stabilising the design.
