The future of living has been planned for Shenzhen’s Qianhai district, and it looks like floating water tower thanks to the boundless thinking of Sou Fujimoto Architects. The ethereal tower is the winning architectural design for the city’s New City Center Landmark competition. Slated for ascent in Qianhai Bay, the new tower will appear almost like a freestanding, cylindrical water fountain. Rising to 268-meters in height, Sou Fujimoto Arhcitects’s tower will feature 99 pillar-like support beams, or “islands,” to carry the tower’s upper horizontal structure. Without any delay, let’s take a look at the mesmerizing assortment of pictures that clearly show the stunning vision in full bloom:
The Ethereal tower consists of 99 islands and measures 880 feet high. The structure seems to be constructed to look like it’s entirely floating in the air when viewed from below. Held together with a centralized core, the tension cables help hold the structure throughout.
Starting from the bay and moving towards the round upper deck, the pillars of the new tower gradually expand in width and stature to close in on the design’s symbolic ode to “the future of society in the age of diversity.”
The new tower’s uppermost plane serves as a viewing platform, doubling as a three-dimensional exhibition space with enough room for both restaurants and cafes.
A centralized core supports the tower while a peripherally located steel truss system and additional Kevlar tension cables stabilize it.
The ethereal tower looks like a freestanding, cylindrical water fountain from afar and appeals to tourists and residents alike as a social hub enjoying spectacular views.
[Via: Designboom]
