Twelve upcoming Chinese projects to be completed in the Year of the Horse
To mark Chinese New Year today, Dezeen selects the 12 most anticipated architecture projects set to complete in China this year by studios including Snøhetta, Neri&Hu and Zaha Hadid Architects.
Among the projects to look out for are towering headquarters for two leading Chinese firms in Shenzhen, hotels on the site of a former porcelain factory and a linear museum.
OPPO Headquarters, Shenzhen, by Zaha Hadid Architects
The amorphous headquarters for OPPO, China's leading smartphone manufacturer, will comprise four interconnected towers with the highest reaching 200 metres.
Designed by British studio Zaha Hadid Architects, the towers will be unified by their sinuous glass forms that taper inwards towards ground level.
The headquarters will contain large atriums surrounded by light-filled open-plan offices in a bid to echo the company's "commitment to connectivity”.
Find out more about OPPO Headquarters ›
Anji Culture and Art Centre, Anji, by MAD
Beijing-based MAD Architects will complete Anji Culture and Art Centre this year, a six-venue arts and cultural centre in Anji, Zhejiang Province.
The centre will be defined by a series of curving canopy roofs that were designed to look like scattered bamboo leaves.
According to the studio, the buildings' curved shapes also respond to the undulating terrain of the surrounding tea-growing hills of Anji.
Find out more about Anji Culture and Art Centre ›
Shanghai Grand Opera House, Shanghai, by Snøhetta
This major new cultural landmark in Shanghai, designed by architecture studio Snøhetta, will finally open to the public this year, nine years after it won the global competition for the project.
The building's most prominent feature will be a helical roof that connects to the ground via a spectacular spiral staircase, which the studio says was designed to resemble an unfolding fan.
Its spiralling stepped roof will link to a riverside plaza, allowing it to double as a public meeting place and a stage for large-scale events.
Find out more about Shanghai Grand Opera House ›
Hotel Indigo and EVEN Hotels, Jingdezhen, by Neri&Hu
Chinese architecture studio Neri&Hu was commissioned to design two new hotels on the site of a former porcelain factory in Jingdezhen.
Both of the eight-storey hotels will be positioned atop a raised piazza, where a series of public functions will be located.
Tiled roof responds to the old factory's silhouette, while a combined material palette of red concrete, red terrazzo, red ceramics, and red brick will be used throughout the complex.
Xinhu Hangzhou Prism, Hangzhou, by OMA
The mixed-use Xinhu Hangzhou Prism will be distinguished by its asymmetric form, created by two oblique facades lined with projecting cubic balconies.
Intended to resemble "a pinnacle reaching into the sky", Dutch studio OMA's design was modelled on the ancient Chinese proverb "above, there is heaven; below, there is Suzhou and Hangzhou”.
A large void will puncture the flat facades at ground level, where a publicly accessible "garden atrium" will be located.
Find out more about Xinhu Hangzhou Prism ›
Weilong New Residence, Huizhou, by Line+
Weilong New Residence, which will provide resettlement for local rural communities, was designed to improve the quality of life for its residents.
Designed by Hangzhou-based architecture studio Line+, the structure was informed by the concept of the "Hakka walled village", a large multi-family communal living system that is unique to the Hakka people in southern China.
In addition to residential units, the complex will also integrate educational, cultural, and commercial functions.
Grand Canal Museum Complex, Hangzhou, by Herzog & de Meuron
This linear museum designed by architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron will sit beside China's Grand Canal, the longest and oldest artificial river in the world that runs over 1,000 miles between Beijing and Hangzhou.
The Swiss studio described its long form as "recalling an elegant Chinese brush stroke, telling the story of the Grand Canal". Its rippling glass facade was designed to resemble water.
The Grand Canal Museum Complex will contain 50,000 square metres of exhibition spaces split over two levels. Below the elevated galleries, the museum will have accessible meeting places and public event spaces.
Find out more about Grand Canal Museum Complex ›
Ziyouji Cultural Architecture Complex, Xianning, by Büro Ziyu Zhuang
German-Chinese architecture practice Büro Ziyu Zhuang (BUZZ) has designed a cluster of sculptural buildings for Ziyouji, a boutique homestay in Xianning, Hubei Province.
It will feature four buildings — an art museum, a meditation tower, an art workshop and an art bookstore — that will form a public architectural section within Ziyouji.
BUZZ's design combines monumental qualities with the natural landscape, with the aim of creating a series of landmarks.
China Merchants Bank Headquarters, Shenzhen, by Foster + Partners
Another headquarters due to complete in Shenzhen this year is the 388-metre-tall supertall skyscraper designed by British architecture studio Foster + Partners for China Merchants Bank.
The facade features triangular glass panels fixed at different angles in a series of arched forms, designed to enhance views of the nearby Shenzhen Bay.
Foster + Partners drew on shapes from the traditional Chinese art of paper folding when designing the building.
Find out more about China Merchants Bank Headquarters ›
Wuhan Luzhou Art Exhibition Center, Wuhan, by Studio Link-Arc
The Luzhou Art Exhibition Center will feature a series of volumes with curving outlines that will house exhibition spaces, restaurants, retail, leisure and entertainment under a green roof.
Designed by Studio Link-Arc, the winner of Architect of the Year at last year's Dezeen Awards China, the new art centre is informed by water and ripples in response to its waterfront location.
It aims to become a new cultural landmark in Wuhan, together with other planned neighbouring buildings such as a theatre by architect Sou Fujimoto and a library by Snøhetta.
Jing Brand Development, Wuhan, by Aedas
The mixed-use complex along the Yangtze River in Wuhan was designed by international studio Aedas for Jing Brand, a Chinese white liquor brand.
The twin towers, a 180-meter office tower and a 100-meter hotel tower, were conceived as "sails on the river", connected via a podium at the bottom.
The podium design continues the flowing form informed by the pouring movement of Jing's liquor. The brand's showroom at the site's corner will be shaped like a liquor glass and will serve as a showroom, as well as a public space.
Lynk&Co Motorsport Experience Center, Chengdu, by Muda Architects
Local studio Muda Architects will unveil a multi-level showroom for Chinese automotive brand Lynk&Co at Tianfu International Circuit in Chengdu.
The deconstructivist building pays homage to the design of Lynk&Co's performance vehicles, clad in silver aluminium panels with sweeping curves.
The studio described the project as "a futuristic vessel straddling circuit, city, tradition and innovation energy".
Dezeen China assistant Kaia Wang also contributed to the article.
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