Standing just a few feet from the Pearl River in Guangzhou, China, near the southeastern coast of the country, the Guangzhou Circle building finally opened this week after years of construction. The 33-story building acts as a portal landmark on the waterway to a city without an identity to its skyline.
Consisting of essentially two skyscrapers, with an adjoining center span and incredible circular façade, the building takes design inspiration from traditional Chinese craftsmanship, such as jade necklaces and other cultural figures.
"The architectural concept is for a building that will be immediately perceived as a native Chinese landmark using a closed and central structure instead of the usual western skyscrapers stereotype," the architects at AM Projects, told Dezeen.
On the banks of the slow-moving river, the building reflects itself into the number eight, a lucky figure in Chinese culture and a symbol of prosperity in the infinite. Housing the corporate headquarters of Guangdong Hongda Xingye Group and GDPE Guangdong Plastic Exchange, the “donut” building is unlike any other building in the modern world. Check it out above.
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[via PSFK]
