11 Mar 2019
Construction begins on OMA's 'paradise-reminiscent' building in China
BY Andrew Manns
Work has started on the Xinhu Hangzhou Prism, a polyhedral high-rise taking shape in Hangzhou, an emerging technological hub in China's Zhejiang province.
Designed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), the 52,000 sq m building will feature a concave pixel-like facade and comprise residential facilities, a hotel, retail units, and an atrium garden with a playground.
According to OMA, the tower's skyward pinnacle will serve as an emblematic representation of the following Chinese saying: "There is paradise above, and Hangzhou below."
The project is expected to stimulate investment in the city's burgeoning entrepreneurship sector, the influence of which has significantly contributed to Hangzhou's high rank as a centre for innovation.
In 2017, its citizens produced 43,840 patents, cementing Hangzhou's position as the leading tech hub among China's provincial cities.
In a statement, Chris van Duijn, partner at OMA, said: "Xinhu Hangzhou Prism will encourage the development of a creative community in the new CBD of Hangzhou.
"The design enables flexible programming and a broad repertoire of communal outdoor spaces while maintaining a strong visual identity: striking in its form, archetypical yet contemporary."
The project, which was commissioned by the Zhejiang Xinhu Haichuang Group, is anticipated to be completed in 2020.
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