Shenzhen, China

Sou Fujimoto has revealed his winning design of the New City Center Landmark, a monumental floating tower on the bay of the Qianhaiwan district in Shenzhen.

“One and Many,” the envisioned tower is 268m high, and consists of the central pylon and 99 individual towerlike elements connected a strong horizontal plane in the upper part, gradually vanishing as they descend.

It is both one tower and a collection of towers all at once, symbolizing the future of societies in an age of diversity.

How to create a landmark for the city skyline and, at the same time, evolve the very idea of the “tower“?

This is the challenge posed by the architects of the Sou Fujimoto studio, the minds behind the Ethereal Tower conceptual proposal.

The tower is equipped with a viewing platform, also functioning as a three-dimensional exhibition space, with a restaurant and café.

Most of 99 pendant-like elements have limited points of contact to the main tower, making it seem as though they are floating in the air.

The tower is mainly constructed with steel, carbon fiber, Kevlar Rope and concrete, whereas the balance of the core is maintained by a peripherally-located steel truss system with Kevlar tension cables.

The project advances a sculptural and dynamic work of architecture in Shenzhen’s Qianhai Bay, on the southern coast of China.

An invitation competition was held to design a landmark tower in the Qianhaiwan district, an area that has recently seen huge urban and architectural developments.

The judges of the competition chose to refrain from giving out a “First Prize” award, positioning the second place with the top rank, which was won by Sou Fujimoto Architects.

For their design concept, the architecture firm thought of questions like: “What does a new ‘tower’ mean in the 21st Century? How can a tower evolve while continuing to attract attention, as the Eiffel Tower does?

And which would face towards the bay”.

Based on their answers and the current urban fabric of the district, the firm proposed a pendant-like structure that resembles a group of islands, an aerial city in the future, or even a water fountain suspended mid-air.

The conceptual project aims to represent “the future of society in an age of diversity.”

Project: New City Center Landmark
Architects: Sou Fujimoto Architects