China is shaping up nicely to become “the next Dubai”, as new and outrageously daring architecture that beguiles the imagination is dramatically altering the landscape of this 5,000-year-old nation.

We have already witnessed Beijing’s stunning International Airport, which has been likened to a dragon. Then there’s the Bird’s Nest Stadium and National Aquatics Center, set to welcome the world’s top class athletes, and global adulation, for the Beijing Olympics in 7 days’ time.  And what do you make of Dutch master architect Rem Koolhaas’s creation for the CCTV headquarters?

The latest architectural wonder features homegrown talent and takes the shape of two honeycomb structures that look like rectangular beehives – the Sinosteel International Plaza in Tianjin by MAD, an architectural firm based in Beijing.

The 358m tall office tower, with its adjacent hotel, belongs to China’s state-owned steel giant, and the government has already lined up an ambitious five-year plan to transform Tianjin into the next economic hub of Northern China.

When completed in 2012, the Sinosteel International Plaza will become an iconic landmark in the newly created Binhai New District, which will become Tianjin’s central business district.

Simple as the building’s façade might look, the hexagonal shaped windows that wrap the building actually come in five different sizes, and have been meticulously arranged as such to minimize heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer after extensive mapping of air flows and the position of the sun’s rays across the site has been carried out.

In addition, the honeycomb structure serves a more important function – it supports the entire building and eliminates the need for pillars and internal supporting structures, thus freeing up space.

www.i-mad.com

via Dezeen