News: after buildings that look like giant underpants and a stack of toilet rolls, here's a tower in Beijing that has been compared to a giant penis.

Seen from one angle, the scaffolding on the upper levels gives the tower an obviously phallic appearance, as internet commenters pointed out this week.

The 150-metre-high building, which will become the new headquarters for the Chinese state newspaper People's Daily, in fact has a wedge-shaped silhouette.

The Chinese government has attempted to block internet users in the country from searching for images of the building, but carefully worded messages have spread the word across Weibo, China's biggest social networking service.

"It seems the People’s Daily is going to rise up, there’s hope for the Chinese dream," said one message.

Others made creative use of Photoshop to illustrate how the tower might fit between the "legs" of the China Central Television (CCTV) headquarters in Beijing, which was designed by OMA.

See more towers with unfortunate likenesses, including one that looks like a pair of trousers, or see all skyscrapers on Dezeen.

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The timber-clad building was designed by SAKO Architects with different functions in each of its five wings, while a wine cellar occupies the basement.

An entranceway cuts through the first of the five wings. A lobby is located beyond and leads into a central hall with a circular skylight overhead.

A wine showroom and bar are contained in the second wing, while the third contains the dining room of the restaurant. Both of these spaces open out to rectangular terraces, plus one of them projects out across the surface of the lake.

The fourth wing contains a series of private function rooms, divided by brick walls with gaps to let the light through, and the final wing contains the kitchen and staff facilities.

Our other recent story about SAKO Architects featured a doughnut-shaped kindergarten with brightly coloured details.

See more architecture in China, including a museum of wooden sculptures and an art gallery in Beijing with curvy courtyards.

Photography is by Ruijing Photo.

Here's some more information from SAKO Architects:

Asterisk in Beijing

The project is a building which on a floating island in the lake, with an area of 2,000 sqm. Including ground floor and basement. Wine showroom, restaurant and underground winery are included.

The space separated by five different functional blocks, and setup as one integral building which is direction relative and continuity connected with the central multifunction space.

The respective functions are connected through a space, the large openings in the exterior wall, form the interior and outdoor overall sense. There are five different functional plazas between each block, wedding or wine exhibition and other activities can be held here.

Project Name: ASTERISK in Beijing
Project Location: Beijing, China
Project Type: Architecture

Architect/s: Keiichiro SAKO, Shuhei AOYAMA, Ariyo MOGAMI, Touru IWASA/ SAKO Architects
Lighting Design: Masahide Kakudate Lighting Architect & Associates
Client: Beijing Sheng Lu International Zhuang Park Hotel Management Ltd.

Element: Winery, Restaurant
Size: Site area: 4,800m2
Building area: 2,000m2
Design Period: 2010/05 – 2011/04
Construction Period: 2010/10 – 2012/11

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As a one-day launch for the 2013 Nike Free collection, the installation presented the different colour combinations of the shoes around a five-lane running track, with some appearing frozen in motion while others lay flat.

A dark-tinted mirror mimicking the shape of the track was positioned directly above and brightly coloured garments were suspended around the perimeter like a row of spectators.

Entitled The Track, this installation was the second of three zones designed by Studio-at-Large for the Nike Free launch event.

The first was an exhibition designed to explain the history of the collection using a system of triangular display stands.

The Finish Line was the third zone in the space, where visitors were invited to sit on rows of benches and use headphones to listen to speeches from different athletes.

First images of the Nike Free Trainer 5.0 were revealed on Dezeen a few weeks ago and the shoe features a criss-crossing body that reference a Chinese finger trap.

Other installations by Nike include a colourful web in a rusting gas tower for the Flyknit collection and a set of motion-sensitive LED walls at the east London Boxpark store. Watch a movie we filmed at the NikeFuel Station at Boxpark or see more stories about Nike.

Photography is by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.

Here are some details from Studio-at-Large:

Nike Free 2013 (Greater China)

The latest generation of Nike Free was introduced in Beijing’s 798 art district in an environment designed to highlight the natural motion running franchise's pedigree of athletic innovation and enhanced aesthetics.

The installation was divided into three key spaces: The A-Z of Nike Free; The Track; The Finish Line. The first drew inspiration from the flexible shoe's geometric outsole to present an interactive experience of imagery, video, and objects that reveal the story and design process behind the Free, whose development dates to 2001.

With the impression of walking into a stadium, visitors entered The Track, where the LED circuit was mirrored from above, adding a depth of vision and light to the space. Complementing the dynamic collection, the illuminated track lines interacted and highlighted the vibrant colorways and sleek silhouette of the product.

Reminiscent of crossing the final racing line, the presentation space in the third area used thin-layered walls to frame the spatial experience for the audience to engage with guest speakers including American Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix and Chinese sprinter Wei Yongli.

Event: Nike Free 2013 Media Showroom and Exhibition, Greater China
Location: Beijing, China
Date: March 2013

Design Firm: Studio-at-Large
Design Director: Albert Tien
Architect: Ryan Newman (R&D Office)
Designers: Lawrence Wu, Vladimir Dubko

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Tree Art Museum is located beside a main road in the Songzhuang arts district, so the architect wanted to create secluded spaces outside the gallery where artists and visitors can socialise. One large courtyard is inserted in front of the building, while a second is positioned at the back and a terrace ramps up over the roof.

Architect Dai Pu explains: "This project hopes to create a place where local people and visitors would communicate with nature, light, trees, water and contemporary art."

A chunky concrete wall separates the entrance courtyard from the road. A sliced opening reveals it to be a corridor, offering an informal exhibition space on the way into the galleries.

Glazed curtain walls surround the courtyard facades of the building, bringing natural light into the two gallery floors and revealing the sloping floors.

"I hope people might be attracted into the museum by the view at the entrance," said Dai Pu. "Their eyes would follow the curvy floorslab coming from the ground all the way up to the roof."

Zigzagging ramps at one end of the building lead up from the ground to the rooftop terrace, which also accommodates four smaller patios.

Meeting rooms and offices are lined up along the rear of the building and face down onto the secondary courtyard.

Dai Pu previously worked for Beijing studio MAD, where he was project architect for Hutong Bubble 32, a bubble-shaped extension to a traditional Chinese courtyard house. Tree Art Museum is his first project since launching Daipu Architects.

Other new galleries in China include Jade Museum, located in a converted office block in Shanghai, and The Design Republic Commune, a design gallery, shop and event space in the same city. See more architecture in China.

Photography is by Shu He.

Here's some more information from Daipu Architects:

Located in Songzhuang, Beijing, China, Tree art museum lies beside the main road of the area. Original village has vanished, replaced by big scale blocks which better fit for cars. Even if renowned as artist village, it's difficult to stay or enjoy art exploration without local artist friend's introducing. So, the first idea was to create an ambient, a public space where people would like to stay, date and communicate.

I hope people might be attracted into the museum by the view at the entrance. Their eyes would follow the curvy floorslab coming from the ground all the way up to the roof. People could choose getting into the space either through the ramp or the courtyard with a pool and tree on the first floor. Sky is reflected onto the ground, with reflecting pool together, helping people to filter their mind and forget the environment out there.

The first courtyard was separated with the main road and dust outside by a bare-concrete wall. People would stay and chat under the tree in the courtyard, or, just feed fishes by the reflecting pool. Meanwhile, they could enjoy artworks and watch other people lingering inside the building through curtain wall. In the bare-concrete wall, there is a corridor which could be utilized to exhibit books and small sculptures. The curvature varies slightly along the path.

The second courtyard introduces nature light to the back exhibition hall and meeting room on 2nd floor, while separating the public and privacy needed. The curvy wall implies people to the other side of the building, and introduces them to come to the public stairs-plaza on the roof, where people could sit and enjoy sunshine, or look down to the pool or even chat with people down in the courtyard.

There are six and half courtyards on 2,695 square meters site. Besides the two bigger ones for exhibition, there are four more courtyards lying on the upper part. Two yards apply sunlight to the back space and introduce skylight to the exhibition hall below. The other two yards are on the top of the floor, which also open to sky.

Above: axonometric diagram - click for larger image

By taking real and pure expression, this project hopes to create a place where local people and visitors would communicate with nature, light, trees, water and contemporary art. This simple and plain idea will spread out through their experience.

Above: ground floor plan - click for larger image

Project title: Tree Art Museum
Location: Song zhuang, Beijing, China
Height: 18.78 meter
No. of floors: Exhibition part: 2 stories, Function part: 5 stories
Building Area: 3,200 square meters
Site area: 2,695 square meters

Above: first and second floor plans - click for larger image

Client: Chinese Contemporary Art Development Foundation
Design Architect: Daipu Architects
Director: Dai Pu
Design Team: Dai Pu, Feng Jing, Liu Yi

Above: third and fourth floor plans - click for larger image

Structural Engineer: Huang Shuangxi
Water Engineer: Lei Ming
Mechanical Engineer: Wang Gepeng
Electrical Engineer: Wang Xiang
Curtain Consultant: Beijing Doorwin Decoration Co, Ltd
Design: 2009.11
Construction: 2010.11 - 2012.09

Above: cross section one - click for larger image

Above: cross section two - click for larger image

Above: street elevation - click for larger image

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Daipu Architects appeared first on Dezeen.

Three different H-shaped sections and two sizes of I-shaped section have been built up in layers to divide the space into a series of linked rooms.

The edges of the partitions are staggered so that openings between each area are softened and the profiles can be seen more clearly.

The sections also decorate the ceiling at the front of the shop, but are replaced by black mirrored glass in some of the sections further back.

Bricks made from compressed tea leaves line the walls at the back of the store, creating a darker, more intimate area where visitors are served tea while they browse.

Garments and gifts are displayed on shelves set into the fretwork and on podiums placed within the smaller pockets of space.

More expensive objects are kept in recessed niches, fronted by glass and lit from above like museum vitrines.

Booths allow customers to sit with sales advisors and try jewellery and other small items in relative privacy.

The store is located in a shopping centre in the central business district in the north east of Beijing.

Kengo Kuma's studio also designed Shang Xia's inaugural store in Shanghai.

Dezeen visited Shang Xia during this year's Beijing Design Week, where we also saw an installation made from ceramic yoghurt pots and screens inspired by traditional Chinese motifs.

See all our stories about retail »
See all our stories about Beijing »
See all our stories about Kengo Kuma »

A few more details from the designers can be found below:

In this shop, extruded aluminum is used as the main material to form the space. The aluminum consists of three H-shaped types (H: 60mm, H: 90mm, H: 135mm) and two I-shaped types (L: 100mm, L: 200mm).

At the upper and the bottom part of the space where the load is concentrated, the shorter type (H: 60mm) of aluminum is densely applied.

To the contrary, the higher type (H135mm) of parts is used largely in the middle, as the load is less, so the screen could be light.

Thus, feature of this design is virtually the result of the structural demand, but the mechanics naturally generated a gradually-changing transparency from the material.

The layer of the aluminum screens makes you feel being placed in a mysterious cloud.

Project Name: Shang Xia Beijing Store
B1 China World Mall, China World Trade Center, No.1 Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue, Beijing
Type of Construction: interior
Main Use: shop
Design and Supervision: Kengo Kuma & Associates
Number of Floors: two in the basement
Total floor area: 152㎡
Design Period: January 2012 – May 2012
Construction: June 2012 – August 2012

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Kengo Kuma and Associates appeared first on Dezeen.