Nanjing Road mixed use area by RTA-Office
Pint glasses of beer provided the inspiration for this cluster of tower blocks underway in Qingdao, China, by architects RTA-Office.
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Set for completion in 2014, the mixed-use complex will occupy an entire city block and will provide offices, apartments and leisure facilities, including a hotel, a shopping centre, restaurants and a sports centre.
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The city of Qingdao is also home to the Tsingtao brewery, one of China's largest lager manufacturers and the producer of the popular Tsingtao beer. RTA-Office chose to make reference to this by incorporating the shape and colour of a glass of beer within each structure.
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"We have thoroughly studied the environment and character of the city to propose a project that the city can feel is its own project and that has a unique character," said the architects. "This strong reference suggested to us both the shape of the project and the colours."
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The proposals are for a series of glazed towers, each with different heights and varying golden tones.
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"We paid special attention to the configuration of the volumes," added the architects. "We set them very carefully and in a harmonious way. We also paid attention to the colour-scheme; the result gives a touch of elegance and warmth to the complex."
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Leisure facilities will be located at ground level where possible and will spill out onto a series of new streets and plazas.
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Lead by architect Santiago Parramón, Spanish firm RTA-Office has studios in Barcelona, Shanghai and Istanbul. Past projects include the basalt-clad House C in Barcelona.
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Other unusual proposals we've featured from China include a pair of spiralling buildings inspired by an ancient emblem and a skyscraper inspired by spacecraft.
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