This building tricks the eye. "It's a trapezoid structure, inclined outwards by 6.9 degrees, to enhance the perspective," says Nils Fischer, project director for Zaha Hadid Architects, who designed the Nanjing International Youth Cultural Centre. "It appears to be taller. It's the perfect illusion."
The illusions continue inside. Luminescent films dot the 465,000-square-metre complex, making it seem as if the light comes from inside the wall itself. The conference centre (below) alone has 8,500 LED patches. Look closely at the lighting panels and you can also spot speakers, fire sprinklers and ventilation.
"All the equipment is integrated," says London-based Fischer. Folds in the ceiling conceal the lighting equipment, and acoustic textiles on the walls make the room "transparent to sound".
The two towers, 315 metres and 255 metres tall respectively, are nearing completion, but the centre was inaugurated during the city's 2014 Youth Olympic Games. The building was financed by the Chinese government, which says it cost ¥4 billion (£470 million) - though the project team specifies this is the government's official figure, slightly lower than the real cost. Tricky to the last. zaha-hadid.com
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
