http://english.cri.cn/6909/2013/11/28/2982s800911.htm Ugly Fast-Food Buildings 2013-11-28 20:10:10 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Yangyang Bizarre buildings have increasingly been piercing China's skylines, earning the country a reputation for being "a playground for bad design." Recently, some senior academicians criticized the so-called western-fast-food-style architectures for the hasty construction and weird designs. Is this a real problem or just difference in aesthetics? Picture: Guangzhou Circle, a new landmark building in south China's Guangzhou, is under construction. [Photo: henan.163.com] =============== Location map?: http://www.gcmap.com/airport/CAN ============== http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guangzhou_Circle Guangzhou Circle (Chinese: ?????) is a landmark building located in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China. It is the headquarters of the Hongda Xingye Group [2] and the new home of Guangdong Plastic Exchange (GDPE), the world largest trading centre for raw plastic material with more than 25 billions euros of annual turn over Contents [hide] 1 Architect 2 Location 3 Design 4 See also 5 References Architect[edit] The building has been designed by Italian architect Joseph di Pasquale, The total height is 138 meters for 33 stories,[5] 85.000 square metres of floor area and about 1 billion RMB[6][7] (70 million dollars) of global investment. Location[edit] Located at the south west boundary of the city the building stands on the bank of the Pearl River. It is a sort of south gate of the city for people who arrive at the new south high speed railway station of the city. Design[edit] The building is similar to another circular building in Shenyang,[8] although its central hole is hollow rather than enclosed by glass. It is the world's tallest circular building[9][10] and with the unique feature of its almost fifty meters wide empty hole in the center (48 mt). Together with some other samples (as Aldar headquarters building) it's starting a new way in landmark buildings for the third millennium not anymore based on the stereotype of western skyscraper. The designer stated that he was just looking for a landmark bustling based on the oriental psychology and perception, finding in the Chinese use of symbols in writing a possible inspiration. In fact the building is also called a "urban ideogram".[11] Many other meanings are linked with the building: the iconic value of jade discs and numerological tradition of Fengshui. In particular, the double disc of jade (bidisk) is the royal symbol of ancient Chinese dynasty that reigned in this area around 2000 years ago . The building reflected in the water of the river creates exactly the same image: a double jade disc.[12] This figure also corresponds to the number 8 and infinity symbol that Chinese culture has a strong propitiatory value.[13] Just remember how the date and time of the start of the Beijing Olympics was for the same reason fixed to 8:08 am of August (8), 8th 2008. ============= http://www.sportstune.com/chinese/coins/tachuan.html Chinese coins (pictured: charms from the Ta Ch'uan Wu Shih dynasty: year 9 AD.) ==================== http://www.archdaily.com/576679/encountering-the-weirdness-in-china-a-talk-with-the-guangzhou-circle-architect-joseph-di-pasquale/ ( picture) ========== http://www.gizmag.com/guangzhou-circle-mansion/30486/pictures#1 (closeup pictures) Don't call it a doughnut: The Guangzhou Circle Mansion By Adam Williams January 16, 2014 14 Comments 21 Pictures The Guangzhou Circle Mansion (Photo: Joseph di Pasquale architect) The Guangzhou Circle Mansion (Photo: Joseph di Pasquale architect) Image Gallery (21 images) Italian architecture firm A.M. Progetti recently completed work on a circular-shaped skyscraper based in Guangzhou, China, dubbed the Guangzhou Circle Mansion. Despite its appearance, the building's design bears no relation whatsoever to tasty dough-based treats. The circular hole measures 48 m (157 ft) in diameter (Photo: Joseph di Pasquale architect) Guangzhou Circle Mansion has a total floor space of 85,000 sq m (914,000 sq ft), spread over 33 floors (Photo: Joseph di Pasquale architect) Despite its appearance, the building's design bears no relation whatsoever to tasty dough-based treats (Photo: Joseph di Pasquale architect) The building is 138 m (452 ft) high (Photo: Joseph di Pasquale architect) Guangzhou Circle Mansion has a total floor space of 85,000 sq m (914,000 sq ft), spread over 33 floors, and is 138 m (452 ft) high, with the circular hole measuring 48 m (157 ft) in diameter. The building currently serves as home to the Guangdong Plastic Exchange, and also hosts several exclusive office units, plus a hotel. According to the architects, the unusual double-disc design was inspired by the iconic value of jade discs in China and the numerological tradition of Feng Shui. Gizmag's knowledge concerning the ancient Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui is rather lacking, so we're going to take that on faith. Additionally, when reflected in the nearby river, the building's shape also corresponds to the number 8, which is an admittedly very nice touch for this arguably gaudy project. The number 8 is considered especially lucky in Chinese culture, and A.M. Progetti correctly points out that the Beijing Olympics kicked off at exactly 8:08 am, on 8-8-2008, for that very reason. It seems that not everyone's a fan though, as Sky News reports that locals refer to it as "the flashy rich people's circle." ============ http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/guangzhou-circle/16186 Click an image to view larger version. Figures Height: Architectural 137.8 m / 452 ft Height: Occupied 129 m / 423 ft Height: To Tip 137.8 m / 452 ft Height: Helipad 137.8 m / 452 ft Floors Above Ground 33 Floors Below Ground 2 Tower GFA 83,000 m² / 893,405 ft² Official Name Guangzhou Circle Other Names GDPE Landmark Building Structure Type Building Status Completed Country China City Guangzhou Street Address & Map S81 Guangzhou Ring Expressway Exit & S 39 Dong Xin Gao Su & S 81 Guang Zhou Huan Cheng Gao Su, Li Building Function office Structural Material steel Proposed 2008 Construction Start 2011 Completion 2013 Official Website Guangzhou Circle