Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Tower was all set to steal the crown of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa as the world’s tallest tower but now there’s a new project setting its sights high - and the plan is to colour it pink.
At 1km high - 172 metres taller than the 828m Burj - the Phoenix Towers in Wuhan, the capital of central China, are scheduled for completion in 2017/18, and hoping to pip the Kingdom Tower which is penciled in for completion in 2018.
The ambitious project will be the tallest pair of buildings in the world according to its design team at the UK-based Chetwoods Architects.
The design is themed on the traditional Chinese phoenix symbol containing two birds and representing a perfectly balanced union.
The plans show the towers to be set on an island in a lake at the end of a 3km avenue, with one tower leaning towards a commercial zone and the other towards a cultural and recreational zone.
Environmental features include a wind turbine near the top of the tallest tower, a thermal chimney, rainwater harvesting, green walls and biomass boilers. The towers are intended to generate their own power requirement.
A statement on Chetwoods’ website says the “project’s key emphasis is on the harmonious combination of 21st century Western technological know-how and experience with Chinese tradition and culture. In response to the client’s wish to develop a new style of architecture that emphasises Chinese identity, the use of a pair of towers reflects the dualist elements of Chinese culture in contrast to a more Western monolithic form.”
As for the choice of pink, a spokesman for Chetwoods told CNN that the towers “reflect the spectacular colours of the sunsets in the region”.
While the Phoenix Towers is awaiting government approval, work on the 251-floor Kingdom Tower in Jeddah has started.
ioxborrow@thenational.ae
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