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The world’s weirdest skyscrapers now under construction
NBBJ, Amazon HQ2 office complex, Arlington, US (ongoing)
The Arlington County Council recently approved the decision to build the 106-metre high spiral tower for the Amazon HQ2. The tower, named “The Helix”, will be one of three office buildings in Arlington County that will form Amazon's Amazon's second headquarters. The buildings, located between paths and tree-lined boulevards, are set to become among the tallest in Arlington, where high-rise construction is prohibited.
Image Courtesy of NBBJ
Elenberg Fraser, Premier Tower, Melbourne, Australia
The reflective glass and steel mixed-use building with its soft, curvy form is an homage to the wavy fabric-wrapped bodies of the dancers in Beyoncé's 2013 music video (Ghost).
Image Courtesy of Elenberg Fraser
BIG, Cactus Tower, Copenhagen, Denmark 2024
The Cactus Towers, named after the characteristic façade conformation reminiscent of the spiny shape of a cactus, are characterised by the superimposition of horizontal blocks with different orientations to create an articulated geometric composition incorporating staggered loggias, sharp edges and glazed surfaces. Recently completed, the towers are mainly intended for residential and micro-living, especially for young students, residents and tourists.
Image Courtesy of BIG
Herzog & De Meuron, Tour Triangle, Paris, France (under construction, scheduled completion in 2024)
The glass pyramid with a height of 180 m will be the third tallest building in Paris, after the Eiffel Tower and the Montparnasse Tower. The trapezoidal shape of the building is determined by the rotation of the north and south axes on the rectangular plot, while the volumetric pyramidal development reduces shadows on the adjacent residential buildings. The skyscraper, scheduled for completion in 2026, will house offices, a conference centre, a wellness centre, a cultural centre, a kindergarten, a luxury hotel and a panoramic restaurant on its 41 floors.
Image Courtesy of Herzog & De Meuron
Herzog & De Meuron, Tour Triangle, Paris, France (under construction, scheduled completion 2024)
Image Courtesy of Herzog & De Meuron
Fernando Donis, Dubai Frame, Dubai, UAE 2018
The world's largest “frame” was conceived as an observatory, museum and monument to cornice the landmarks of modern Dubai (the Emirates Towers or the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building) and older Dubai (Deira, Umm Harare and Karama). The complex, made of glass, steel, aluminium and reinforced concrete, consists of two vertical towers connected by two horizontal volumes, the upper of which forms a 150 m high walkway.
Photo Courtesy of Fernando Donis
SOM, Karlatornet Tower, Gothenburg, Sweden 2024
Con i suoi 246 metri che lo renderanno al termine dei lavori il grattacielo più alto della Scandinavia, Karlatornet è situato in un una posizione tale da essere visibile nitidamente dall’area portuale di Lindholmen e dal centro città, divenendo così un potente landmark nel paesaggio urbano. La torre in vetro dalla silhouette fluida ed elegante, quasi completata, ospiterà 611 appartamenti, hotel, uffici e uno sky bar.
Image Courtesy of SOM
AO, Legends Tower, Oklahoma City, USA, ongoing
The Oklahoma City Council has just approved the urban development programme for the Boardwalk at Bricktown area, of which Legends Tower will be the flagship element. The building, which at 581 m will become the tallest skyscraper in the United States and one of the tallest in the world, will house hotel, residential and commercial functions and, on the top floors, a restaurant and a rooftop terrace. “The height is not a necessary thing”, says one of the planners, revealing that the exponential growth in height of the building was not planned at the beginning but occurred during the conceptual process, following the reactions of investors, the market and the city to the project.
Image from Wikipedia
Binghatti Development, Bugatti residences, Dubai, UAE, Ongoing
The design of the ultra-luxury residential complex (the world's first Bugatti-Residence) illustrated in Dubai in 2023 is currently under development. The subtle curves, fluid forms and changing play of light that will be created on the glazed surfaces evoke an amoeboid struggling in the heart of the metropolis.
Courtesy of Binghatti Development
Aedas, Chongqing Gaoke Group Ltd Office, Chongqing, China 2022
The 180 m high office tower offers a digression on the theme of twisting volumes and the relationship with light, which becomes a powerful design element. The essential glass volume that twists in on itself, creating curved walls in dialogue with the rectilinear planes, accentuates the light reflections, which change over the course of the day and transforms the building into an inspiring backdrop for a “dance of light”.
Courtesy of Aedas
Zaha Hadid Architects, The Henderson, Hong Kong, 2025
The 190-metre high, 37-storey skyscraper for the offices of the Henderson Land company is a plastic volume shaped by an organically inspired, undulating glass façade, reflecting the changing silhouettes of the surrounding metropolis. The design reinterprets the curves of a Bauhinia bud (known as Hong Kong's orchid tree) about to bloom.
Photo Virgile Simon Bertrand
OODA, Bond Tower, Tirana, Albania, ongoing
Bond Tower is a 50-storey complex that splits into two towers and, with retail space, offices, residences and a hotel, reflects the vibrant energies of the Albanian capital. The dialectic (and encounter) of the two volumes creates a changing perception depending on the angle and is inspired by “The Kiss”, Gustav Klimt's famous painting in which two bodies merge into a single form (and soul).
Render Plomp
