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.
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."
Source: A.M. Progetti via Arch Daily
