Skyscrapers

Construction work is underway on an eye-catching new skyscraper in Shenzhen, China. Designed by NBBJ, the 32-story building will serve as a new HQ for technology firm Vivo and will feature multiple levels of garden terraces on its exterior.

China recently announced new rules on tall buildings, but it remains to be seen how strictly they will be implemented. The country has at least one new skyscraper on the way though, and it will have decorative features on its facade likened to eyes.

ODA New York has unveiled an interesting design for a new supertall skyscraper. It would have a void at its center which would host a pocket park, enabling residents to enjoy some fresh air and greenery without needing to travel down to the ground.

Herzog & de Meuron has designed a slender new skyscraper for Toronto, Canada, that would be the country's tallest if realized. Named 1200 Bay Street, it would contain retail space, a restaurant, and luxury apartments.

Construction work is still ongoing on China's massive Raffles City Chongqing project but its most notable feature, the "horizontal skyscraper," has now opened to visitors. The stunning skybridge boasts a park and a glass-bottomed observation point.

UNStudio has been given the go ahead for a group of four towers in Germany. Four Frankfurt will include office space and housing, and will open up a previously off-limits inner-city area to the public.

Back in the 1960s, Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew introduced his vision to turn Singapore into a "city in a garden." This has led to lots of greenery-covered architecture, including a new residential high-rise tower by Heatherwick Studio.

China boasts more of the world's tallest skyscrapers than any other country, but this may not be the case in the future following a new policy by the Chinese government limiting construction on new tall buildings, which bans copycat architecture too.

Rising to a sharp gleaming point in the City of London, the aptly-named Scalpel is another high-profile skyscraper by Kohn Pedersen Fox. The office building is a striking addition to the capital's skyline and rises to a height of 190 m (623 ft).

With its impressive height and ambitious twisting, greenery-covered design, you could be forgiven for assuming Southbank by Beulah would stay on the drawing board. It has now received planning permission though and will begin construction next year.

Architecture magazine eVolo has announced the winners of its annual skyscraper competition. The 2020 crop includes plenty of imaginative ideas, including a manmade vertical park and a “healthcare skyscaper" to deal with epidemic outbreaks.

Two eye-catching skyscrapers that are envisioned for London have been granted planning permission, though the project has reportedly proven controversial with some locals. ZHA's Vauxhall Cross Island will include office, hotel, and residential space.