Asia has become a haven for visionary architecture

Beijing - Thanks to the enormous construction boom in China, a number of seemingly far-fetched stories have recently emerged. For example, there are tales of how the overwhelming demand for construction contracts has caused prices for concrete and steel to skyrocket, or how cranes have become scarce items. However, it has turned out that these stories share more with reality than one might think. Asian cities are rapidly expanding, and the skyline of these metropolises is changing practically every day, writes the Financial Times.
    For instance, in Chinese Hong Kong, there are now fifty percent more skyscrapers than in the city that is generally considered to be a paradise for high-rise buildings - New York. Only one of the ten tallest skyscrapers in the world stands in the United States.
    Asian metropolises have become laboratories for modern architecture. Freedom, speed, and volume of contracts present architects with an opportunity to come up with something truly radically new. And cities are competing to see which will give a chance to bolder projects. It somewhat resembles the rivalry between New York and Chicago, where investors once vied for the title of the city with the most impressive and tallest skyscrapers. However, in Asia, the construction fever has affected a much larger area - nearly all cities from Tokyo to Kazakhstan's Astana, Dubai, and Beijing are caught up in it.
    Leading the pack, thanks to the media attention related to the upcoming hosting of the summer Olympic Games, is Beijing. While there are some bland buildings, there are also realizations with shocking extravagance. For instance, one can see the under-construction headquarters of CCTV, two massive towers that lean towards each other with a bridge connecting them at the top. The project by the Dutch firm OMA is stunning and entirely innovative, just like the group of eight towers designed by American architect Steven Holl, which is rising at the opposite end of the metropolis.
    Some creators strive to incorporate elements typical of buildings on this continent into the designs of Asian skyscrapers. One of the most well-known examples is the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which are inspired by the aesthetics of the Far East. Similarly, the tallest building of the present day, the Burj Tower in Dubai, is meant to resemble a pagoda.
    In addition to experiments with form, architects in Asia also place great emphasis on technological innovations and the sustainability of buildings. Malaysian architect Ken Yeang, for instance, has demonstrated that even skyscrapers can be environmentally friendly. His high-rise building on the island of Penang was the first to rely on wind for ventilation. The Pearl River Island skyscraper in Guangzhou, China, is expected to be the first building that will be completely energy self-sufficient. It will achieve this through wind micro-power plants, solar panels, and water recycling.
    The original star of the Asian architectural sky - Hong Kong - is slowly being overshadowed by other cities. Relatively little attention is given to Tokyo, which nevertheless still ranks among the metropolises with the highest density of skyscrapers in the world. However, experts expect significant development mainly in China.
    The CITIC Plaza skyscraper is a new landmark in the city of Shenzhen, while the 69-story Shun Hing Square dominates the skyline in Guangzhou. Both buildings rank among the ten tallest in the world.
    The city's skyline today serves as a recognizable symbol, much like cathedrals, boulevards, or main squares once did. The silhouette of a metropolis acts as a sort of logo, a cipher from which much can be deciphered about its economic success and competitiveness.
    The invasion of avant-garde architects, who are materializing their utopian visions in Asia, is just beginning. It is time to be astonished by this rapid development, as such a boom may never be repeated again.