Sou Fujimoto designs an ethereal tower of 99 floating islands for the Chinese city of Shenzhen

Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto recently unveiled designs for the incredible structure as part of an international competition, in which entrants were tasked with answering the question “how can a tower evolve while continuing to attract attention, as the Eiffel tower does?"

Soaring 268 metres above Shenzhen's Qianhai Bay, the structure features ninety-nine individual towers (along with supporting tension cables) which gradually narrow as they descend and have limited points of contact with the main central core, thus giving the impression of streams of cascading water when viewed from the side or below, and appearing as dozens of islands floating in mid-air when viewed from above.

Photo by Sou Fujimoto Architects

Set to house a viewing platform, a walkway and exhibition space, along with a restaurant and cafe at its summit and gardens, water features and an event space at its base, the ethereal structure will offer visitors spectacular views over Shenzhen's rapidly changing horizon.

Designed to stand simultaneously as a single structure and a collection of smaller individual parts, it "symbolizes the future of societies in the age of diversity," according to Sou Fujimoto Architects, and once completed will be the centrepiece of the city's Qianhaiwan district, which has been the subject of major urban development in recent years.

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The unveiling of this extraordinary design comes just weeks after the firm unveiled their similarly innovative plans for the Shenzhen Reform and Opening-Up Exhibition Hall, which features a multi-layered transparent facade, and is the latest in a series of structures that will transform the skyline of the Chinese megacity, (often dubbed 'China's silicone valley') over the coming decade.

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