A view of the train-shaped building. SOHO China

China’s building boom in recent years has resulted in an explosion of oddly-shaped towers in ever-rising skylines across the Chinese urban landscape, which have variously been compared to articles of clothing or kitchen items.

Over the weekend, another joined its ranks: an office complex designed to look like four bullet trains, launched at a glitzy event in Shanghai by property developer SOHO China. Sky SOHO, located on a sprawling 86,000 square-meter plot, complements the area’s function as a transport hub, the commercial property developer said.

“The construction requirements for the locomotive heads were no less precise than auto industry standards,” the developer said in a press release, referring to the engine.

The opening came just weeks after Chinese president Xi Jinping publicly discouragedthe building of weird architecture. In his remarks, he called for art that should “be like sunshine from the blue sky and the breeze in spring that will inspire minds, warm hearts, cultivate taste and clean up undesirable work styles.”....Continue Reading

> via WSJ