Leeza Soho by Zaha Hadid Architects

The Leeza Soho tower in Beijing, China, made the world record to become the only building that contains the tallest atrium twisting through its centre.

The 45-storey skyscraper designed by Zaha Hadid, the late founder of Zaha Hadid Architects before her death in 2016, is located in the Fengtai business district.

Commissioned by Soho China, the same developer of Galaxy Soho and Wangjing Soho, the Leeza Soho skyscraper contains a mix of shops and offices surrounding the mind-boggling atrium.

Beijing's multi-modal urban plan is aimed at accommodating growth without impacting its existing infrastructure networks in the centre of the city. The new Fengtai business district plays an integral role to complement the city’s greater vision, explained Patrik Schumacher who took over Zaha Hadid Architects firm.

The completed Leeza Soho has 45 floors above ground, and four floors under ground.

It is positioned on a site adjacent to the precinct’s main railway station, and straddles an underground subway service tunnel.

Its position over this tunnel led Zaha Hadid Architects to divide the building in two halves, which resulted in the formation of a giant atrium at its centre.

This atrium runs the full height of the building, which at 194.15 metres makes it the world's tallest atrium, overtaking the previous record held by the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai.

As it rises, the Leeza Soho's void twists by 45 degrees to appear as though the two sides of the tower are moving together in a beautiful dancing motion.

The dynamic shape of the atrium creates convex openings on either side of the tower, which allow natural light into the interiors and provide views out over towards the city from each floor.

The lowest level of the atrium has been designed to act as a public square for the business district, and is directly linked to the interchange beside the site.

The two parts of the Leeza Soho are linked internally by elevated walkways that project across the void from four different levels, while externally they are fused together by a curtain glass facade.

This glass facade is double insulated, and is made up of a number of glass panels that are angled to aid ventilation. The intention is to help maintain a comfortable indoor climate in Beijing's variable weather conditions.

In a bid to enhance the building's environmental performance, the tower is fitted with heat recovery from exhaust air and high-efficiency pumps, water-collection facilities, grey water flushing and an insulating green roof with photovoltaic panels.

There are also 2,680 bicycles parking spaces with lockers and shower facilities, alongside charging spaces for electric or hybrid cars to encourage users to travel sustainability.

Top 5 Iconic Skyscrapers In Japan

No. 1 ~ Tokyo SkyTree (634 meters)

No. 2 ~ Tokyo Tower (333 meters)

No. 3 ~ Abeno Karukas (300 meters)

No. 4 ~ Yokohama Landmark Tower (296 meters)

No. 5 ~ Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (243 meters)

MahaNakhon Tower

If I have to choose the most unusual skyscraper in Southeast Asia, I've no doubt that it has to be MahaNakhon Tower in Bangkok, Thailand. Designed by star architect Ole Scheeren, this building almost looks like it belongs to the fantasy world of Anime or Gaming. The facade of the tower looks like it has been scratched by a giant monster like Godzilla when it wrecked havoc in the busy streets of Bangkok while stepping on a few Tuk Tuk along the way.

This building defies all our knowledge of a tall buildings by deliberately 'scars' its face as if it is still left standing after a meteor hit the face of the earth. Truly imaginative in the fantasy way to design such an outrageous building for a city like Bangkok which is not known for iconic modern architecture.

Spiral Tower In Nagoya

Mode-Gakuen Spiral Towers is a structure that instantly stand out in the city of Nagoya, Japan. This shimmering tower spirals 36 stories [170 m] above the busy streets of Nagoya, Japan, and house educational facilities for three different disciplines – fashion design, computer programming and medical support. Architectural group Nikken Sekkei incorporated a host of green design features in the tower including a double-glazed air flow window system and natural ventilation system.

Due to significant political, social and practical constraints, building green can be a challenge in major metropolitan areas. A typical double-glazed air flow system significantly reduces heating and cooling loads by the passage of indoor/outdoor air (exhaust air/return air) between two panes of glass. The cavity between the panes typically has blinds which can be operated according to heating/cooling requirements at particular time. It’s a system that has been hugely successful at significantly reducing heating and cooling loads in large buildings and one that continues to spread across the globe.

The Spiral Towers appears quite precarious from the street especially when it is erected in an earthquake prone location. The structural ingenuity of this tower has simple structure; a pivotal inner truss tube acts as a central pillar supporting the three, gently tapering wings. The truss tube is constructed of concrete-filled, steel tubular columns with structural braces affixed around the base. The entire structure is designed and fitted with some of the most robust seismic engineering features in the region. Students from the three schools: Nagoya Mode Gakuen , HAL Nagoya and Nagoya Isen —are sure to benefit from the both the gorgeous design and the green measures that have gone into this great new building.

Vertical Gardens Tower

Oasia Hotel designed by WOHA Architects is a vertical garden that truly stands out from its immediate neighbourhood. By having planting climbing throughout the structure, it managed to have 1,000% more plant life than could have existed on the original plot of land. The architects wish to bring back nature into the concrete jungle.