Ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon has Arrived in Shanghai

Recently, a building that is similar to the Ancient Wonder, “Hanging Gardens of Babylon” has popped up along the shores of the Suzhou river.

Although it is still under construction, this unique architecture is causing quite a stir. 

Artist interpretation of the ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon

So what is this new building?

This is the Sunshine Peninsula and it’s designed by famous architect Thomas Heatherwick, who also designed the Seed Cathedral or more commonly known in Shanghai as the UK pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010. 

Seed Cathedral at the Shanghai Expo 2010

Heatherwick calls this Shanghai Sky Garden ‘’1000 trees’’. Because 1000 trees are planted on 400 different balconies.

It will be finished in 2018 and it will become a new comprehensive shopping mall and a new landmark in Shanghai.

It can combine working area with outdoor area with views, overlooking the Suzhou river.

So who is Thomas Heatherwick?

He is a 46-year old, talented architect from England, that is recognized not only for his architectural achievements but he is also popular in sculpture, art and fashion fields.

He has many popular masterpieces besides the UK pavilion that is recognized for its unique concept and design, such as this moving construction at the Bund Financial Center in Shanghai.

This façade transforms shapes. He took inspiration from factory working lines.

Another design of his is the main torch of London Olympic Games. 204 coppers represent 204 participating countries.

Check out this landmark he designed for New York’s Hudson City Square which is called Vessel. And it becomes New York’s Eiffel Tower.

And the study center in Singapore Nanyang Technological University. It looks totally different from normal campus buildings. And it arouses a reform for campus construction.

Besides these architecture, he also designed the followings:

Sexy red bus in London

“Spun chair”, where you can sit comfortably in every position

With all his unique designs, we can only look forward to visiting this project when it’s completed and see his ‘’1000 trees’’.

Source: Archifun

Photo source: www.vcg.com

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