Architecture studio Aedas has designed a pair of round-edged, 150-metres-high skyscrapers, named One Future, in Hangzhou, China.
Informed by lotus plants in the nearby West Lake, One Future features facades of aluminium and glass panels lined with bronze fins that taper at the building's base.
One Future comprises two round-edged skyscrapers
"The formal concept of these twin towers is from lotus roots which is a very popular plantation and of good metaphorical meaning in local Xiao Shan culture," Aedas executive director Wei Li and global design principal Ken Wai told Dezeen.
"Architecturally speaking, we were seeking for a simple and subtle form that can provide efficient floor layouts, while building up strong connections to the rich local culture." The buildings' aluminium and glass facades were lined with bronze fins
On each tower the facades curve inwards to mark a refuge floor, which offer a safe space for occupants in the case of an emergency, squeezing the two structures at different heights to break up their rectilinear form.
At the base of the towers, a curving canopy extends from the facades to form a sheltered entryway.
A curving canopy joins to two towers at their base
A paved, ground floor courtyard lined with trees wraps around the towers and is hidden from the adjacent street and main roads by a perimeter wall and hedges.
Entrances to the buildings were punctured into the curving facade, outlined by bronze frames which match the fins.

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