Japanese architectural firms AXS Satow and Nomura have received a contract to design a resort complex in Shenzhen, China. The companies were selected by the international bidding from seventy applicants, winning the competition over the world’s renowned firms such as London-based Zaha Hadid Architects and NY-based Leeser Architecture. Project owner Shenzhen Special Economic District Development Group will construct total 131,495m2 buildings consisting of an aquarium, a research center and a hotel in the city’s major tourist destination Xiaomeisha Area.

The Japanese companies proposed a plan of five buildings with state-of-the-art technologies and a sophisticated design, including a spiral-shaped aquarium which was inspired by ocean current of South China Sea. The structure will feature the world’s first ring-shaped elevator inside an aquarium. (2018/07/12)