Chaoyangmen SOHO

3 August 2009 by Andrew B.

British Iraqi deconstructivist architect Zaha Hadid has completed plans for the newest and strangest real estate development to hit Beijing since the Big Underwear, or , as it is colloquially known. Looking more like an alien breeding colony than the Beijing courtyards it was modeled after, Chaoyangmen SOHO will be the most centrally located SOHO and the biggest development on the 2nd ring road. And at a 5.5 billion RMB acquisition, it wont be the cheapest.

SOHO China founders Pan Shiyi ( ), former Oil Ministry employee, and his wife Zhang Xin ( ), former Goldman Sachs employee announced the project. Chaoyangmen SOHO is the sixth of its kind, but boasts one of the largest budgets and most innovative design. Indeed, Zaha Hadid is one of the most influential modern architects and ranks 69th on Forbes The World s 100 Most Powerful Women.

Sharply contrasting the monolithic Soviet-style monuments to Communism, the Chaoyangmen SOHO pods have no hard angles or edges and are supposed to resemble Old Beijing courtyards that are surrounded on each side and open in the center. The total construction area of the project is 334,000 square meters, of which 166,000 and 86,000 square meters are designated for offices and retail uses respectively. Chaoyangmen SOHO will become SOHO s ninth project in Beijing. It joins Sanlitun SOHO, Guanghualu SOHO and Guanghualu SOHO II, which are all currently under construction.

This is not from an Asimov novel