Architect looks to the big picture

The model of the building springs from an oval that developed in various dimensions to a triangular form with concave walls and rounded corners.

To achieve good aesthetics from all angles, Zhou and his team used two different materials on the facade. On the concave walls where the radiant is gentle, they used glass, which gives better ventilation and lighting for the office.

On the edges where the radiant runs more sharply, they weaved more than 220,000 liuli rods together to round the corner. The liuli net will reflect the blue sky and white clouds, and have a dynamic visual effect that resembles the blue and white porcelain.

The smooth surface of the liuli net also allows the dust to fall onto the inside coat without sticking on the outer coat, which will be very difficult to clean.

Director of the Institute of Architectural History and Theory at Southeast University, Zhou believes in Chinese philosophical ideas such as moderation and peaceful coexistence.

"The building has to connect with the surrounding with tenderness. It has to coexist peacefully with the numerous skyscrapers that will soon be built in this area," Zhou says.

Without a definite orientation in the triangular form, it's very easy for the building to blend into the area and be an organic part of it, Zhou says.

The triangular form also adds to its ability to resist earthquakes. Because of the rounded shape, 72 percent of the area in the building is usable, compared to the average 55 percent of skyscrapers, Zhou says.

From a bird's-eye view, the building resembles the Chinese character ren, which means "people" in Chinese. It is also the first character of the Chinese name of People's Daily, an interesting coincidence Zhou did not think about until he finished his design.

With a moderate height of 180 meters and area of 15,000 square meters, Zhou expects the building to be humble but not featureless. "It is not imposing, but always recognizable."

The building will be finished by March and will be handed over by May, he says.