China

Led by China Railway Group Limited, the Lvzhijiang Bridge redefines what makes a suspension bridge a suspension bridge—with a record-breaking feat of engineering that connects two sides of a deep canyon. The result is certainly stunning: a bridge that seems, on one end, to almost levitate of its own accord. But it’s more than just architectural eye candy. The three-year project transforms what was once a 90-minute car journey into a two-minute jaunt—potentially bringing tourism to the Yunnan province and boosting the local economy.

Ever watch a maple seed pod fall from a tree? Spinning like a helicopter propeller, it stays aloft for far longer than if it fell directly to the ground. The kind of elegant engineering found in nature was the inspiration behind a City University of Hong Kong project to design a more efficient and versatile two-blade drone—one that can fly for almost double the time of a traditional four-rotor version, whose quartet of power-supplying motors suck up battery power and thus limit flight duration. The reimagined drone, which took its first flight in May, weighs in at about 35 grams (1.2 ounces) and spins at around 200 revolutions per minute. With its diminutive battery humming, it can hover for an impressive 24 minutes. The drone’s design also makes it capable of recording video from every direction simultaneously—and its developers envision it as a powerful tool for environmental research and urban planning.

Tech companies don’t thrive by treading water—but how can architecture firms create spaces that work for teams now and decades into the future? For Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the solution is to double down on flexibility so the space can adapt as the company (and the world of work) evolves. When it came time to expand the Shanghai office for Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, the U.S. studio aimed to evoke a cloud (a subtle nod to Alibaba’s cloud-computing services and the technology industry’s shifting skies of innovation). The sketches revealed in July show a distinctive, long-span modular design combined with a column-free interior, allowing for both expansive spaces and enclosed workstations that can be changed with minimal effort. A spacious central courtyard, staggered terraces, rooftop gardens and “collaboration bridges” are meant to encourage employee interactions, while blurring the usual boundaries of where work gets done. As the studio mapped out the 75,000-square-meter (807,293-square-foot) space, design partner Scott Duncan says it kept the tech company’s vision front and center: “‘The only constant is change’ is one of Alibaba’s guiding principles, [and] we took this ethos to heart.”

Could a building facade be made sustainably while also evoking the posh identity of a luxury retail brand? MVRDV believes it conquered the challenge. For the facade of Bulgari’s Shanghai store, which opened in November 2021, the Dutch architecture firm created a new material made of pieces of glass from champagne and beer bottles compressed into large panels. The green slabs resemble precious jade, but their recycled glass composition represents a step toward MVRDV and Bulgari’s goal of building stores within an entirely circular economy. As the architecture firm noted: “Given the right treatment and detailing, leftover champagne and beer bottles, which would otherwise be thrown away, become a jewel for the city.”

The Yangtze River Delta region accounts for about one-sixth of China’s entire population and one-fourth of the country’s GDP. But limited commuting options—and lengthy travel times between towns—have long dampened the ability of local companies to recruit and retain talent. To better connect the region—and bolster its economy—the China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group and Third Harbor Engineering partnered on a project to build Taihu Tunnel, a two-way, six-lane highway that is China’s longest and widest passageway under a lake.

The sheer size and scale of the cosmos is one reason it inspires such awe—and the same is true for the Shanghai Astronomy Museum. After more than seven years of planning and construction, it debuted in July 2021, staking its claim as the world’s largest museum devoted to the subject. The sprawling, 39,019 square-meter (420,000-square-foot) ode to space exploration and the vast wonders of the universe was designed by Chinese firm Ennead and features dozens of immersive exhibits: Visitors can walk around a black hole, tour the cosmos within a suspended planetarium, stand before a huge and fiery red model of the sun, and peek at a 23.8-meter-tall (78-foot-tall) solar telescope. The museum was also designed with almost no right angles—a design choice meant to evoke the celestial grace of a sundial.

Most rewards on airline credit cards aren’t earned through travel, but through on-the-ground purchases at retailers and restaurants. Store purchases also make up a sizable portion of how points and rewards are spent, often through an airline shopping portal. Hong Kong’s Divit upended that convoluted system with a mobile app that allows shoppers to pay with instant money transfers, rather than credit, and still earn miles. That means any merchant that joins the platform can cater to rewards-minded shoppers, without needing to pay credit card processing fees. And shoppers can easily redeem miles directly with retailers or, yes, with airlines for travel. Rolled out to Hong Kong shoppers in June, the platform is expected to expand to Australian retailers later this year.

Nestled in the shadows of the Great Wall ruins in China’s Chengde region, the Chapel of Sound is an engineering and acoustic marvel—no less impressive when the open-air concert hall is empty than when filled with music. Commissioned by development company Aranya and designed by Beijing’s Open Architecture, the project is part of the local government’s efforts to attract tourists to the remote area. Construction began in April 2018, and the project was completed in October 2021—offering visitors a unique experience, come rain or shine.

When the Wudongde Hydropower Station opened last year on the Jinsha river in southwest China, it became more than one of the tallest dams ever built. It’s also the central feature of the attached hydropower station, which houses a total of 12 hydro-turbine generating units capable of generating an estimated 38.9 billion kilowatt-hours annually—enough electricity to power the annual needs of roughly 300,000 people. Although the project took more than seven years to complete, the impact will be huge—and will also help China achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2060.

The massive Tibetan Plateau—nicknamed “the roof of the world” because of its high altitude—will soon be home to the world’s largest structure built entirely without human labor. The project, which moved into the construction phase in December 2021, aims to build the 180-meter (590-feet) Yangqu Dam strictly with 3D printing and autonomous AI technology, including unmanned bulldozers, trucks, excavators and pavers—alleviating the potential for safety risks and human error. Project partners include the Upper Yellow River Hydropower Development Co., State Power Investment Corporation, Gansu Electric Power Investment Group and Shaanxi Hydropower Development Co. Situated on the Yellow River, the dam and its corresponding hydroelectric power station will provide power to roughly 100 million in Henan Province.