The developer of the project is the real estate arm of Suning Corp., a major Chinese appliance manufacturer. Upon completion, the towers, ranging from 11 to 31 stores, will contain 1,867 units.

Rothenberg

In addition to blending with the natural environment, architects sought to blend western design concepts with Chinese cultural and household patterns. Part of the design challenge stemmed from incorporating "feng shui", a major factor in Chinese housing design, which influences the direction in which the buildings face. "The planning calls for lots of open green space, which is enabled by the high rise densities. The adjoining areas have buildings lined up like soldiers in formation with very little space between them," Mark Alan Rothenberg, managing principal of RSA, tells GlobeSt.com.

Architects with RSA say that the "construction cost price differential is mainly attributed to labor," Rothenberg says. "There are no trade unions and wages are low. In addition, the construction timetable is expedited by workers sleeping and eating on the work site."