In Hangzhou, China, an architectural marvel is redefining what it means to live in a high-density urban environment. The Regent International apartment complex — a towering, futuristic structure capable of housing nearly 30,000 residents — has captured global attention for both its audacity and its controversy.
Rising 675 feet above the city and shaped like a sweeping “S,” the complex was designed by Alicia Loo, the architect behind Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay Sands Hotel. But where that project was a statement of luxury, Regent International is a study in urban pragmatism — a vertical city built to solve the problem of space in one of China’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas.
Currently home to around 20,000 residents, the building is not just an apartment block — it’s an entire microcosm of urban life. Within its walls are restaurants, grocery stores, cafes, gyms, swimming pools, salons, and even small medical clinics. Some residents joke that you could live your whole life inside the complex without ever needing to step outside. And in a way, that’s exactly the point.
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