Novotown
In November 2016, designs were unveiled by Aedas for a new cultural and entertainment complex called Novotown.
Located at the heart of Henggin Island in Zhuhai, China, the project is intended to become a major tourist destination and a cultural-creative hub for southeast Asia.
The complex takes the form of an open hand, with three towers as fingers and a central courtyard in the 'bowl' of the palm. According to Aedas, they drew on the open palm concept to imply that 'we grasp the past, present and future in the palm of our hands', as well as symbolising the 'passing on of the Chinese culture'.
At the podium level, the 120,000 sq. m cultural and entertainment complex features a shopping mall, a multi-purpose hall, a wedding pavilion and a healthcare and beauty centre. The three towers are the 490-room Hengqin Hyatt Regency Hotel, a 52,000 sq. m office tower and a cultural workshop tower.
In addition, there will be two indoor themed attractions – the National Geographic Ultimate Explorer and the Lionsgate Entertainment World .
Zhuhai Hengqin Laisun Creative Culture City have entered into a partnership with Village Roadshow Theme Parks to create the first themed immersive experience for the Hollywood studio Lionsgate. Spread across 22,000 sq. m, the centre will feature attractions, retail and dining experiences themed around some of Lionsgate's most popular film franchises, such as 'The Hunger Games'.
A tentative completion date for the project is set for 2018.
You can find out more about Novotown here.
Images courtesy of Aedas.
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