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.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.
The Sustainability Pathfinder© Handbook
Built environment agency launches free Pathfinder© tool to help businesses progress sustainability strategies.
Government outcome to the late payment consultation, ECA reacts.
IHBC 2025 Gus Astley Student Award winners
Work on the role of hewing in UK historic conservation a win for Jack Parker of Oxford Brookes University.
Future Homes Building Standards and plug-in solar
Parts F and L amendments, the availability of solar panels and industry responses.
How later living housing can help solve the housing crisis
Unlocking homes, unlocking lives.
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.
The changed R&D tax landscape for Architects
Specialist gives a recap on tax changes for Research and Development, via the ACA newsletter.
Structured product data as a competitive advantage
NBS explain why accessible product data that works across digital systems is key.
Welsh retrofit workforce assessment
Welsh Government report confirms Wales faces major electrical skills shortage, warns ECA.
A now architectural practice looks back at its concept project for a sustainable oceanic settlement 25 years on.
Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
Government report and back track on copyright opt out for AI training but no clear preferred alternative as yet.
Embedding AI tools into architectural education
Beyond the render: LMU share how student led research is shaping the future of visualisation workflows.
Why document control still fails UK construction projects
A Chartered Quantity Surveyor explains what needs to change and how.
Inspiration for a new 2026 wave of Irish construction professionals.
New planning reforms and Warm Homes Bill
Take centre stage at UK Construction Week London.