We are in Chongqing, China. One of the largest cities in the world.

Witnessing a project of outstanding scale and significance: Raffles City Chongqing, a complex of eight skyscrapers by Moshe Safdie. Like billowing sails situated at the tip of land where the rivers Yangtze and Jialing meet, these skyscrapers change the perspectives on a city that so far has not been the focus of the wider world outside China, like Shanghai or Beijing. But this could now be about to change!

Seven skyscrapers reach the sky, with the eighth being a horizontal building 250 metres in height, called ‘The Crystal’. It connects four of the towers, bringing garden areas, swimming pools, hotel lobbies and restaurants to a higher level. As Moshe Safdie says, "It does not make sense any longer to have the public landscapes on the ground in a city where high-rise buildings dominate!" With this said, The Crystal has proven its relevance. Offering breathtaking views of the city of Chongqing, the rivers and the mountain landscape in the distance, it also provides natural environs, leisure and comfort to those visiting the 300-metre long sky bridge.

Raffles City Chongqing has been awarded LEED-CS pre-certification gold, as advanced technologies lower its environmental impact. Thousands of ABB products are involved to deliver outstanding performance.

"We are very proud that we have been able to create a gateway complex that has proven to have deep symbolic meaning for the city and its citizens," says architect Moshe Safdie of Safdie Architects.

Watch Episode #16 of Frozen Music and feel the magic of Safdie Architects' newest significant addition to a megacity.

Frozen Music Episode #16 Raffles City Chongqing - China by Safdie Architects May 4, 2022

Frozen Music
Each Frozen Music video showcases a unique building project and the architects behind them to a global community, giving quick insight into safer, smarter, and more sustainable building designs.

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