Well this makes for bizarre news: A design by renowned architect Zaha Hadid has reportedly been pirated by another party in China, with both structures now racing to complete construction first. Designs for Hadid’s Wangjing Soho complex (above), were unveiled in August 2011 and are made up of three pebble-shaped volumes up to 200 metres high. The project is due to be completed in 2014. Meanwhile, a project in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing called Meiquan 22nd Century (below) is being built – an apparent imitation of Hadid’s design. Satoshi Ohashi, project director at Zaha Hadid Architects, has speculated “It is possible that the Chongqing pirates got hold of some digital files or renderings of the project”, while a representative for Chongqing Meiquan, the developer behind Meiquan 22nd Century, has refuted accusations of copying and posted on its blog: “Never meant to copy, only want to surpass.” What do you think? (Source: dezeen)
