Singapore

The towers that comprise Zaha Hadid's latest project may look precarious, but they are certainly not faulty: “They change shape and geometry as you move up,” explains project director Michele Pasca di Magliano. “That is one of the things Zaha was particularly keen on.” Located in Singapore's District 10, the complex, called d'Leedon, consists of seven high-rises and a dozen separate villas. With two major subway tunnels and the main waterline from Malaysia to Singapore crisscrossing the site's underbelly, the structures necessitated careful placement and tight footprints. Surprisingly, the dizzying forms, created in part by variations in balconies and the narrow bases, were not the architects' primary focus. “We designed the void more than the building itself,” says di Magliano. The reinforced-concrete towers feature a petal-shaped floor plate achieved through vertical cuts that maximize views for the 1,715 residential units and generate 340 unique apartment schemes. Keys are just now being handed out to the residents, who paid between $1 million and $6 million for a spot in the ultra-luxe complex. Says di Magliano: “We're just waiting for it to come to life.”