With its enormous scale and futuristic design, China’s Regent International, also known as the “Dystopian Apartment,” has gone viral on TikTok. This sinuous S-shaped tower, which was designed by Alicia Loo of Marina Bay Sands fame, rises 675 feet above Hangzhou’s major business center and can house up to 30,000 people. Currently, it houses about 20,000 people.
The tallest side of Regent International spans 39 stories and houses an incredible array of amenities, including restaurants, supermarkets, swimming pools, salons, and even internet cafés. With rent starting at about $200 per month and going up to $600 for larger units, it provides a cost-effective, all-in-one urban lifestyle for many young professionals, students, and social media entrepreneurs in a city where living space is at a premium.
Its self-contained design and density, which evoke scenarios from dystopian novels, critics fear, leave little space for outdoor leisure or personal privacy. Others, however, applaud it as a possible model for addressing the world’s housing shortage without resorting to unending suburban development. In Whittier, Alaska, where a whole town is housed in a single structure, similar trials have also been attempted.
Regent International undoubtedly pushes the limits of compact, ecological living, even as discussions on quality of life persist. This tall community has already changed the discussion about how—and where—we might all live in the future, regardless of whether you view it as a warning story or a creative solution.
