Architects are often pushing the boundaries of the possible, often in response to challenges posed by the ongoing problems of urban sprawl, pollution, and overpopulation.

And in China, where one-fifth of the world’s total population lives and urban population density reaches into the thousands per square kilometre, forward-looking architects are finding a receptive audience.

Consider for example the case of Shenzen, a city of 10,357,938 people located just north of Hong Kong. As part of the larger urban mass known as the Pearl River Megalopolis, which contains 120,000,000 people at a density of 3047 people per square kilometre, concerns over overpopulation and urban sprawl are pretty grave indeed.

Especially when one considers that the total number of people living in China’s cities outnumbers that living in rural areas and an additional 800 million people are expected to make the transition from rural to city living by the…