A ribbon of steel and aluminium winds around the Suzhou Bay Cultural Center, which French architect Christian de Portzamparc has completed on the shore of Lake Tai in China.
Set on an esplanade in Wujiang District in Suzhou, the centre is divided into two distinct wings that contain a mix of performance halls, educational spaces and galleries.
The wings are unified by a curved, 500-metre-long metal structure, which swoops up and around them in a figure of eight and distinguishes the building from afar.
Above: the cultural centre sits on the shore of Lake Tai. Top image: it is wrapped by a continuous metallic ribbon