Location: Cotai, Macau, China.

Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects.

A 40-story hotel in Cotai, Macau, called The Morpheus was created by Zaha Hadid Architects to incorporate grand guest suites, dramatic public spaces, and cutting-edge engineering. It is joined to the City of Dreams resort by two towers that are connected at the roof and ground levels, and the north and south facades are connected by external gaps. The hotel’s dramatic interior public areas are defined by three horizontal vortices that also create one-of-a-kind corner suites with breathtaking views of the atrium and the city. The first free-form high-rise exoskeleton in the world, Morpheus combines sculptural form, structural integrity, and optimal layout.

It is based on 40 years of investigation by ZHA into the fusion of Cartesian and Einsteinian theories, civic and private, solid and void, and inner and outer.

The twelve glass elevators in the atrium give visitors breathtaking views of both the inside and outside of the hotel. The exoskeleton of the structure makes the interiors more efficient by forming areas that are not interrupted by supporting walls or columns.