Australian practice IAPA Design Consultants has won an 'excellence award' in China's International Architecture Design Competition for their proposal for the Guangzhou Daily Group Culture Centre.

The building form looks like thousands of newpapers folded together. The multi-purpose building complex would include office, exhibition, commercial, hotel, culture, and service space.

Images by IAPA courtesy Arch Daily

The architects told Arch Daily that paper and printing as the most symbolic elements in newspaper culture are the inspiration behind the design concept.

IAPA extended the folding paper concept to the exterior landscape spaces, with abundant water features in the gardens used to try to emphasise the regional features of the southern China city.