Annie Walton Doyle
A ‘dystopian’ apartment block where 20,000 residents never need to go outside has left the internet feeling creeped out.
Wherever you end up choosing to live, there are always pros and cons to consider.
You have to decide whether you prioritise light, space, or location.
But for certain residents of a Chinese apartment block, they’ve all decided that convenience is key.
In their 20,000-capacity housing, they have everything at their fingertips and never need to leave.
And while to some, this sounds like a dream, to others, it’s more of a dystopian nightmare…
The Regent International is a humungous building in Qianjiang Century City, located in Hangzhou’s central business district.
It’s 675ft tall, and takes up 260,000 square metres of space, making it one of the largest buildings in China, per Oddity Central.
The building has a 30,000-person capacity, though it’s currently thought to be at around 20,000 capacity.
That’s the same population as some small towns!
The Regent International was designed by Alicia Loo, the chief designer of the world’s second seven-star hotel, the Singapore Sands Hotel, and was intended to be a six-star hotel.
It was built in 2013 as a location for young professionals, with smaller apartments costing around $220 per month, and larger units with balconies going for up to $550.
But what’s really cemented this building’s dystopian feel is the fact that if residents don’t want to, then they never really have to leave…
“What an absolutely depressing poor future it looks to be. Controlled totally. Needs to be stopped and save nice places with no technology and heaps of human interactions,” one Facebook user comments.
A Redditor agrees, saying: “To me, that’s insane having that many people. I’ve lived in several towns with populations in that range. I can’t imagine having that many people in one building. Even if it’s huge.”
While a TikToker adds: “Am feeling suffocated just by looking at it.”
However, another Facebooker disagrees, writing: “That’s OK. Can work from home and use the internet to shop.”
Another Reddit user jokes: “Imagine the wait time for elevators during the morning rush.”
The apartment block essentially functions as a town within itself.
It has all the amenities you would expect of a local high street, without residents having to leave the comfort of their own homes.
This includes an extensive food court, barber shops, nail salons, supermarkets, swimming pools, and even internet cafes.
Despite the fact the Regent International has gone viral, it turns out that this sort of mega-apartment is not as unusual as it seems.
One Reddit user explains: “Hong Kong has hundreds of 50-storey housing estates with up to 100 flats per floor for each block, of which there are usually 10-20 of them. The population of these typically range from 15,000 to 50,000, which is why they’re often called villages.”
They add: “Many housing estates also have swimming pools, sports facilities, clubhouses, parks, playgrounds, elderly homes, nurseries, schools and more, so it feels more similar to a cruise ship than the average apartment block.”
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