Le Meridien — Zhengzhou, China

Rising elegantly above the urban chaos of Zhengzhou, in China’s Henan province, this 25-storey steel and glass structure is home to the new Le Méridien hotel. Shanghai-based architecture and design firm Neri & Hu has transformed the concrete shell into an angular tower of irregular, stacked boxes that cantilever, seemingly haphazardly. The interior design enhances the soaring heights and open views. The 350-room space is built around a central four-storey atrium inspired by the nearby Longmen Caves (where Buddhist art is carved into limestone). It combines sandstone and walnut with green-tinted recessed windows that link to other public spaces. Elsewhere, mirror-ceiling corridors and bespoke chandeliers add to the visual stimulation.