Atkins, the Surrey-based architects, has beaten off five other international firms for the contract to design the TEDA (Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area) towers in the port city of Tianjin, China.

The largest of the three towers in the design, developed by Atkins’ teams in Bristol and Shenzhen, China, reaches 356m (1,170ft) and will contain a 400-room five-star hotel.

The two smaller towers will be 136m (450ft) and 198m (650ft) tall and the bases of all three will be connected by a nine-storey podium featuring a shopping mall.

Each tower will have vertical windpower generators on the top to provide electricity to the buildings.

Martin Jochman, senior design associate at Atkins’ Bristol office, said: “These towers will become one of the major landmarks in Tianjin and northern China.”

The towers look like stacks of blocks revolving round a central core and a key component of the design is series of winter gardens that spiral up the towers, suggesting movement.

“These gardens light up the corners of each tower, creating an illusion of glowing lanterns rising up into the sky,” he said.

The TEDA region is the focus of heavy investment from the Chinese government. Details: www.atkinsglobal.com