There’s a ‘dystopian’ apartment block where 20,000 residents never need to go outside, and it’s 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 prioritize light, space, or location.
But for certain residents of one apartment block, they’ve decided that convenience is key.
In their 20,000-capacity housing, they have everything at their fingertips and never need to leave.
While to some, this sounds like a dream, to others, it’s more of a dystopian nightmare.
The building has gone viral on social media, with people left speechless at how many people live inside it.
The fact that its residents wouldn’t really have to leave unless they wanted to has also caused quite the stir online, with many calling it ‘depressing’ and ‘insane.’
One person wrote: “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”
Another added: “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.”
“Am feeling suffocated just by looking at it,” a third shared.
But to others, it looks like heaven.
“That’s okay. Can work from home and use the internet to shop,” suggested one person.
Defending the building, another penned: “I love how everyone complains about how awful suburbs and exurbs are and how unaffordable housing is, then when they see the solution to those problems, complain about how it’s ‘dystopian’ or how ‘crowded’ it is.”
Agreeing, a third said: “Believe it or not, a city full of buildings like this is the most environmentally friendly.”
Regent International is a humongous building in Qianjiang Century City, located in Hangzhou’s central business district.
The 675 ft tall building takes up 260,000 square metres of space and has a 30,000-person capacity, though it’s currently thought to be at around 20,000 capacity.
It 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.
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.
As it blends residential, commercial, and recreational spaces, it has often been described as ‘the most sustainable living building on earth.’
Although Regent International has gone viral, it turns out that this sort of mega-apartment is not completely out of the ordinary.
As one person explained on Reddit: “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 ranges from 15,000 to 50,000, which is why they’re often called villages.”
They added: “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.”
The building’s virality is similar to that of Begich Towers, in the remote Alaskan city of Whittier – all 272 residents reside in the same 14-floor tower. It has everything a town could need, from a police station to a school.
Likewise, there’s the Tower of David skyscraper in Venezuela, which has become the home of thousands of people who have nowhere else to go.
