Lord of the towers: German architect Ole Scheeren

The CCTV tower in Beijing serves as headquarters for China Central Television - China's national broadcaster. Recently, this 44-storey building, which is comprised of two skewed towers that are connected at right angles at the top, was selected as Skyscaper of the Year. German architect Ole Scheeren was the head designer of the glass and steel building.

Scheeren, 42, studied in London and already started working for star architect Rem Koolhaas in his mid-20s. Today he owns his own architecture empire. Scheeren mainly lives and designs in China, which is why some critics call him "architect to the imperial court of evil," questioning whether it's ok to design buildings for a morally controversial regime.

Scheeren sees his buildings as monuments of change that represent China slowly opening itself towards the West. The glass façade of the CCTV tower, for instance, is supposed to symbolize transparency. The world’s largest media building hosts 14,000 employees and offers public tours. For Scheeren, the "loop," which connects both towers, is a sign of China's readiness to engage in dialogue.

Scheeren's architecture takes a minimalist approach. In Malaysia's capital of Kuala Lumpur, he is now building a new skyscraper - Angkasa Raya - right next to the world-famous Petronas Towers. The future office and hotel building is supposed to look like a sculpture reaching into the sky. The highlight? The otherwise customary order of floors will be broken up on individual levels.

"Good architects always manage to mirror the environment," Scheeren said. That's why there'll be tropical gardens on some of the floors of his new skyscraper Angkasa Raya, in reference to Malaysia's vegetation. Next to posh bars, a modern Muslim prayer room is planned - an architectural reflection of a country in which the Malay live alongside Chinese and Indian minorities.

This glass tower will be completed in 2016 in Thailand. The Maha Nakhon will have 77 floors and will become the tallest building in Bangkok. Scheeren reinterpreted the current method of designing skyscrapers and some parts of the buildings look like they've been "nibbled on." His goal was to give it a dynamic appearance while still making it earthquake-proof.

Maha Nakhon will be a giant apartment complex. The separate living quarters are to be shifted asymmetrically against each other, as if in limbo. Inside, the residents are supposed to feel like they're floating over Bangkok. By taking on this luxury complex project, Scheeren has been criticized for being "a service provider for the rich."

The Interlace project is a huge housing complex for people with low income in Singapore's outskirts. Scheeren took 31 apartment blocks and rearranged them like Lego blocks into a completely new, encapsulated housing design. He realized a kind of social utopia - affordable living space in one of the most expensive residential areas in the world.

Scheeren's career usually goes in just one direction: upwards. His only flop so far has been the Beijing Books Building. He was supposed to build the world's largest bookstore on an area as large as 15 soccer fields. The façade was to be made of glass ashlars that served as book shelves at the same time. But China's power holders didn't want that much transparency and stopped the project.