The development consists of eight skyscrapers connected by a five-storey podium. On the south side are six 250-metre-high towers, with two taller 350-metre-high skyscrapers to the north completing the complex.
Designed as a glass and steel tube, The Crystal has an elliptical cross-section. Its outer walls are given strength by a concertina structure, shaded from the afternoon sun on the west side by metal panels.
Stretching 300 metres between four towers on the 22.7-acre development, The Crystal is described by Safdie Architects as a "horizontal skyscraper".
When complete the eight skyscrapers will contain a combination of offices, apartments, and hotel. The five-storey podium has a shopping centre along with a series of galleries, with entrances at multiple levels to account for the area's hilly terrain.
