Beijing architects have been accused of plagiarizing the creations of renowned British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, who designed the Guangzhou Opera House in Guangdong Province two years ago, becoming a household name in China.

Hadid's latest project currently under construction in Beijing, known as 'Wangjing Soho,' has already become so eye-catching that pirate architects on the Island of Chongqing are allegedly busy copying it, Der Spiegel reported. The apparently plagiarized project may even be completed before Hadid's original.

According to Hadid's website, Wangjing Soho is an office and retail complex that is a "welcome and farewell to Beijing." It consists of three asymmetrical towers conceived to establish a "vibrant, dynamic presence on the Beijing skyline."

Image from http://www.zaha-hadid.com

Hadid's project is set for completion in 2014. However, she may now have to race against time to complete Wangjing Soho before her imitators.

While Hadid's design features three towers, the copycat version reportedly has two, also constructed in an asymmetrical and futuristic style. 

The developer of the Chongqing project, Meiquan 22nd Century, has denied accusations of plagiarism.

This picture shows the Meiquan 22nd Century building in China's southwest Chongqing on January 3, 2012. (AFP Photo)

The project director for the Beijing complex, Satoshi Ohashi of Zaha Hadid Architects, told Der Speigel Online that "it is possible that the Chongqing pirates got hold of some digital files or renderings of the project."

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