This new 150-meter-tall, mixed-use tower in Bao’an, Shenzhen, will be a world-class benchmark for sustainable design that uses naturally ventilated atria and a column-free external structure.

Vertical atria stretching the full height of the tower's east and west facades will provide ventilation and natural air circulation, improving the building's mechanical performance. Adjacent to a public park, and only three blocks from the sea, the tower will offer inhabitants spectacular views at every floor via the tall atria.

The structure will be an external steel diagrid, a symbol of SOM’s rich tradition of integrating architectural design and structural engineering. The diagrid will be pulled away from the facade, enabling flexible and column-free interior office space. It also will provide solar shading.

This new 150-meter-tall, mixed-use tower in Bao’an, Shenzhen, will be a world-class benchmark for sustainable design that uses naturally ventilated atria and a column-free external structure.

Vertical atria stretching the full height of the tower's east and west facades will provide ventilation and natural air circulation, improving the building's mechanical performance. Adjacent to a public park, and only three blocks from the sea, the tower will offer inhabitants spectacular views at every floor via the tall atria.

The structure will be an external steel diagrid, a symbol of SOM’s rich tradition of integrating architectural design and structural engineering. The diagrid will be pulled away from the facade, enabling flexible and column-free interior office space. It also will provide solar shading.

This new 150-meter-tall, mixed-use tower in Bao’an, Shenzhen, will be a world-class benchmark for sustainable design that uses naturally ventilated atria and a column-free external structure.

Vertical atria stretching the full height of the tower's east and west facades will provide ventilation and natural air circulation, improving the building's mechanical performance. Adjacent to a public park, and only three blocks from the sea, the tower will offer inhabitants spectacular views at every floor via the tall atria.

The structure will be an external steel diagrid, a symbol of SOM’s rich tradition of integrating architectural design and structural engineering. The diagrid will be pulled away from the facade, enabling flexible and column-free interior office space. It also will provide solar shading.

This new 150-meter-tall, mixed-use tower in Bao’an, Shenzhen, will be a world-class benchmark for sustainable design that uses naturally ventilated atria and a column-free external structure.

Vertical atria stretching the full height of the tower's east and west facades will provide ventilation and natural air circulation, improving the building's mechanical performance. Adjacent to a public park, and only three blocks from the sea, the tower will offer inhabitants spectacular views at every floor via the tall atria.

The structure will be an external steel diagrid, a symbol of SOM’s rich tradition of integrating architectural design and structural engineering. The diagrid will be pulled away from the facade, enabling flexible and column-free interior office space. It also will provide solar shading.

This new 150-meter-tall, mixed-use tower in Bao’an, Shenzhen, will be a world-class benchmark for sustainable design that uses naturally ventilated atria and a column-free external structure.

Vertical atria stretching the full height of the tower's east and west facades will provide ventilation and natural air circulation, improving the building's mechanical performance. Adjacent to a public park, and only three blocks from the sea, the tower will offer inhabitants spectacular views at every floor via the tall atria.

The structure will be an external steel diagrid, a symbol of SOM’s rich tradition of integrating architectural design and structural engineering. The diagrid will be pulled away from the facade, enabling flexible and column-free interior office space. It also will provide solar shading.

Guohua Financial Tower, a 45-story office high-rise and adjacent four-story mixed-use podium, is set to rise in Ningbo, China. As a model of simplicity, sustainability, and urban connectivity, the complex propels the evolution of a dynamic central business district in the port city.

Situated along a prominent east-west boulevard in East New Town, the site’s new public spaces are organized to draw tenants and visitors from all directions. A plaza features highly visible public art, and the low-rise building’s primary functional spaces are lifted to create an inviting open-air courtyard whose light-filled terraces, waterfalls, and serene reflecting pool demand attention. A spacious glass atrium directly connects the retail court to the office tower’s lobby, which enjoys an equally strong and welcoming 360-degree presence.

Guohua Financial Tower’s skyscraper is highly efficient in plan and execution. A visible steel-and-concrete diagrid creates a memorable diamond pattern for the facade; it also reduces structural stress on the building’s core, enabling it to occupy less space at the middle and upper floors and allowing office plans to be open and flexible throughout.

Underscoring the entire project’s commitment to sustainable workspace, the tower contains two multistory sky gardens. Here, natural and mechanical systems interact in an innovative fashion, as living walls provide natural filtration for the air circulating throughout the building. These vegetated surfaces also figure into a circuit that filters rainwater for irrigating landscaping and replenishing the plaza’s reflecting pool. The high-performance design of Guohua Financial Tower targets both LEED® Gold and China’s Three Star certifications.

Guohua Financial Tower, a 45-story office high-rise and adjacent four-story mixed-use podium, is set to rise in Ningbo, China. As a model of simplicity, sustainability, and urban connectivity, the complex propels the evolution of a dynamic central business district in the port city.

Situated along a prominent east-west boulevard in East New Town, the site’s new public spaces are organized to draw tenants and visitors from all directions. A plaza features highly visible public art, and the low-rise building’s primary functional spaces are lifted to create an inviting open-air courtyard whose light-filled terraces, waterfalls, and serene reflecting pool demand attention. A spacious glass atrium directly connects the retail court to the office tower’s lobby, which enjoys an equally strong and welcoming 360-degree presence.

Guohua Financial Tower’s skyscraper is highly efficient in plan and execution. A visible steel-and-concrete diagrid creates a memorable diamond pattern for the facade; it also reduces structural stress on the building’s core, enabling it to occupy less space at the middle and upper floors and allowing office plans to be open and flexible throughout.

Underscoring the entire project’s commitment to sustainable workspace, the tower contains two multistory sky gardens. Here, natural and mechanical systems interact in an innovative fashion, as living walls provide natural filtration for the air circulating throughout the building. These vegetated surfaces also figure into a circuit that filters rainwater for irrigating landscaping and replenishing the plaza’s reflecting pool. The high-performance design of Guohua Financial Tower targets both LEED® Gold and China’s Three Star certifications.

Guohua Financial Tower, a 45-story office high-rise and adjacent four-story mixed-use podium, is set to rise in Ningbo, China. As a model of simplicity, sustainability, and urban connectivity, the complex propels the evolution of a dynamic central business district in the port city.

Situated along a prominent east-west boulevard in East New Town, the site’s new public spaces are organized to draw tenants and visitors from all directions. A plaza features highly visible public art, and the low-rise building’s primary functional spaces are lifted to create an inviting open-air courtyard whose light-filled terraces, waterfalls, and serene reflecting pool demand attention. A spacious glass atrium directly connects the retail court to the office tower’s lobby, which enjoys an equally strong and welcoming 360-degree presence.

Guohua Financial Tower’s skyscraper is highly efficient in plan and execution. A visible steel-and-concrete diagrid creates a memorable diamond pattern for the facade; it also reduces structural stress on the building’s core, enabling it to occupy less space at the middle and upper floors and allowing office plans to be open and flexible throughout.

Underscoring the entire project’s commitment to sustainable workspace, the tower contains two multistory sky gardens. Here, natural and mechanical systems interact in an innovative fashion, as living walls provide natural filtration for the air circulating throughout the building. These vegetated surfaces also figure into a circuit that filters rainwater for irrigating landscaping and replenishing the plaza’s reflecting pool. The high-performance design of Guohua Financial Tower targets both LEED® Gold and China’s Three Star certifications.

Guohua Financial Tower, a 45-story office high-rise and adjacent four-story mixed-use podium, is set to rise in Ningbo, China. As a model of simplicity, sustainability, and urban connectivity, the complex propels the evolution of a dynamic central business district in the port city.

Situated along a prominent east-west boulevard in East New Town, the site’s new public spaces are organized to draw tenants and visitors from all directions. A plaza features highly visible public art, and the low-rise building’s primary functional spaces are lifted to create an inviting open-air courtyard whose light-filled terraces, waterfalls, and serene reflecting pool demand attention. A spacious glass atrium directly connects the retail court to the office tower’s lobby, which enjoys an equally strong and welcoming 360-degree presence.

Guohua Financial Tower’s skyscraper is highly efficient in plan and execution. A visible steel-and-concrete diagrid creates a memorable diamond pattern for the facade; it also reduces structural stress on the building’s core, enabling it to occupy less space at the middle and upper floors and allowing office plans to be open and flexible throughout.

Underscoring the entire project’s commitment to sustainable workspace, the tower contains two multistory sky gardens. Here, natural and mechanical systems interact in an innovative fashion, as living walls provide natural filtration for the air circulating throughout the building. These vegetated surfaces also figure into a circuit that filters rainwater for irrigating landscaping and replenishing the plaza’s reflecting pool. The high-performance design of Guohua Financial Tower targets both LEED® Gold and China’s Three Star certifications.

Guohua Financial Tower, a 45-story office high-rise and adjacent four-story mixed-use podium, is set to rise in Ningbo, China. As a model of simplicity, sustainability, and urban connectivity, the complex propels the evolution of a dynamic central business district in the port city.

Situated along a prominent east-west boulevard in East New Town, the site’s new public spaces are organized to draw tenants and visitors from all directions. A plaza features highly visible public art, and the low-rise building’s primary functional spaces are lifted to create an inviting open-air courtyard whose light-filled terraces, waterfalls, and serene reflecting pool demand attention. A spacious glass atrium directly connects the retail court to the office tower’s lobby, which enjoys an equally strong and welcoming 360-degree presence.

Guohua Financial Tower’s skyscraper is highly efficient in plan and execution. A visible steel-and-concrete diagrid creates a memorable diamond pattern for the facade; it also reduces structural stress on the building’s core, enabling it to occupy less space at the middle and upper floors and allowing office plans to be open and flexible throughout.

Underscoring the entire project’s commitment to sustainable workspace, the tower contains two multistory sky gardens. Here, natural and mechanical systems interact in an innovative fashion, as living walls provide natural filtration for the air circulating throughout the building. These vegetated surfaces also figure into a circuit that filters rainwater for irrigating landscaping and replenishing the plaza’s reflecting pool. The high-performance design of Guohua Financial Tower targets both LEED® Gold and China’s Three Star certifications.

Guohua Financial Tower, a 45-story office high-rise and adjacent four-story mixed-use podium, is set to rise in Ningbo, China. As a model of simplicity, sustainability, and urban connectivity, the complex propels the evolution of a dynamic central business district in the port city.

Situated along a prominent east-west boulevard in East New Town, the site’s new public spaces are organized to draw tenants and visitors from all directions. A plaza features highly visible public art, and the low-rise building’s primary functional spaces are lifted to create an inviting open-air courtyard whose light-filled terraces, waterfalls, and serene reflecting pool demand attention. A spacious glass atrium directly connects the retail court to the office tower’s lobby, which enjoys an equally strong and welcoming 360-degree presence.

Guohua Financial Tower’s skyscraper is highly efficient in plan and execution. A visible steel-and-concrete diagrid creates a memorable diamond pattern for the facade; it also reduces structural stress on the building’s core, enabling it to occupy less space at the middle and upper floors and allowing office plans to be open and flexible throughout.

Underscoring the entire project’s commitment to sustainable workspace, the tower contains two multistory sky gardens. Here, natural and mechanical systems interact in an innovative fashion, as living walls provide natural filtration for the air circulating throughout the building. These vegetated surfaces also figure into a circuit that filters rainwater for irrigating landscaping and replenishing the plaza’s reflecting pool. The high-performance design of Guohua Financial Tower targets both LEED® Gold and China’s Three Star certifications.

The Architecture and Design Academy at Wenzhou Kean University (WKU) holds the center of a fast-growing campus, following a master plan by Michael Graves Architecture and Design. As a Chinese institution whose curriculum is provided by Kean University in the United States, the Academy offers students degrees in Architecture, Industrial Design, and Computer Science that are recognized in both the United States and China.

The design superimposes open plan design studios over a two-story base of flexible loft spaces that house class labs, library, maker spaces, and office suites. The base buildings form a pattern of lofts and alleys, clad in dark gray granite, contrasting with the white ultra-high-performance concrete of the upper structure. At the north and south, grand porches address major campus spaces, and frame entrances to the great central hall with its Piazza di Spagna-sized stadium seating- the largest shared venue for campus events.

The Architecture and Design Academy at Wenzhou Kean University (WKU) holds the center of a fast-growing campus, following a master plan by Michael Graves Architecture and Design. As a Chinese institution whose curriculum is provided by Kean University in the United States, the Academy offers students degrees in Architecture, Industrial Design, and Computer Science that are recognized in both the United States and China.

The design superimposes open plan design studios over a two-story base of flexible loft spaces that house class labs, library, maker spaces, and office suites. The base buildings form a pattern of lofts and alleys, clad in dark gray granite, contrasting with the white ultra-high-performance concrete of the upper structure. At the north and south, grand porches address major campus spaces, and frame entrances to the great central hall with its Piazza di Spagna-sized stadium seating- the largest shared venue for campus events.

The Architecture and Design Academy at Wenzhou Kean University (WKU) holds the center of a fast-growing campus, following a master plan by Michael Graves Architecture and Design. As a Chinese institution whose curriculum is provided by Kean University in the United States, the Academy offers students degrees in Architecture, Industrial Design, and Computer Science that are recognized in both the United States and China.

The design superimposes open plan design studios over a two-story base of flexible loft spaces that house class labs, library, maker spaces, and office suites. The base buildings form a pattern of lofts and alleys, clad in dark gray granite, contrasting with the white ultra-high-performance concrete of the upper structure. At the north and south, grand porches address major campus spaces, and frame entrances to the great central hall with its Piazza di Spagna-sized stadium seating- the largest shared venue for campus events.

The Architecture and Design Academy at Wenzhou Kean University (WKU) holds the center of a fast-growing campus, following a master plan by Michael Graves Architecture and Design. As a Chinese institution whose curriculum is provided by Kean University in the United States, the Academy offers students degrees in Architecture, Industrial Design, and Computer Science that are recognized in both the United States and China.

The design superimposes open plan design studios over a two-story base of flexible loft spaces that house class labs, library, maker spaces, and office suites. The base buildings form a pattern of lofts and alleys, clad in dark gray granite, contrasting with the white ultra-high-performance concrete of the upper structure. At the north and south, grand porches address major campus spaces, and frame entrances to the great central hall with its Piazza di Spagna-sized stadium seating- the largest shared venue for campus events.

The Architecture and Design Academy at Wenzhou Kean University (WKU) holds the center of a fast-growing campus, following a master plan by Michael Graves Architecture and Design. As a Chinese institution whose curriculum is provided by Kean University in the United States, the Academy offers students degrees in Architecture, Industrial Design, and Computer Science that are recognized in both the United States and China.

The design superimposes open plan design studios over a two-story base of flexible loft spaces that house class labs, library, maker spaces, and office suites. The base buildings form a pattern of lofts and alleys, clad in dark gray granite, contrasting with the white ultra-high-performance concrete of the upper structure. At the north and south, grand porches address major campus spaces, and frame entrances to the great central hall with its Piazza di Spagna-sized stadium seating- the largest shared venue for campus events.

The Architecture and Design Academy at Wenzhou Kean University (WKU) holds the center of a fast-growing campus, following a master plan by Michael Graves Architecture and Design. As a Chinese institution whose curriculum is provided by Kean University in the United States, the Academy offers students degrees in Architecture, Industrial Design, and Computer Science that are recognized in both the United States and China.

The design superimposes open plan design studios over a two-story base of flexible loft spaces that house class labs, library, maker spaces, and office suites. The base buildings form a pattern of lofts and alleys, clad in dark gray granite, contrasting with the white ultra-high-performance concrete of the upper structure. At the north and south, grand porches address major campus spaces, and frame entrances to the great central hall with its Piazza di Spagna-sized stadium seating- the largest shared venue for campus events.

The design for the Tianjin Chow Tai Fook Binhai Center uses undulating curves to subtly express three programmatic elements while presenting a bold monolithic expression on the skyline. The 530-meter-tall skyscraper will house offices, 300 service apartments, and a five-star, 350-room hotel. The tower will be a striking new landmark in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), located just outside Tianjin.

The gently curving glass skin conceals eight sloping columns that lie behind the primary bends of the elevation and increase the structure’s stiffness in response to seismic concerns. Strategically placed, multistory wind vents combined with the tower's aerodynamic shape reduce vortex shedding, which in turn dramatically minimizes wind forces.

The 389,980-square-meter project has been designed to LEED® Gold standards. Sustainable strategies include a high-performance envelope, optimized daylighting, and green landscaping.

The design for the Tianjin Chow Tai Fook Binhai Center uses undulating curves to subtly express three programmatic elements while presenting a bold monolithic expression on the skyline. The 530-meter-tall skyscraper will house offices, 300 service apartments, and a five-star, 350-room hotel. The tower will be a striking new landmark in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), located just outside Tianjin.

The gently curving glass skin conceals eight sloping columns that lie behind the primary bends of the elevation and increase the structure’s stiffness in response to seismic concerns. Strategically placed, multistory wind vents combined with the tower's aerodynamic shape reduce vortex shedding, which in turn dramatically minimizes wind forces.

The 389,980-square-meter project has been designed to LEED® Gold standards. Sustainable strategies include a high-performance envelope, optimized daylighting, and green landscaping.

The design for the Tianjin Chow Tai Fook Binhai Center uses undulating curves to subtly express three programmatic elements while presenting a bold monolithic expression on the skyline. The 530-meter-tall skyscraper will house offices, 300 service apartments, and a five-star, 350-room hotel. The tower will be a striking new landmark in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), located just outside Tianjin.

The gently curving glass skin conceals eight sloping columns that lie behind the primary bends of the elevation and increase the structure’s stiffness in response to seismic concerns. Strategically placed, multistory wind vents combined with the tower's aerodynamic shape reduce vortex shedding, which in turn dramatically minimizes wind forces.

The 389,980-square-meter project has been designed to LEED® Gold standards. Sustainable strategies include a high-performance envelope, optimized daylighting, and green landscaping.

The design for the Tianjin Chow Tai Fook Binhai Center uses undulating curves to subtly express three programmatic elements while presenting a bold monolithic expression on the skyline. The 530-meter-tall skyscraper will house offices, 300 service apartments, and a five-star, 350-room hotel. The tower will be a striking new landmark in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), located just outside Tianjin.

The gently curving glass skin conceals eight sloping columns that lie behind the primary bends of the elevation and increase the structure’s stiffness in response to seismic concerns. Strategically placed, multistory wind vents combined with the tower's aerodynamic shape reduce vortex shedding, which in turn dramatically minimizes wind forces.

The 389,980-square-meter project has been designed to LEED® Gold standards. Sustainable strategies include a high-performance envelope, optimized daylighting, and green landscaping.

Silhouette and facade detail of the Tianjin CTF Finance Center.

The design for the Tianjin Chow Tai Fook Binhai Center uses undulating curves to subtly express three programmatic elements while presenting a bold monolithic expression on the skyline. The 530-meter-tall skyscraper will house offices, 300 service apartments, and a five-star, 350-room hotel. The tower will be a striking new landmark in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), located just outside Tianjin.

The gently curving glass skin conceals eight sloping columns that lie behind the primary bends of the elevation and increase the structure’s stiffness in response to seismic concerns. Strategically placed, multistory wind vents combined with the tower's aerodynamic shape reduce vortex shedding, which in turn dramatically minimizes wind forces.

The 389,980-square-meter project has been designed to LEED® Gold standards. Sustainable strategies include a high-performance envelope, optimized daylighting, and green landscaping.

Shekou is defined by a mixed landscape. Mountains and sea, an industrial fabric from the early economic reform era, and recent skyscrapers form a dynamic context. Prince Plaza is located in Shekou’s Sea World district—a unique coastal zone in Shenzhen backed by the Nanshan Mountains and facing the Shenzhen Bay, abundant in public outdoor spaces. The 200-metre mixed-use podium tower at once connects with Shekou’s latest commercial developments, its industrial past, and its everlasting natural environment.

The site falls on Shekou’s most prominent view corridor that runs from the mountains to the sea. Prince Plaza takes full advantage of the view corridor without obstructing it. The tower is an ensemble of four bars attached to a central core. Three sky decks—highlighted by a hexagon-patterned facade inspired by hills and waves—are viewing platforms open to vistas of the mountains and the sea. Designed for use by both tenants and public, they add to the collection of the public outdoor spaces in the coastal Sea World district.

The sky decks break down the otherwise monolithic 60,000 m2 tower into four bars of different sizes that respond to architecture of distinctive scales in the surroundings. The two bars on one side are slightly set back to increase the perimeter or each floor plate, allowing more natural light into the office space. The tower’s fluted façade, with extra wide glass panels, enable office tenants to visually connect with the mountains and the sea, while further bringing lightness to the slender vertical bars.

A 40,000 m2 podium mall occupies the full length of the orthogonal site to maximise street level retail frontage. Different than typical enclosed shopping malls, Prince Plaza’s podium mall has a porous façade and a roof terrace— an extension of the existing commercial and recreational offerings of the Sea World district.

A prominent opening— marked by a similar façade as the sky decks—is created at the location through which the view corridor runs. Underground levels of the mall are integrated with two metro lines that connect Prince Plaza to the rest of Shenzhen.

Shekou is defined by a mixed landscape. Mountains and sea, an industrial fabric from the early economic reform era, and recent skyscrapers form a dynamic context. Prince Plaza is located in Shekou’s Sea World district—a unique coastal zone in Shenzhen backed by the Nanshan Mountains and facing the Shenzhen Bay, abundant in public outdoor spaces. The 200-metre mixed-use podium tower at once connects with Shekou’s latest commercial developments, its industrial past, and its everlasting natural environment.

The site falls on Shekou’s most prominent view corridor that runs from the mountains to the sea. Prince Plaza takes full advantage of the view corridor without obstructing it. The tower is an ensemble of four bars attached to a central core. Three sky decks—highlighted by a hexagon-patterned facade inspired by hills and waves—are viewing platforms open to vistas of the mountains and the sea. Designed for use by both tenants and public, they add to the collection of the public outdoor spaces in the coastal Sea World district.

The sky decks break down the otherwise monolithic 60,000 m2 tower into four bars of different sizes that respond to architecture of distinctive scales in the surroundings. The two bars on one side are slightly set back to increase the perimeter or each floor plate, allowing more natural light into the office space. The tower’s fluted façade, with extra wide glass panels, enable office tenants to visually connect with the mountains and the sea, while further bringing lightness to the slender vertical bars.

A 40,000 m2 podium mall occupies the full length of the orthogonal site to maximise street level retail frontage. Different than typical enclosed shopping malls, Prince Plaza’s podium mall has a porous façade and a roof terrace— an extension of the existing commercial and recreational offerings of the Sea World district.

A prominent opening— marked by a similar façade as the sky decks—is created at the location through which the view corridor runs. Underground levels of the mall are integrated with two metro lines that connect Prince Plaza to the rest of Shenzhen.

Shekou is defined by a mixed landscape. Mountains and sea, an industrial fabric from the early economic reform era, and recent skyscrapers form a dynamic context. Prince Plaza is located in Shekou’s Sea World district—a unique coastal zone in Shenzhen backed by the Nanshan Mountains and facing the Shenzhen Bay, abundant in public outdoor spaces. The 200-metre mixed-use podium tower at once connects with Shekou’s latest commercial developments, its industrial past, and its everlasting natural environment.

The site falls on Shekou’s most prominent view corridor that runs from the mountains to the sea. Prince Plaza takes full advantage of the view corridor without obstructing it. The tower is an ensemble of four bars attached to a central core. Three sky decks—highlighted by a hexagon-patterned facade inspired by hills and waves—are viewing platforms open to vistas of the mountains and the sea. Designed for use by both tenants and public, they add to the collection of the public outdoor spaces in the coastal Sea World district.

The sky decks break down the otherwise monolithic 60,000 m2 tower into four bars of different sizes that respond to architecture of distinctive scales in the surroundings. The two bars on one side are slightly set back to increase the perimeter or each floor plate, allowing more natural light into the office space. The tower’s fluted façade, with extra wide glass panels, enable office tenants to visually connect with the mountains and the sea, while further bringing lightness to the slender vertical bars.

A 40,000 m2 podium mall occupies the full length of the orthogonal site to maximise street level retail frontage. Different than typical enclosed shopping malls, Prince Plaza’s podium mall has a porous façade and a roof terrace— an extension of the existing commercial and recreational offerings of the Sea World district.

A prominent opening— marked by a similar façade as the sky decks—is created at the location through which the view corridor runs. Underground levels of the mall are integrated with two metro lines that connect Prince Plaza to the rest of Shenzhen.

Shekou is defined by a mixed landscape. Mountains and sea, an industrial fabric from the early economic reform era, and recent skyscrapers form a dynamic context. Prince Plaza is located in Shekou’s Sea World district—a unique coastal zone in Shenzhen backed by the Nanshan Mountains and facing the Shenzhen Bay, abundant in public outdoor spaces. The 200-metre mixed-use podium tower at once connects with Shekou’s latest commercial developments, its industrial past, and its everlasting natural environment.

The site falls on Shekou’s most prominent view corridor that runs from the mountains to the sea. Prince Plaza takes full advantage of the view corridor without obstructing it. The tower is an ensemble of four bars attached to a central core. Three sky decks—highlighted by a hexagon-patterned facade inspired by hills and waves—are viewing platforms open to vistas of the mountains and the sea. Designed for use by both tenants and public, they add to the collection of the public outdoor spaces in the coastal Sea World district.

The sky decks break down the otherwise monolithic 60,000 m2 tower into four bars of different sizes that respond to architecture of distinctive scales in the surroundings. The two bars on one side are slightly set back to increase the perimeter or each floor plate, allowing more natural light into the office space. The tower’s fluted façade, with extra wide glass panels, enable office tenants to visually connect with the mountains and the sea, while further bringing lightness to the slender vertical bars.

A 40,000 m2 podium mall occupies the full length of the orthogonal site to maximise street level retail frontage. Different than typical enclosed shopping malls, Prince Plaza’s podium mall has a porous façade and a roof terrace— an extension of the existing commercial and recreational offerings of the Sea World district.

A prominent opening— marked by a similar façade as the sky decks—is created at the location through which the view corridor runs. Underground levels of the mall are integrated with two metro lines that connect Prince Plaza to the rest of Shenzhen.

Shekou is defined by a mixed landscape. Mountains and sea, an industrial fabric from the early economic reform era, and recent skyscrapers form a dynamic context. Prince Plaza is located in Shekou’s Sea World district—a unique coastal zone in Shenzhen backed by the Nanshan Mountains and facing the Shenzhen Bay, abundant in public outdoor spaces. The 200-metre mixed-use podium tower at once connects with Shekou’s latest commercial developments, its industrial past, and its everlasting natural environment.

The site falls on Shekou’s most prominent view corridor that runs from the mountains to the sea. Prince Plaza takes full advantage of the view corridor without obstructing it. The tower is an ensemble of four bars attached to a central core. Three sky decks—highlighted by a hexagon-patterned facade inspired by hills and waves—are viewing platforms open to vistas of the mountains and the sea. Designed for use by both tenants and public, they add to the collection of the public outdoor spaces in the coastal Sea World district.

The sky decks break down the otherwise monolithic 60,000 m2 tower into four bars of different sizes that respond to architecture of distinctive scales in the surroundings. The two bars on one side are slightly set back to increase the perimeter or each floor plate, allowing more natural light into the office space. The tower’s fluted façade, with extra wide glass panels, enable office tenants to visually connect with the mountains and the sea, while further bringing lightness to the slender vertical bars.

A 40,000 m2 podium mall occupies the full length of the orthogonal site to maximise street level retail frontage. Different than typical enclosed shopping malls, Prince Plaza’s podium mall has a porous façade and a roof terrace— an extension of the existing commercial and recreational offerings of the Sea World district.

A prominent opening— marked by a similar façade as the sky decks—is created at the location through which the view corridor runs. Underground levels of the mall are integrated with two metro lines that connect Prince Plaza to the rest of Shenzhen.

Shekou is defined by a mixed landscape. Mountains and sea, an industrial fabric from the early economic reform era, and recent skyscrapers form a dynamic context. Prince Plaza is located in Shekou’s Sea World district—a unique coastal zone in Shenzhen backed by the Nanshan Mountains and facing the Shenzhen Bay, abundant in public outdoor spaces. The 200-metre mixed-use podium tower at once connects with Shekou’s latest commercial developments, its industrial past, and its everlasting natural environment.

The site falls on Shekou’s most prominent view corridor that runs from the mountains to the sea. Prince Plaza takes full advantage of the view corridor without obstructing it. The tower is an ensemble of four bars attached to a central core. Three sky decks—highlighted by a hexagon-patterned facade inspired by hills and waves—are viewing platforms open to vistas of the mountains and the sea. Designed for use by both tenants and public, they add to the collection of the public outdoor spaces in the coastal Sea World district.

The sky decks break down the otherwise monolithic 60,000 m2 tower into four bars of different sizes that respond to architecture of distinctive scales in the surroundings. The two bars on one side are slightly set back to increase the perimeter or each floor plate, allowing more natural light into the office space. The tower’s fluted façade, with extra wide glass panels, enable office tenants to visually connect with the mountains and the sea, while further bringing lightness to the slender vertical bars.

A 40,000 m2 podium mall occupies the full length of the orthogonal site to maximise street level retail frontage. Different than typical enclosed shopping malls, Prince Plaza’s podium mall has a porous façade and a roof terrace— an extension of the existing commercial and recreational offerings of the Sea World district.

A prominent opening— marked by a similar façade as the sky decks—is created at the location through which the view corridor runs. Underground levels of the mall are integrated with two metro lines that connect Prince Plaza to the rest of Shenzhen.

View of Pazhou Poly complex from across the Zhujiang river.

Pazhou Poly is a mixed-use office and hospitality complex in Guangzhou, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. It was named a winner in the Best Tall Building 300-399 Meters category of the 2020 Award of Excellence by The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

View of Pazhou Poly complex from across the Zhujiang river.

Pazhou Poly is a mixed-use office and hospitality complex in Guangzhou, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. It was named a winner in the Best Tall Building 300-399 Meters category of the 2020 Award of Excellence by The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

A drone photograph of Pazhou Poly, a mixed-use office and hospitality complex in Guangzhou, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. It was named a winner in the Best Tall Building 300-399 Meters category of the 2020 Award of Excellence by The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

Entrance to the office building of Pazhou Poly, a mixed-use office and hospitality complex in Guangzhou, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. It was named a winner in the Best Tall Building 300-399 Meters category of the 2020 Award of Excellence by The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

Pazhou Poly is a mixed-use office and hospitality complex in Guangzhou, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. It was named a winner in the Best Tall Building 300-399 Meters category of the 2020 Award of Excellence by The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

Pazhou Poly is a mixed-use office and hospitality complex in Guangzhou, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. It was named a winner in the Best Tall Building 300-399 Meters category of the 2020 Award of Excellence by The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

Raffles City Hangzhou was designed by UNStudio for real estate company CapitaLand. It is a sustainable urban hub for living, working and leisure located in Hangzhou, one of China's most picturesque cities. Situated 180 kilometres south-west of Shanghai, Hangzhou is one of China's most prosperous cities, especially renowned for its scenic landscapes. Located in Qianjiang New Town near the Qiantang River, this mixed-use development forms a prominent landmark in Hangzhou's new central business district, with a total area of almost 400,000 square metres spread across the two 250-metre towers, the podium building and the surrounding plaza.

Raffles City Hangzhou was designed by UNStudio for real estate company CapitaLand. It is a sustainable urban hub for living, working and leisure located in Hangzhou, one of China's most picturesque cities. Situated 180 kilometres south-west of Shanghai, Hangzhou is one of China's most prosperous cities, especially renowned for its scenic landscapes. Located in Qianjiang New Town near the Qiantang River, this mixed-use development forms a prominent landmark in Hangzhou's new central business district, with a total area of almost 400,000 square metres spread across the two 250-metre towers, the podium building and the surrounding plaza.

Raffles City Hangzhou was designed by UNStudio for real estate company CapitaLand. It is a sustainable urban hub for living, working and leisure located in Hangzhou, one of China's most picturesque cities. Situated 180 kilometres south-west of Shanghai, Hangzhou is one of China's most prosperous cities, especially renowned for its scenic landscapes. Located in Qianjiang New Town near the Qiantang River, this mixed-use development forms a prominent landmark in Hangzhou's new central business district, with a total area of almost 400,000 square metres spread across the two 250-metre towers, the podium building and the surrounding plaza.

Raffles City Hangzhou was designed by UNStudio for real estate company CapitaLand. It is a sustainable urban hub for living, working and leisure located in Hangzhou, one of China's most picturesque cities. Situated 180 kilometres south-west of Shanghai, Hangzhou is one of China's most prosperous cities, especially renowned for its scenic landscapes. Located in Qianjiang New Town near the Qiantang River, this mixed-use development forms a prominent landmark in Hangzhou's new central business district, with a total area of almost 400,000 square metres spread across the two 250-metre towers, the podium building and the surrounding plaza.

Raffles City Hangzhou was designed by UNStudio for real estate company CapitaLand. It is a sustainable urban hub for living, working and leisure located in Hangzhou, one of China's most picturesque cities. Situated 180 kilometres south-west of Shanghai, Hangzhou is one of China's most prosperous cities, especially renowned for its scenic landscapes. Located in Qianjiang New Town near the Qiantang River, this mixed-use development forms a prominent landmark in Hangzhou's new central business district, with a total area of almost 400,000 square metres spread across the two 250-metre towers, the podium building and the surrounding plaza.

A drone photography of Raffles City Hangzhou.

Raffles City Hangzhou was designed by UNStudio for real estate company CapitaLand. It is a sustainable urban hub for living, working and leisure located in Hangzhou, one of China's most picturesque cities. Situated 180 kilometres south-west of Shanghai, Hangzhou is one of China's most prosperous cities, especially renowned for its scenic landscapes. Located in Qianjiang New Town near the Qiantang River, this mixed-use development forms a prominent landmark in Hangzhou's new central business district, with a total area of almost 400,000 square metres spread across the two 250-metre towers, the podium building and the surrounding plaza.

The Beijing KWG·M·CUBE, a 40,000-square-metre shopping centre designed by MVRDV, has completed construction in Beijing. Asked by the client to make the building a visual statement, MVRDV created a multifaceted volume that responds to its surroundings with a pearlescent ceramic façade, which shimmers in a spectrum of colours under changing light conditions.

Located just within Beijing’s innermost ring road, the KWG·M·CUBE is prominently located next to the Beijing Railway Station and near to both the Temple of Heaven to the Southwest, and Tiananmen and the Forbidden City to the Northwest. Given this prime location and the consequent value of the land, the client wanted a building that would stand out from its mostly beige and grey neighbours, while also packing a large amount of space into a relatively small footprint. Contradicting this request were the desires of the city government, whose preference was for a building that would fit in with its muted surroundings on the busy street.

MVRDV was commissioned to design the building’s exterior and responded to these competing hopes with a 7-storey volume that rises to the maximum allowed height of 36 metres—an unusually tall building for this kind of mall. The shape of the building was generated by cutting the volume at various angles to orient the façades to face key locations, such as the railway station and an intersection on the other side of the street, generating a shape that is both contextual and recognizable in its visual presence. It also allowed MVRDV to include open-air terraces on each level, which are symbolically oriented towards landmarks such as the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven—some visible from the building, others more distant—to root the building in its location.

The building is wrapped in a pearlescent ceramic façade that at different times appears either grey or colourful, creating a subtle façade that does not need large LED screens to stand out and catch the attention of the passers-by. Hand-glazed in China, these tiles were made by applying three layers of glaze to the ceramic, and firing at a different temperature each time.

“We designed the KWG·M·CUBE so that the building continuously displays new patterns and colours. Depending on the weather and light conditions and where you stand, the façade might look subtly grey, or it might shine with all the colours of the rainbow,” says Jacob van Rijs, principal and co-founder of MVRDV. “In this part of Beijing, there are restrictions on architecture and many nearby buildings are completed in shades of grey and beige. Our solution allowed us to do exactly what the client and the city wanted: to create an attractive visual statement in which exuberance and modesty go hand in hand.”

The surface treatment of the façade also breaks up the mass of the building while responding to the light and view requirements of the interior program. While some areas of the surface were required to have blind facades to accommodate the stores behind, other stores are able to use diffuse light to their advantage, and here the ceramic tiles are used in a checkerboard pattern. In other places such as lobbies and cafes, fully glazed facades provide a visual connection between the inside of the shopping centre and the mall.

To accommodate the building’s 7-storey height, MVRDV proposed to split the KWG·M·CUBE shopping centre into two layers: on the lower 3 floors is the daytime shopping centre, which mostly hosts retail stores, while the upper levels feature more restaurants, bars, and cafés, and will truly come alive at night. In order to allow the upper floors to function while the lower floors are closed, an express elevator from the ground level takes visitors up to a second lobby on the fourth floor. To complete this layering effect, a landscaped roof terrace allows visitors to relax outside when the weather is pleasant.

MVRDV won the competition to design the KWG·M·CUBE for client KWG Group Holdings in February 2012 and have worked on the project alongside façade consultants Meinhardt Façade Technology, contractor Gartner Permasteelisa Group, tile manufacturers NBK and HDTC, and co-architect Xinjiyuan.

The Beijing KWG·M·CUBE, a 40,000-square-metre shopping centre designed by MVRDV, has completed construction in Beijing. Asked by the client to make the building a visual statement, MVRDV created a multifaceted volume that responds to its surroundings with a pearlescent ceramic façade, which shimmers in a spectrum of colours under changing light conditions.

Located just within Beijing’s innermost ring road, the KWG·M·CUBE is prominently located next to the Beijing Railway Station and near to both the Temple of Heaven to the Southwest, and Tiananmen and the Forbidden City to the Northwest. Given this prime location and the consequent value of the land, the client wanted a building that would stand out from its mostly beige and grey neighbours, while also packing a large amount of space into a relatively small footprint. Contradicting this request were the desires of the city government, whose preference was for a building that would fit in with its muted surroundings on the busy street.

MVRDV was commissioned to design the building’s exterior and responded to these competing hopes with a 7-storey volume that rises to the maximum allowed height of 36 metres—an unusually tall building for this kind of mall. The shape of the building was generated by cutting the volume at various angles to orient the façades to face key locations, such as the railway station and an intersection on the other side of the street, generating a shape that is both contextual and recognizable in its visual presence. It also allowed MVRDV to include open-air terraces on each level, which are symbolically oriented towards landmarks such as the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven—some visible from the building, others more distant—to root the building in its location.

The building is wrapped in a pearlescent ceramic façade that at different times appears either grey or colourful, creating a subtle façade that does not need large LED screens to stand out and catch the attention of the passers-by. Hand-glazed in China, these tiles were made by applying three layers of glaze to the ceramic, and firing at a different temperature each time.

“We designed the KWG·M·CUBE so that the building continuously displays new patterns and colours. Depending on the weather and light conditions and where you stand, the façade might look subtly grey, or it might shine with all the colours of the rainbow,” says Jacob van Rijs, principal and co-founder of MVRDV. “In this part of Beijing, there are restrictions on architecture and many nearby buildings are completed in shades of grey and beige. Our solution allowed us to do exactly what the client and the city wanted: to create an attractive visual statement in which exuberance and modesty go hand in hand.”

The surface treatment of the façade also breaks up the mass of the building while responding to the light and view requirements of the interior program. While some areas of the surface were required to have blind facades to accommodate the stores behind, other stores are able to use diffuse light to their advantage, and here the ceramic tiles are used in a checkerboard pattern. In other places such as lobbies and cafes, fully glazed facades provide a visual connection between the inside of the shopping centre and the mall.

To accommodate the building’s 7-storey height, MVRDV proposed to split the KWG·M·CUBE shopping centre into two layers: on the lower 3 floors is the daytime shopping centre, which mostly hosts retail stores, while the upper levels feature more restaurants, bars, and cafés, and will truly come alive at night. In order to allow the upper floors to function while the lower floors are closed, an express elevator from the ground level takes visitors up to a second lobby on the fourth floor. To complete this layering effect, a landscaped roof terrace allows visitors to relax outside when the weather is pleasant.

MVRDV won the competition to design the KWG·M·CUBE for client KWG Group Holdings in February 2012 and have worked on the project alongside façade consultants Meinhardt Façade Technology, contractor Gartner Permasteelisa Group, tile manufacturers NBK and HDTC, and co-architect Xinjiyuan.

The Beijing KWG·M·CUBE, a 40,000-square-metre shopping centre designed by MVRDV, has completed construction in Beijing. Asked by the client to make the building a visual statement, MVRDV created a multifaceted volume that responds to its surroundings with a pearlescent ceramic façade, which shimmers in a spectrum of colours under changing light conditions.

Located just within Beijing’s innermost ring road, the KWG·M·CUBE is prominently located next to the Beijing Railway Station and near to both the Temple of Heaven to the Southwest, and Tiananmen and the Forbidden City to the Northwest. Given this prime location and the consequent value of the land, the client wanted a building that would stand out from its mostly beige and grey neighbours, while also packing a large amount of space into a relatively small footprint. Contradicting this request were the desires of the city government, whose preference was for a building that would fit in with its muted surroundings on the busy street.

MVRDV was commissioned to design the building’s exterior and responded to these competing hopes with a 7-storey volume that rises to the maximum allowed height of 36 metres—an unusually tall building for this kind of mall. The shape of the building was generated by cutting the volume at various angles to orient the façades to face key locations, such as the railway station and an intersection on the other side of the street, generating a shape that is both contextual and recognizable in its visual presence. It also allowed MVRDV to include open-air terraces on each level, which are symbolically oriented towards landmarks such as the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven—some visible from the building, others more distant—to root the building in its location.

The building is wrapped in a pearlescent ceramic façade that at different times appears either grey or colourful, creating a subtle façade that does not need large LED screens to stand out and catch the attention of the passers-by. Hand-glazed in China, these tiles were made by applying three layers of glaze to the ceramic, and firing at a different temperature each time.

“We designed the KWG·M·CUBE so that the building continuously displays new patterns and colours. Depending on the weather and light conditions and where you stand, the façade might look subtly grey, or it might shine with all the colours of the rainbow,” says Jacob van Rijs, principal and co-founder of MVRDV. “In this part of Beijing, there are restrictions on architecture and many nearby buildings are completed in shades of grey and beige. Our solution allowed us to do exactly what the client and the city wanted: to create an attractive visual statement in which exuberance and modesty go hand in hand.”

The surface treatment of the façade also breaks up the mass of the building while responding to the light and view requirements of the interior program. While some areas of the surface were required to have blind facades to accommodate the stores behind, other stores are able to use diffuse light to their advantage, and here the ceramic tiles are used in a checkerboard pattern. In other places such as lobbies and cafes, fully glazed facades provide a visual connection between the inside of the shopping centre and the mall.

To accommodate the building’s 7-storey height, MVRDV proposed to split the KWG·M·CUBE shopping centre into two layers: on the lower 3 floors is the daytime shopping centre, which mostly hosts retail stores, while the upper levels feature more restaurants, bars, and cafés, and will truly come alive at night. In order to allow the upper floors to function while the lower floors are closed, an express elevator from the ground level takes visitors up to a second lobby on the fourth floor. To complete this layering effect, a landscaped roof terrace allows visitors to relax outside when the weather is pleasant.

MVRDV won the competition to design the KWG·M·CUBE for client KWG Group Holdings in February 2012 and have worked on the project alongside façade consultants Meinhardt Façade Technology, contractor Gartner Permasteelisa Group, tile manufacturers NBK and HDTC, and co-architect Xinjiyuan.

The Beijing KWG·M·CUBE, a 40,000-square-metre shopping centre designed by MVRDV, has completed construction in Beijing. Asked by the client to make the building a visual statement, MVRDV created a multifaceted volume that responds to its surroundings with a pearlescent ceramic façade, which shimmers in a spectrum of colours under changing light conditions.

Located just within Beijing’s innermost ring road, the KWG·M·CUBE is prominently located next to the Beijing Railway Station and near to both the Temple of Heaven to the Southwest, and Tiananmen and the Forbidden City to the Northwest. Given this prime location and the consequent value of the land, the client wanted a building that would stand out from its mostly beige and grey neighbours, while also packing a large amount of space into a relatively small footprint. Contradicting this request were the desires of the city government, whose preference was for a building that would fit in with its muted surroundings on the busy street.

MVRDV was commissioned to design the building’s exterior and responded to these competing hopes with a 7-storey volume that rises to the maximum allowed height of 36 metres—an unusually tall building for this kind of mall. The shape of the building was generated by cutting the volume at various angles to orient the façades to face key locations, such as the railway station and an intersection on the other side of the street, generating a shape that is both contextual and recognizable in its visual presence. It also allowed MVRDV to include open-air terraces on each level, which are symbolically oriented towards landmarks such as the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven—some visible from the building, others more distant—to root the building in its location.

The building is wrapped in a pearlescent ceramic façade that at different times appears either grey or colourful, creating a subtle façade that does not need large LED screens to stand out and catch the attention of the passers-by. Hand-glazed in China, these tiles were made by applying three layers of glaze to the ceramic, and firing at a different temperature each time.

“We designed the KWG·M·CUBE so that the building continuously displays new patterns and colours. Depending on the weather and light conditions and where you stand, the façade might look subtly grey, or it might shine with all the colours of the rainbow,” says Jacob van Rijs, principal and co-founder of MVRDV. “In this part of Beijing, there are restrictions on architecture and many nearby buildings are completed in shades of grey and beige. Our solution allowed us to do exactly what the client and the city wanted: to create an attractive visual statement in which exuberance and modesty go hand in hand.”

The surface treatment of the façade also breaks up the mass of the building while responding to the light and view requirements of the interior program. While some areas of the surface were required to have blind facades to accommodate the stores behind, other stores are able to use diffuse light to their advantage, and here the ceramic tiles are used in a checkerboard pattern. In other places such as lobbies and cafes, fully glazed facades provide a visual connection between the inside of the shopping centre and the mall.

To accommodate the building’s 7-storey height, MVRDV proposed to split the KWG·M·CUBE shopping centre into two layers: on the lower 3 floors is the daytime shopping centre, which mostly hosts retail stores, while the upper levels feature more restaurants, bars, and cafés, and will truly come alive at night. In order to allow the upper floors to function while the lower floors are closed, an express elevator from the ground level takes visitors up to a second lobby on the fourth floor. To complete this layering effect, a landscaped roof terrace allows visitors to relax outside when the weather is pleasant.

MVRDV won the competition to design the KWG·M·CUBE for client KWG Group Holdings in February 2012 and have worked on the project alongside façade consultants Meinhardt Façade Technology, contractor Gartner Permasteelisa Group, tile manufacturers NBK and HDTC, and co-architect Xinjiyuan.

The Beijing KWG·M·CUBE, a 40,000-square-metre shopping centre designed by MVRDV, has completed construction in Beijing. Asked by the client to make the building a visual statement, MVRDV created a multifaceted volume that responds to its surroundings with a pearlescent ceramic façade, which shimmers in a spectrum of colours under changing light conditions.

Located just within Beijing’s innermost ring road, the KWG·M·CUBE is prominently located next to the Beijing Railway Station and near to both the Temple of Heaven to the Southwest, and Tiananmen and the Forbidden City to the Northwest. Given this prime location and the consequent value of the land, the client wanted a building that would stand out from its mostly beige and grey neighbours, while also packing a large amount of space into a relatively small footprint. Contradicting this request were the desires of the city government, whose preference was for a building that would fit in with its muted surroundings on the busy street.

MVRDV was commissioned to design the building’s exterior and responded to these competing hopes with a 7-storey volume that rises to the maximum allowed height of 36 metres—an unusually tall building for this kind of mall. The shape of the building was generated by cutting the volume at various angles to orient the façades to face key locations, such as the railway station and an intersection on the other side of the street, generating a shape that is both contextual and recognizable in its visual presence. It also allowed MVRDV to include open-air terraces on each level, which are symbolically oriented towards landmarks such as the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven—some visible from the building, others more distant—to root the building in its location.

The building is wrapped in a pearlescent ceramic façade that at different times appears either grey or colourful, creating a subtle façade that does not need large LED screens to stand out and catch the attention of the passers-by. Hand-glazed in China, these tiles were made by applying three layers of glaze to the ceramic, and firing at a different temperature each time.

“We designed the KWG·M·CUBE so that the building continuously displays new patterns and colours. Depending on the weather and light conditions and where you stand, the façade might look subtly grey, or it might shine with all the colours of the rainbow,” says Jacob van Rijs, principal and co-founder of MVRDV. “In this part of Beijing, there are restrictions on architecture and many nearby buildings are completed in shades of grey and beige. Our solution allowed us to do exactly what the client and the city wanted: to create an attractive visual statement in which exuberance and modesty go hand in hand.”

The surface treatment of the façade also breaks up the mass of the building while responding to the light and view requirements of the interior program. While some areas of the surface were required to have blind facades to accommodate the stores behind, other stores are able to use diffuse light to their advantage, and here the ceramic tiles are used in a checkerboard pattern. In other places such as lobbies and cafes, fully glazed facades provide a visual connection between the inside of the shopping centre and the mall.

To accommodate the building’s 7-storey height, MVRDV proposed to split the KWG·M·CUBE shopping centre into two layers: on the lower 3 floors is the daytime shopping centre, which mostly hosts retail stores, while the upper levels feature more restaurants, bars, and cafés, and will truly come alive at night. In order to allow the upper floors to function while the lower floors are closed, an express elevator from the ground level takes visitors up to a second lobby on the fourth floor. To complete this layering effect, a landscaped roof terrace allows visitors to relax outside when the weather is pleasant.

MVRDV won the competition to design the KWG·M·CUBE for client KWG Group Holdings in February 2012 and have worked on the project alongside façade consultants Meinhardt Façade Technology, contractor Gartner Permasteelisa Group, tile manufacturers NBK and HDTC, and co-architect Xinjiyuan.

The Beijing KWG·M·CUBE, a 40,000-square-metre shopping centre designed by MVRDV, has completed construction in Beijing. Asked by the client to make the building a visual statement, MVRDV created a multifaceted volume that responds to its surroundings with a pearlescent ceramic façade, which shimmers in a spectrum of colours under changing light conditions.

Located just within Beijing’s innermost ring road, the KWG·M·CUBE is prominently located next to the Beijing Railway Station and near to both the Temple of Heaven to the Southwest, and Tiananmen and the Forbidden City to the Northwest. Given this prime location and the consequent value of the land, the client wanted a building that would stand out from its mostly beige and grey neighbours, while also packing a large amount of space into a relatively small footprint. Contradicting this request were the desires of the city government, whose preference was for a building that would fit in with its muted surroundings on the busy street.

MVRDV was commissioned to design the building’s exterior and responded to these competing hopes with a 7-storey volume that rises to the maximum allowed height of 36 metres—an unusually tall building for this kind of mall. The shape of the building was generated by cutting the volume at various angles to orient the façades to face key locations, such as the railway station and an intersection on the other side of the street, generating a shape that is both contextual and recognizable in its visual presence. It also allowed MVRDV to include open-air terraces on each level, which are symbolically oriented towards landmarks such as the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven—some visible from the building, others more distant—to root the building in its location.

The building is wrapped in a pearlescent ceramic façade that at different times appears either grey or colourful, creating a subtle façade that does not need large LED screens to stand out and catch the attention of the passers-by. Hand-glazed in China, these tiles were made by applying three layers of glaze to the ceramic, and firing at a different temperature each time.

“We designed the KWG·M·CUBE so that the building continuously displays new patterns and colours. Depending on the weather and light conditions and where you stand, the façade might look subtly grey, or it might shine with all the colours of the rainbow,” says Jacob van Rijs, principal and co-founder of MVRDV. “In this part of Beijing, there are restrictions on architecture and many nearby buildings are completed in shades of grey and beige. Our solution allowed us to do exactly what the client and the city wanted: to create an attractive visual statement in which exuberance and modesty go hand in hand.”

The surface treatment of the façade also breaks up the mass of the building while responding to the light and view requirements of the interior program. While some areas of the surface were required to have blind facades to accommodate the stores behind, other stores are able to use diffuse light to their advantage, and here the ceramic tiles are used in a checkerboard pattern. In other places such as lobbies and cafes, fully glazed facades provide a visual connection between the inside of the shopping centre and the mall.

To accommodate the building’s 7-storey height, MVRDV proposed to split the KWG·M·CUBE shopping centre into two layers: on the lower 3 floors is the daytime shopping centre, which mostly hosts retail stores, while the upper levels feature more restaurants, bars, and cafés, and will truly come alive at night. In order to allow the upper floors to function while the lower floors are closed, an express elevator from the ground level takes visitors up to a second lobby on the fourth floor. To complete this layering effect, a landscaped roof terrace allows visitors to relax outside when the weather is pleasant.

MVRDV won the competition to design the KWG·M·CUBE for client KWG Group Holdings in February 2012 and have worked on the project alongside façade consultants Meinhardt Façade Technology, contractor Gartner Permasteelisa Group, tile manufacturers NBK and HDTC, and co-architect Xinjiyuan.

Church in Sangha Retreat. 

Sangha Retreat by Octave is a life learning and wellness community on the shores of beautiful Yangcheng Lake, Suzhou. Sangha seeks to re-establish the connection and unity between people and the inner self, others, and nature. One of the best and largest of wellness centers in China, it offers an eclectic selection of premium lifelong learning and wellness programs, ranging from wellness spa packages to fully-serviced hotels and lakeside villas, with custom medical evaluation and services, body training, early education and a gourmet restaurant as part of the experience.
 
With lifelong learning standing at the center of the idea, Sangha exults in the serendipity and quietude it enjoys as an ex-urban resort, while enjoys convenient transportation to nearby cities – 15 minutes’ drive to Suzhou, 1 hour or so to Shanghai. Here, within a surrealistically beautiful surrounding, take a retreat from fully-packed schedule and enjoy a moment of calm and intimacy. Meet like-minded friends at Sangha and embark on a journey of body, mind and spirit discovery and bonding.

The design of the resort was overseen by New York based design firm TsAO & McKOWN. 

Church & view from the infinity pool in Sangha Retreat. 

Sangha Retreat by Octave is a life learning and wellness community on the shores of beautiful Yangcheng Lake, Suzhou. Sangha seeks to re-establish the connection and unity between people and the inner self, others, and nature. One of the best and largest of wellness centers in China, it offers an eclectic selection of premium lifelong learning and wellness programs, ranging from wellness spa packages to fully-serviced hotels and lakeside villas, with custom medical evaluation and services, body training, early education and a gourmet restaurant as part of the experience.
 
With lifelong learning standing at the center of the idea, Sangha exults in the serendipity and quietude it enjoys as an ex-urban resort, while enjoys convenient transportation to nearby cities – 15 minutes’ drive to Suzhou, 1 hour or so to Shanghai. Here, within a surrealistically beautiful surrounding, take a retreat from fully-packed schedule and enjoy a moment of calm and intimacy. Meet like-minded friends at Sangha and embark on a journey of body, mind and spirit discovery and bonding.

The design of the resort was overseen by New York based design firm TsAO & McKOWN. 

Villas in Sangha Retreat. 

Sangha Retreat by Octave is a life learning and wellness community on the shores of beautiful Yangcheng Lake, Suzhou. Sangha seeks to re-establish the connection and unity between people and the inner self, others, and nature. One of the best and largest of wellness centers in China, it offers an eclectic selection of premium lifelong learning and wellness programs, ranging from wellness spa packages to fully-serviced hotels and lakeside villas, with custom medical evaluation and services, body training, early education and a gourmet restaurant as part of the experience.
 
With lifelong learning standing at the center of the idea, Sangha exults in the serendipity and quietude it enjoys as an ex-urban resort, while enjoys convenient transportation to nearby cities – 15 minutes’ drive to Suzhou, 1 hour or so to Shanghai. Here, within a surrealistically beautiful surrounding, take a retreat from fully-packed schedule and enjoy a moment of calm and intimacy. Meet like-minded friends at Sangha and embark on a journey of body, mind and spirit discovery and bonding.

The design of the resort was overseen by New York based design firm TsAO & McKOWN. 

Plaza in Sangha Retreat. 

Sangha Retreat by Octave is a life learning and wellness community on the shores of beautiful Yangcheng Lake, Suzhou. Sangha seeks to re-establish the connection and unity between people and the inner self, others, and nature. One of the best and largest of wellness centers in China, it offers an eclectic selection of premium lifelong learning and wellness programs, ranging from wellness spa packages to fully-serviced hotels and lakeside villas, with custom medical evaluation and services, body training, early education and a gourmet restaurant as part of the experience.
 
With lifelong learning standing at the center of the idea, Sangha exults in the serendipity and quietude it enjoys as an ex-urban resort, while enjoys convenient transportation to nearby cities – 15 minutes’ drive to Suzhou, 1 hour or so to Shanghai. Here, within a surrealistically beautiful surrounding, take a retreat from fully-packed schedule and enjoy a moment of calm and intimacy. Meet like-minded friends at Sangha and embark on a journey of body, mind and spirit discovery and bonding.

The design of the resort was overseen by New York based design firm TsAO & McKOWN. 

Sangha Retreat by Octave is a life learning and wellness community on the shores of beautiful Yangcheng Lake, Suzhou. Sangha seeks to re-establish the connection and unity between people and the inner self, others, and nature. One of the best and largest of wellness centers in China, it offers an eclectic selection of premium lifelong learning and wellness programs, ranging from wellness spa packages to fully-serviced hotels and lakeside villas, with custom medical evaluation and services, body training, early education and a gourmet restaurant as part of the experience.
 
With lifelong learning standing at the center of the idea, Sangha exults in the serendipity and quietude it enjoys as an ex-urban resort, while enjoys convenient transportation to nearby cities – 15 minutes’ drive to Suzhou, 1 hour or so to Shanghai. Here, within a surrealistically beautiful surrounding, take a retreat from fully-packed schedule and enjoy a moment of calm and intimacy. Meet like-minded friends at Sangha and embark on a journey of body, mind and spirit discovery and bonding.

The design of the resort was overseen by New York based design firm TsAO & McKOWN. 

Sangha Retreat by Octave is a life learning and wellness community on the shores of beautiful Yangcheng Lake, Suzhou. Sangha seeks to re-establish the connection and unity between people and the inner self, others, and nature. One of the best and largest of wellness centers in China, it offers an eclectic selection of premium lifelong learning and wellness programs, ranging from wellness spa packages to fully-serviced hotels and lakeside villas, with custom medical evaluation and services, body training, early education and a gourmet restaurant as part of the experience.
 


With lifelong learning standing at the center of the idea, Sangha exults in the serendipity and quietude it enjoys as an ex-urban resort, while enjoys convenient transportation to nearby cities – 15 minutes’ drive to Suzhou, 1 hour or so to Shanghai. Here, within a surrealistically beautiful surrounding, take a retreat from fully-packed schedule and enjoy a moment of calm and intimacy. Meet like-minded friends at Sangha and embark on a journey of body, mind and spirit discovery and bonding.

The design of the resort was overseen by New York based design firm TsAO & McKOWN. 

Sangha Retreat by Octave is a life learning and wellness community on the shores of beautiful Yangcheng Lake, Suzhou. Sangha seeks to re-establish the connection and unity between people and the inner self, others, and nature. One of the best and largest of wellness centers in China, it offers an eclectic selection of premium lifelong learning and wellness programs, ranging from wellness spa packages to fully-serviced hotels and lakeside villas,

with custom medical evaluation and services, body training, early education and a gourmet restaurant as part of the experience.
 
With lifelong learning standing at the center of the idea, Sangha exults in the serendipity and quietude it enjoys as an ex-urban resort, while enjoys convenient transportation to nearby cities – 15 minutes’ drive to Suzhou, 1 hour or so to Shanghai. Here, within a surrealistically beautiful surrounding, take a retreat from fully-packed schedule and enjoy a moment of calm and intimacy. Meet like-minded friends at Sangha and embark on a journey of body, mind and spirit discovery and bonding.

The design of the resort was overseen by New York based design firm TsAO & McKOWN. 

Located in North Point, the eastern district of Hong Kong Island, 18 King Wah Road is a new 23-​story office building in Hong Kong and second commission for Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. 18 King Wah Road commands a striking view of Victoria Harbor and Kowloon Bay, and to the west, PCPA’s iconic International Financial Centre marks the skyline.

In contrast to the density of its urban neighbors, the design of PCPA’s building is airy and buoyant. The triple-​height Y-​shaped columns that support the base of the tower deliver an exciting visual on the street, announcing the building’s presence. While solid in breadth, they seem to lift the base effortlessly. Metal fins wrap around the crisp glass and steel curtain wall, creating a lively pattern the full height of the building’s compact vertical massing. Each office floor will have spectacular views of the waterfront, Victoria Harbor and Kowloon Bay.

The project meets Gold Well Building Standards, Platinum Asia Regional Intelligent Green Building, and LEED Platinum. Key environmental concerns such as dense urban congestion and extreme afternoon temperatures are addressed. The curved corners of the building allow air to flow continuously throughout the tightly built-​up neighborhood. High-​performance metal sunshades wrap the exterior of each floor to minimize the effect of the intense solar rays from overheating the interior spaces. The shades are designed to function specifically to the sun’s orientation. On the north-​west corner, they extend outwards and downward to mitigate the harsh afternoon sun. On the south-​west corner, a second shade extends out to block the higher angled mid-​day sun. Concurrently, this second feature acts as a light-​shelf that directs daylight deeper into office interiors, significantly reducing the need for artificial lighting.

Located in North Point, the eastern district of Hong Kong Island, 18 King Wah Road is a new 23-​story office building in Hong Kong and second commission for Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. 18 King Wah Road commands a striking view of Victoria Harbor and Kowloon Bay, and to the west, PCPA’s iconic International Financial Centre marks the skyline.

In contrast to the density of its urban neighbors, the design of PCPA’s building is airy and buoyant. The triple-​height Y-​shaped columns that support the base of the tower deliver an exciting visual on the street, announcing the building’s presence. While solid in breadth, they seem to lift the base effortlessly. Metal fins wrap around the crisp glass and steel curtain wall, creating a lively pattern the full height of the building’s compact vertical massing. Each office floor will have spectacular views of the waterfront, Victoria Harbor and Kowloon Bay.

The project meets Gold Well Building Standards, Platinum Asia Regional Intelligent Green Building, and LEED Platinum. Key environmental concerns such as dense urban congestion and extreme afternoon temperatures are addressed. The curved corners of the building allow air to flow continuously throughout the tightly built-​up neighborhood. High-​performance metal sunshades wrap the exterior of each floor to minimize the effect of the intense solar rays from overheating the interior spaces. The shades are designed to function specifically to the sun’s orientation. On the north-​west corner, they extend outwards and downward to mitigate the harsh afternoon sun. On the south-​west corner, a second shade extends out to block the higher angled mid-​day sun. Concurrently, this second feature acts as a light-​shelf that directs daylight deeper into office interiors, significantly reducing the need for artificial lighting.

Located in North Point, the eastern district of Hong Kong Island, 18 King Wah Road is a new 23-​story office building in Hong Kong and second commission for Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. 18 King Wah Road commands a striking view of Victoria Harbor and Kowloon Bay, and to the west, PCPA’s iconic International Financial Centre marks the skyline.

In contrast to the density of its urban neighbors, the design of PCPA’s building is airy and buoyant. The triple-​height Y-​shaped columns that support the base of the tower deliver an exciting visual on the street, announcing the building’s presence. While solid in breadth, they seem to lift the base effortlessly. Metal fins wrap around the crisp glass and steel curtain wall, creating a lively pattern the full height of the building’s compact vertical massing. Each office floor will have spectacular views of the waterfront, Victoria Harbor and Kowloon Bay.

The project meets Gold Well Building Standards, Platinum Asia Regional Intelligent Green Building, and LEED Platinum. Key environmental concerns such as dense urban congestion and extreme afternoon temperatures are addressed. The curved corners of the building allow air to flow continuously throughout the tightly built-​up neighborhood. High-​performance metal sunshades wrap the exterior of each floor to minimize the effect of the intense solar rays from overheating the interior spaces. The shades are designed to function specifically to the sun’s orientation. On the north-​west corner, they extend outwards and downward to mitigate the harsh afternoon sun. On the south-​west corner, a second shade extends out to block the higher angled mid-​day sun. Concurrently, this second feature acts as a light-​shelf that directs daylight deeper into office interiors, significantly reducing the need for artificial lighting.

Located in North Point, the eastern district of Hong Kong Island, 18 King Wah Road is a new 23-​story office building in Hong Kong and second commission for Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. 18 King Wah Road commands a striking view of Victoria Harbor and Kowloon Bay, and to the west, PCPA’s iconic International Financial Centre marks the skyline.

In contrast to the density of its urban neighbors, the design of PCPA’s building is airy and buoyant. The triple-​height Y-​shaped columns that support the base of the tower deliver an exciting visual on the street, announcing the building’s presence. While solid in breadth, they seem to lift the base effortlessly. Metal fins wrap around the crisp glass and steel curtain wall, creating a lively pattern the full height of the building’s compact vertical massing. Each office floor will have spectacular views of the waterfront, Victoria Harbor and Kowloon Bay.

The project meets Gold Well Building Standards, Platinum Asia Regional Intelligent Green Building, and LEED Platinum. Key environmental concerns such as dense urban congestion and extreme afternoon temperatures are addressed. The curved corners of the building allow air to flow continuously throughout the tightly built-​up neighborhood. High-​performance metal sunshades wrap the exterior of each floor to minimize the effect of the intense solar rays from overheating the interior spaces. The shades are designed to function specifically to the sun’s orientation. On the north-​west corner, they extend outwards and downward to mitigate the harsh afternoon sun. On the south-​west corner, a second shade extends out to block the higher angled mid-​day sun. Concurrently, this second feature acts as a light-​shelf that directs daylight deeper into office interiors, significantly reducing the need for artificial lighting.

Located in North Point, the eastern district of Hong Kong Island, 18 King Wah Road is a new 23-​story office building in Hong Kong and second commission for Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. 18 King Wah Road commands a striking view of Victoria Harbor and Kowloon Bay, and to the west, PCPA’s iconic International Financial Centre marks the skyline.



In contrast to the density of its urban neighbors, the design of PCPA’s building is airy and buoyant. The triple-​height Y-​shaped columns that support the base of the tower deliver an exciting visual on the street, announcing the building’s presence. While solid in breadth, they seem to lift the base effortlessly. Metal fins wrap around the crisp glass and steel curtain wall, creating a lively pattern the full height of the building’s compact vertical massing. Each office floor will have spectacular views of the waterfront, Victoria Harbor and Kowloon Bay.



The project meets Gold Well Building Standards, Platinum Asia Regional Intelligent Green Building, and LEED Platinum. Key environmental concerns such as dense urban congestion and extreme afternoon temperatures are addressed. The curved corners of the building allow air to flow continuously throughout the tightly built-​up neighborhood. High-​performance metal sunshades wrap the exterior of each floor to minimize the effect of the intense solar rays from overheating the interior spaces. The shades are designed to function specifically to the sun’s orientation. On the north-​west corner, they extend outwards and downward to mitigate the harsh afternoon sun. On the south-​west corner, a second shade extends out to block the higher angled mid-​day sun. Concurrently, this second feature acts as a light-​shelf that directs daylight deeper into office interiors, significantly reducing the need for artificial lighting.

Located in North Point, the eastern district of Hong Kong Island, 18 King Wah Road is a new 23-​story office building in Hong Kong and second commission for Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. 18 King Wah Road commands a striking view of Victoria Harbor and Kowloon Bay, and to the west, PCPA’s iconic International Financial Centre marks the skyline.

In contrast to the density of its urban neighbors, the design of PCPA’s building is airy and buoyant. The triple-​height Y-​shaped columns that support the base of the tower deliver an exciting visual on the street, announcing the building’s presence. While solid in breadth, they seem to lift the base effortlessly. Metal fins wrap around the crisp glass and steel curtain wall, creating a lively pattern the full height of the building’s compact vertical massing. Each office floor will have spectacular views of the waterfront, Victoria Harbor and Kowloon Bay.

The project meets Gold Well Building Standards, Platinum Asia Regional Intelligent Green Building, and LEED Platinum. Key environmental concerns such as dense urban congestion and extreme afternoon temperatures are addressed. The curved corners of the building allow air to flow continuously throughout the tightly built-​up neighborhood. High-​performance metal sunshades wrap the exterior of each floor to minimize the effect of the intense solar rays from overheating the interior spaces. The shades are designed to function specifically to the sun’s orientation. On the north-​west corner, they extend outwards and downward to mitigate the harsh afternoon sun. On the south-​west corner, a second shade extends out to block the higher angled mid-​day sun. Concurrently, this second feature acts as a light-​shelf that directs daylight deeper into office interiors, significantly reducing the need for artificial lighting.

Jing’an Ronghui Plaza consists of two office buildings, one high-end residential buildings and a boutique SOHO apartment unit. The programme is distributed within four individual volumes. The residential and office towers - linked by a ground floor retail layer - are placed across the site to optimise sun orientation and reduce the casting of shadows on the plot, while simultaneously reducing impact on the surrounding buildings.
The facade design for Jing’an Ronghui Plaza was developed around two principle elements. The horizontal ribbons that wrap around balconies and facade openings and the vertical shifts in the ribbons towards the main street which add a vertical articulation to the buildings and ground them on the site.
Large glass openings allow natural light into the buildings, creating optimal interior lighting conditions for the different functions and ensuring spectacular city views. On the lower levels the buildings connect to a park setting with greenery and water features. 

Jing’an Ronghui Plaza consists of two office buildings, one high-end residential buildings and a boutique SOHO apartment unit. The programme is distributed within four individual volumes. The residential and office towers - linked by a ground floor retail layer - are placed across the site to optimise sun orientation and reduce the casting of shadows on the plot, while simultaneously reducing impact on the surrounding buildings.

The facade design for Jing’an Ronghui Plaza was developed around two principle elements. The horizontal ribbons that wrap around balconies and facade openings and the vertical shifts in the ribbons towards the main street which add a vertical articulation to the buildings and ground them on the site.

Large glass openings allow natural light into the buildings, creating optimal interior lighting conditions for the different functions and ensuring spectacular city views. On the lower levels the buildings connect to a park setting with greenery and water features.

Jing’an Ronghui Plaza consists of two towers, one high-end residential buildings and serviced apartments. The programme is distributed within four individual volumes. The residential and office towers - linked by a ground floor retail layer - are placed across the site to optimise sun orientation and reduce the casting of shadows on the plot, while simultaneously reducing impact on the surrounding buildings. The facade design for Jing’an Ronghui Plaza was developed around two principle elements. The horizontal ribbons that wrap around balconies and facade openings and the vertical shifts in the ribbons towards the main street which add a vertical articulation to the buildings and ground them on the site. Large glass openings allow natural light into the buildings, creating optimal interior lighting conditions for the different functions and ensuring spectacular city views. On the lower levels the buildings connect to a park setting with greenery and water features.

Jing’an Ronghui Plaza consists of two towers, one high-end residential buildings and serviced apartments. The programme is distributed within four individual volumes. The residential and office towers - linked by a ground floor retail layer - are placed across the site to optimise sun orientation and reduce the casting of shadows on the plot, while simultaneously reducing impact on the surrounding buildings. The facade design for Jing’an Ronghui Plaza was developed around two principle elements. The horizontal ribbons that wrap around balconies and facade openings and the vertical shifts in the ribbons towards the main street which add a vertical articulation to the buildings and ground them on the site. Large glass openings allow natural light into the buildings, creating optimal interior lighting conditions for the different functions and ensuring spectacular city views. On the lower levels the buildings connect to a park setting with greenery and water features.

Jing’an Ronghui Plaza consists of two towers, one high-end residential buildings and serviced apartments. The programme is distributed within four individual volumes. The residential and office towers - linked by a ground floor retail layer - are placed across the site to optimise sun orientation and reduce the casting of shadows on the plot, while simultaneously reducing impact on the surrounding buildings. The facade design for Jing’an Ronghui Plaza was developed around two principle elements. The horizontal ribbons that wrap around balconies and facade openings and the vertical shifts in the ribbons towards the main street which add a vertical articulation to the buildings and ground them on the site. Large glass openings allow natural light into the buildings, creating optimal interior lighting conditions for the different functions and ensuring spectacular city views. On the lower levels the buildings connect to a park setting with greenery and water features.

Jing’an Ronghui Plaza consists of two towers, one high-end residential buildings and serviced apartments. The programme is distributed within four individual volumes. The residential and office towers - linked by a ground floor retail layer - are placed across the site to optimise sun orientation and reduce the casting of shadows on the plot, while simultaneously reducing impact on the surrounding buildings. The facade design for Jing’an Ronghui Plaza was developed around two principle elements. The horizontal ribbons that wrap around balconies and facade openings and the vertical shifts in the ribbons towards the main street which add a vertical articulation to the buildings and ground them on the site. Large glass openings allow natural light into the buildings, creating optimal interior lighting conditions for the different functions and ensuring spectacular city views. On the lower levels the buildings connect to a park setting with greenery and water features.

Kokaistudios has completed the architectural and interior design renovation of COFCO Plaza. Built in 1996, the building occupies one of the best locations in Beijing, along Jianguomen street at the cross with Chang’an Avenue, 1km away from the Forbidden City. 

Two V-shaped fourteen storey office towers cut into the surrounding urban environment at a 45 degree angle. They are linked together by the central square shaped complex, creating a structure with sharp corners and a strong sense of geometry.

The re-development focused on "innovation through renovation", a concept that has guided many of Kokaistudios' previous work. The firm strived to enrich the urban fabric by re-purposing and re-examining the potential of existing buildings. The architects worked closely with COFCO to understand the brand in order to translate the culture into a spatial experience.

Kokaistudios has completed the architectural and interior design renovation of COFCO Plaza. Built in 1996, the building occupies one of the best locations in Beijing, along Jianguomen street at the cross with Chang’an Avenue, 1km away from the Forbidden City. 

Two V-shaped fourteen storey office towers cut into the surrounding urban environment at a 45 degree angle. They are linked together by the central square shaped complex, creating a structure with sharp corners and a strong sense of geometry.

The re-development focused on "innovation through renovation", a concept that has guided many of Kokaistudios' previous work. The firm strived to enrich the urban fabric by re-purposing and re-examining the potential of existing buildings. The architects worked closely with COFCO to understand the brand in order to translate the culture into a spatial experience.

Kokaistudios has completed the architectural and interior design renovation of COFCO Plaza. Built in 1996, the building occupies one of the best locations in Beijing, along Jianguomen street at the cross with Chang’an Avenue, 1km away from the Forbidden City. 

Two V-shaped fourteen storey office towers cut into the surrounding urban environment at a 45 degree angle. They are linked together by the central square shaped complex, creating a structure with sharp corners and a strong sense of geometry.

The re-development focused on "innovation through renovation", a concept that has guided many of Kokaistudios' previous work. The firm strived to enrich the urban fabric by re-purposing and re-examining the potential of existing buildings. The architects worked closely with COFCO to understand the brand in order to translate the culture into a spatial experience.

Kokaistudios has completed the architectural and interior design renovation of COFCO Plaza. Built in 1996, the building occupies one of the best locations in Beijing, along Jianguomen street at the cross with Chang’an Avenue, 1km away from the Forbidden City. 

Two V-shaped fourteen storey office towers cut into the surrounding urban environment at a 45 degree angle. They are linked together by the central square shaped complex, creating a structure with sharp corners and a strong sense of geometry.

The re-development focused on "innovation through renovation", a concept that has guided many of Kokaistudios' previous work. The firm strived to enrich the urban fabric by re-purposing and re-examining the potential of existing buildings. The architects worked closely with COFCO to understand the brand in order to translate the culture into a spatial experience.

Kokaistudios has completed the architectural and interior design renovation of COFCO Plaza. Built in 1996, the building occupies one of the best locations in Beijing, along Jianguomen street at the cross with Chang’an Avenue, 1km away from the Forbidden City. 

Two V-shaped fourteen storey office towers cut into the surrounding urban environment at a 45 degree angle. They are linked together by the central square shaped complex, creating a structure with sharp corners and a strong sense of geometry.

The re-development focused on "innovation through renovation", a concept that has guided many of Kokaistudios' previous work. The firm strived to enrich the urban fabric by re-purposing and re-examining the potential of existing buildings. The architects worked closely with COFCO to understand the brand in order to translate the culture into a spatial experience.

Kokaistudios has completed the architectural and interior design renovation of COFCO Plaza. Built in 1996, the building occupies one of the best locations in Beijing, along Jianguomen street at the cross with Chang’an Avenue, 1km away from the Forbidden City. 

Two V-shaped fourteen storey office towers cut into the surrounding urban environment at a 45 degree angle. They are linked together by the central square shaped complex, creating a structure with sharp corners and a strong sense of geometry.

The re-development focused on "innovation through renovation", a concept that has guided many of Kokaistudios' previous work. The firm strived to enrich the urban fabric by re-purposing and re-examining the potential of existing buildings. The architects worked closely with COFCO to understand the brand in order to translate the culture into a spatial experience.

MDO have completed the first two of four office towers in Xi’an’s Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone.  The towers are the 2nd phase of a larger office campus masterplan.  At the centre of the new design is a landscaped park which acts as a green community focus for the entire campus.
A previous masterplan included all the office accommodation arranged in a single block, and MDO reorganized this area into 4 towers, creating more view corridors through the site and to the park, less overshadowing and better leasable office floor plates.
Facade
The 4 towers are designed as two pairs that are mirrored off an existing central axis.  The brief called for economic floor plates and a cost effective façade.  Recesses, obtrusions, all of these would add cost; instead we decided to treat the facades as a skin which could be enriched through careful composition, proportion, and detail.
The façade is vertically organized into bands, which increase in height as they rise, giving the towers a greater vertical emphasis.  The curtain walling is either full height glass or Apple silver aluminum panels. The proportion of glass increases the further you rise up the building.
Local codes require opening vents for smoke clearance, which usually result in awkward and unsightly windows. We wanted to maintain a clean unobstructed glass panel so decided to hide the vents behind louvered screens.  These allow the occupants to open the façade to receive fresh air without effecting the expression of the façade.
Lighting
At night we imagined the towers to create an abstract play of light, referring to arrangements of binary codes.  Aluminum panels were folded outwards to create light slots which can be seen only from certain angles. This means as you walk past, the 4 towers subtly change in appearance.
Entrances
At the base of the towers the façade is lifted up to create double-height entrance lobbies, connecting the towers directly to the landscape.  The module of the curtain wall increased so there are less visual obstructions to the view of the park.
The lobbies are treated as flexible spaces where people can work, meet and relax on specially designed furniture. To contrast against the metallic exterior, the interior spaces are lined at lower level with slatted bamboo walls, whilst above gentle folds of aluminum turn into the façade.

MDO have completed the first two of four office towers in Xi’an’s Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone.  The towers are the 2nd phase of a larger office campus masterplan.  At the centre of the new design is a landscaped park which acts as a green community focus for the entire campus.
A previous masterplan included all the office accommodation arranged in a single block, and MDO reorganized this area into 4 towers, creating more view corridors through the site and to the park, less overshadowing and better leasable office floor plates.
Facade
The 4 towers are designed as two pairs that are mirrored off an existing central axis.  The brief called for economic floor plates and a cost effective façade.  Recesses, obtrusions, all of these would add cost; instead we decided to treat the facades as a skin which could be enriched through careful composition, proportion, and detail.
The façade is vertically organized into bands, which increase in height as they rise, giving the towers a greater vertical emphasis.  The curtain walling is either full height glass or Apple silver aluminum panels. The proportion of glass increases the further you rise up the building.
Local codes require opening vents for smoke clearance, which usually result in awkward and unsightly windows. We wanted to maintain a clean unobstructed glass panel so decided to hide the vents behind louvered screens.  These allow the occupants to open the façade to receive fresh air without effecting the expression of the façade.
Lighting
At night we imagined the towers to create an abstract play of light, referring to arrangements of binary codes.  Aluminum panels were folded outwards to create light slots which can be seen only from certain angles. This means as you walk past, the 4 towers subtly change in appearance.
Entrances
At the base of the towers the façade is lifted up to create double-height entrance lobbies, connecting the towers directly to the landscape.  The module of the curtain wall increased so there are less visual obstructions to the view of the park.
The lobbies are treated as flexible spaces where people can work, meet and relax on specially designed furniture. To contrast against the metallic exterior, the interior spaces are lined at lower level with slatted bamboo walls, whilst above gentle folds of aluminum turn into the façade.

MDO have completed the first two of four office towers in Xi’an’s Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone.  The towers are the 2nd phase of a larger office campus masterplan.  At the centre of the new design is a landscaped park which acts as a green community focus for the entire campus.
A previous masterplan included all the office accommodation arranged in a single block, and MDO reorganized this area into 4 towers, creating more view corridors through the site and to the park, less overshadowing and better leasable office floor plates.
Facade
The 4 towers are designed as two pairs that are mirrored off an existing central axis.  The brief called for economic floor plates and a cost effective façade.  Recesses, obtrusions, all of these would add cost; instead we decided to treat the facades as a skin which could be enriched through careful composition, proportion, and detail.
The façade is vertically organized into bands, which increase in height as they rise, giving the towers a greater vertical emphasis.  The curtain walling is either full height glass or Apple silver aluminum panels. The proportion of glass increases the further you rise up the building.
Local codes require opening vents for smoke clearance, which usually result in awkward and unsightly windows. We wanted to maintain a clean unobstructed glass panel so decided to hide the vents behind louvered screens.  These allow the occupants to open the façade to receive fresh air without effecting the expression of the façade.
Lighting
At night we imagined the towers to create an abstract play of light, referring to arrangements of binary codes.  Aluminum panels were folded outwards to create light slots which can be seen only from certain angles. This means as you walk past, the 4 towers subtly change in appearance.
Entrances
At the base of the towers the façade is lifted up to create double-height entrance lobbies, connecting the towers directly to the landscape.  The module of the curtain wall increased so there are less visual obstructions to the view of the park.
The lobbies are treated as flexible spaces where people can work, meet and relax on specially designed furniture. To contrast against the metallic exterior, the interior spaces are lined at lower level with slatted bamboo walls, whilst above gentle folds of aluminum turn into the façade.

MDO have completed the first two of four office towers in Xi’an’s Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone.  The towers are the 2nd phase of a larger office campus masterplan.  At the centre of the new design is a landscaped park which acts as a green community focus for the entire campus.
A previous masterplan included all the office accommodation arranged in a single block, and MDO reorganized this area into 4 towers, creating more view corridors through the site and to the park, less overshadowing and better leasable office floor plates.
Facade
The 4 towers are designed as two pairs that are mirrored off an existing central axis.  The brief called for economic floor plates and a cost effective façade.  Recesses, obtrusions, all of these would add cost; instead we decided to treat the facades as a skin which could be enriched through careful composition, proportion, and detail.
The façade is vertically organized into bands, which increase in height as they rise, giving the towers a greater vertical emphasis.  The curtain walling is either full height glass or Apple silver aluminum panels. The proportion of glass increases the further you rise up the building.
Local codes require opening vents for smoke clearance, which usually result in awkward and unsightly windows. We wanted to maintain a clean unobstructed glass panel so decided to hide the vents behind louvered screens.  These allow the occupants to open the façade to receive fresh air without effecting the expression of the façade.
Lighting
At night we imagined the towers to create an abstract play of light, referring to arrangements of binary codes.  Aluminum panels were folded outwards to create light slots which can be seen only from certain angles. This means as you walk past, the 4 towers subtly change in appearance.
Entrances
At the base of the towers the façade is lifted up to create double-height entrance lobbies, connecting the towers directly to the landscape.  The module of the curtain wall increased so there are less visual obstructions to the view of the park.
The lobbies are treated as flexible spaces where people can work, meet and relax on specially designed furniture. To contrast against the metallic exterior, the interior spaces are lined at lower level with slatted bamboo walls, whilst above gentle folds of aluminum turn into the façade.

MDO have completed the first two of four office towers in Xi’an’s Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone.  The towers are the 2nd phase of a larger office campus masterplan.  At the centre of the new design is a landscaped park which acts as a green community focus for the entire campus.
A previous masterplan included all the office accommodation arranged in a single block, and MDO reorganized this area into 4 towers, creating more view corridors through the site and to the park, less overshadowing and better leasable office floor plates.
Facade
The 4 towers are designed as two pairs that are mirrored off an existing central axis.  The brief called for economic floor plates and a cost effective façade.  Recesses, obtrusions, all of these would add cost; instead we decided to treat the facades as a skin which could be enriched through careful composition, proportion, and detail.
The façade is vertically organized into bands, which increase in height as they rise, giving the towers a greater vertical emphasis.  The curtain walling is either full height glass or Apple silver aluminum panels. The proportion of glass increases the further you rise up the building.
Local codes require opening vents for smoke clearance, which usually result in awkward and unsightly windows. We wanted to maintain a clean unobstructed glass panel so decided to hide the vents behind louvered screens.  These allow the occupants to open the façade to receive fresh air without effecting the expression of the façade.
Lighting
At night we imagined the towers to create an abstract play of light, referring to arrangements of binary codes.  Aluminum panels were folded outwards to create light slots which can be seen only from certain angles. This means as you walk past, the 4 towers subtly change in appearance.
Entrances
At the base of the towers the façade is lifted up to create double-height entrance lobbies, connecting the towers directly to the landscape.  The module of the curtain wall increased so there are less visual obstructions to the view of the park.
The lobbies are treated as flexible spaces where people can work, meet and relax on specially designed furniture. To contrast against the metallic exterior, the interior spaces are lined at lower level with slatted bamboo walls, whilst above gentle folds of aluminum turn into the façade.

MDO have completed the first two of four office towers in Xi’an’s Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone.  The towers are the 2nd phase of a larger office campus masterplan.  At the centre of the new design is a landscaped park which acts as a green community focus for the entire campus.
A previous masterplan included all the office accommodation arranged in a single block, and MDO reorganized this area into 4 towers, creating more view corridors through the site and to the park, less overshadowing and better leasable office floor plates.
Facade
The 4 towers are designed as two pairs that are mirrored off an existing central axis.  The brief called for economic floor plates and a cost effective façade.  Recesses, obtrusions, all of these would add cost; instead we decided to treat the facades as a skin which could be enriched through careful composition, proportion, and detail.
The façade is vertically organized into bands, which increase in height as they rise, giving the towers a greater vertical emphasis.  The curtain walling is either full height glass or Apple silver aluminum panels. The proportion of glass increases the further you rise up the building.
Local codes require opening vents for smoke clearance, which usually result in awkward and unsightly windows. We wanted to maintain a clean unobstructed glass panel so decided to hide the vents behind louvered screens.  These allow the occupants to open the façade to receive fresh air without effecting the expression of the façade.
Lighting
At night we imagined the towers to create an abstract play of light, referring to arrangements of binary codes.  Aluminum panels were folded outwards to create light slots which can be seen only from certain angles. This means as you walk past, the 4 towers subtly change in appearance.
Entrances
At the base of the towers the façade is lifted up to create double-height entrance lobbies, connecting the towers directly to the landscape.  The module of the curtain wall increased so there are less visual obstructions to the view of the park.
The lobbies are treated as flexible spaces where people can work, meet and relax on specially designed furniture. To contrast against the metallic exterior, the interior spaces are lined at lower level with slatted bamboo walls, whilst above gentle folds of aluminum turn into the façade.