Architecture firm Goettsch has been hired by developer China Resources Land Limited to design a massive project located in Neighborhood 2 of Shenzhen’s Qianhai district. The project covers 6.18 hectares and includes five commercial towers totaling 450,000 square meters—the firm’s largest project to-date in China.
The overall development totals 503,000 square meters and includes three office towers, a five-star hotel tower, an apartment tower, shopping mall, and retail stores. Goettsch is designing all of the towers, as well as the hotel and apartment podiums and their affiliated program spaces. UK-based design firm Benoy is developing the master plan and designing the shopping mall and retail areas.
The Qianhai district is a special economic zone designated for an ambitious $45 billion overall development to transform the 15-square-kilometer area into the “Manhattan of the Pearl River Delta.” Neighborhood 2 is the most recent of three Qianhai parcels sold.
The overall design concept is one of a unified complex composed of buildings with related yet individual exterior characteristics and facades designed with a textured elegance that differentiates them from the surrounding blue-glass buildings of Shenzhen.
A metallic-painted aluminum frame with consistent spacing between verticals prioritizes internal planning flexibility for the office towers. The spacing between horizontal frame elements varies from a two-story to a four-story rhythm in order to respond more individually to each office building’s height and proportions.
The frame’s vertical component is accentuated by means of double fins; this character is countered by an expression of double horizontal fins on the hotel and apartment towers that create a related yet different appearance while affording maximum flexibility for views and natural ventilation.
“We are delighted and honored to win this prestigious commission,” said James Zheng, AIA, LEED AP, President of Goettsch Partners. “We are confident to design a modern, bold and highly sustainable world class complex for the new Qianhai district.”
The commission marks Goettsch Partner’s latest project for China Resources Land. Other assignments include the Grand Hyatt Dalian, an over 400-meter-tall mixed-use tower in Nanning, the Hotel Kapok Shenzhen Bay, and two additional towers at Shenzhen Bay.
Related Stories
MFPRO+ New Projects | Jun 27, 2024
Chicago’s long-vacant Spire site will be home to a two-tower residential development
In downtown Chicago, the site of the planned Chicago Spire, at the confluence of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, has sat vacant since construction ceased in the wake of the Great Recession. In the next few years, the site will be home to a new two-tower residential development, 400 Lake Shore.
Codes and Standards | Jun 27, 2024
Berkeley, Calif., voters will decide whether to tax large buildings with gas hookups
After a court struck down a first-in-the-nation ban on gas hookups in new buildings last year, voters in Berkeley, Calif., will have their say in November on a measure to tax large buildings that use natural gas.
Mass Timber | Jun 26, 2024
Oregon State University builds a first-of-its-kind mass timber research lab
In Corvallis, Oreg., the Jen-Hsun Huang and Lori Mills Huang Collaborative Innovation Complex at Oregon State University aims to achieve a distinction among the world’s experimental research labs: It will be the first all-mass-timber lab meeting rigorous vibration criteria (2000 micro-inches per second, or MIPS).
Sustainability | Jun 26, 2024
5 ways ESG can influence design and create opportunities
Gensler sustainability leaders Stacey Olson, Anthony Brower, and Audrey Handelman share five ways they're rethinking designing for ESG, using a science-based approach that can impact the ESG value chain.
Student Housing | Jun 25, 2024
P3 student housing project with 176 units slated for Purdue University Fort Wayne
A public/private partnership will fund a four-story, 213,000 sf apartment complex on Purdue University Fort Wayne’s (PFW’s) North Campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The P3 entity was formed exclusively for this property.
Sustainability | Jun 24, 2024
CBRE to use Climate X platform to help clients calculate climate-related risks
CBRE will use risk analysis platform Climate X to provide climate risk data to commercial renters and property owners. The agreement will help clients calculate climate-related risks and return on investments for retrofits or acquisitions that can boost resiliency.
MFPRO+ News | Jun 24, 2024
‘Yes in God’s Backyard’ movement could create more affordable housing
The so-called “Yes in God’s Backyard” (YIGBY) movement, where houses of worship convert their properties to housing, could help alleviate the serious housing crisis affecting many communities around the country.
Student Housing | Jun 20, 2024
How student housing developments are evolving to meet new expectations
The days of uninspired dorm rooms with little more than a bed and a communal bathroom down the hall are long gone. Students increasingly seek inclusive design, communities to enhance learning and living, and a focus on wellness that encompasses everything from meditation spaces to mental health resources.
Museums | Jun 20, 2024
Connecticut’s Bruce Museum more than doubles its size with a 42,000-sf, three-floor addition
In Greenwich, Conn., the Bruce Museum, a multidisciplinary institution highlighting art, science, and history, has undergone a campus revitalization and expansion that more than doubles the museum’s size. Designed by EskewDumezRipple and built by Turner Construction, the project includes a 42,000-sf, three-floor addition as well as a comprehensive renovation of the 32,500-sf museum, which was originally built as a private home in the mid-19th century and expanded in the early 1990s.
Building Technology | Jun 18, 2024
Could ‘smart’ building facades heat and cool buildings?
A promising research project looks at the possibilities for thermoelectric systems to thermally condition buildings, writes Mahsa Farid Mohajer, Sustainable Building Analyst with Stantec.
