John Portman & Associates (Portman) has been selected to design Tianlong Fortune Center, the first super tall skyscraper tower in Nanning, with a height of 1,312 feet (400 meters). The architectural design competition was led by developer Guangxi Wei Zhuang Real Estate Co., Ltd., and the Nanning Planning Bureau.
Located in the tropical southern portion of China, Nanning is the capital city of Guangxi province and serves as a regional leader in promoting unity among its neighbors in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Nanning has also hosted the annual China ASEAN Summit in previous years. This building will provide a new headquarters for member companies of the ASEAN Association. Envisioned as a finance and trade center that will be home to various banks and financial consultants, the tower will help spur the economic growth of Nanning and enhance the city’s international presence.
The upper portion of the tower includes a five-star atrium hotel while floors immediately above the hotel provide an exclusive executive club and destination restaurant. The level below the hotel lobby will feature a hotel’s fitness center, pool, restaurant, business center and other amenities. The remainder of the tower is office space.
A special observation complex providing a 360-degree view of the surrounding area features two major levels, one enclosed and another open to the sky in a rooftop garden. A full complement of visitor and tourist facilities will be available at the sky deck, including a gift shop and café.
In addition to the tower, the project includes a podium building connected to the tower via a dynamic glass “mixing box.” Anchored at each corner by banking halls, the eight-story podium building also contains restaurant, retail, fitness, entertainment and conference facilities, and features a roof top garden.
As the goal for this project was to create a unique and powerful symbol for Nanning, the architects created a simple compelling form that would be instantly recognizable all over the world. The high-profile project is to be located along Minzu Boulevard, the primary east-west corridor into Nanning’s central business district. Its unique form begins with a square base that widens out into an octagon in the middle, before elegantly tapering back into a square plan at the top. The glass facets created by the tower’s sculptural form symbolically reflect ASEAN’s logo, which depicts a bundle of harvested rice tied in the middle. +
Related Stories
Architects | Jul 23, 2015
CTBUH recognizes Parkroyal on Pickering as Urban Habitat Award winner
The Singapore hotel has green space galore
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Jul 23, 2015
Japan announces new plan for Olympic Stadium
The country moves on from Zaha Hadid Architects, creators of the original stadium design scrapped last week.
Green | Jul 23, 2015
NASA: U.S. headed for worst droughts in a millennium
Data from NASA shows carbon emissions could be the driving force behind devastating water shortages and record droughts in the western U.S.
Airports | Jul 22, 2015
MUST SEE: JFK airport taps Gensler to design terminal for animals
Pets can enjoy luxurious spa and grooming services before being transported directly to their flight from the terminal.
Office Buildings | Jul 21, 2015
Finally! There's a workplace trend that’s worth embracing
There’s a realization by corporate real estate executives that in order to create a successful workplace, there must be alignment between their people, their place, and the tools they have to do their jobs.
University Buildings | Jul 21, 2015
Maker spaces: Designing places to test, break, and rebuild
Gensler's Kenneth Fisher and Keller Roughton highlight recent maker space projects at MIT and the University of Nebraska that provide just the right mix of equipment, tools, spaces, and disciplines to spark innovation.
Architects | Jul 21, 2015
Architecture Billings Index at highest mark since 2007
This is the first month in 2015 that all regions are reporting positive business conditions, said AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker.
BIM and Information Technology | Jul 20, 2015
New stylus brings digital sketching to the next level
Without buttons, users can change the weight of the stylus’ stroke.
Architects | Jul 20, 2015
New York design competition looks to shed the sidewalk shed
New York, which has nearly 200 total miles of sidewalk sheds, is seeking a concept that is practical but that also looks good.
Cultural Facilities | Jul 19, 2015
SET Architects wins design competition for Holocaust Memorial
The design for the memorial in Bologna, Italy, is dominated by two large metal monolithic structures that represent the oppressive wooden bunks in concentration camps in Germany during World War II.
