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
| May 30, 2014
MIT researchers create 'home in a box' transformable wall system for micro apartments
Dubbed CityHome, the system integrates furniture, storage, exercise equipment, lighting, office equipment, and entertainment systems into a compact wall unit.
| May 30, 2014
Riding high: L.A., Chicago working on their version of the High Line elevated park
Cities around the U.S. are taking notice of New York's highly popular High Line elevated park system. Both Chicago and Los Angeles are currently working on High Line-like projects.
| May 30, 2014
Developer will convert Dallas' storied LTV Building into mixed-use residential tower
New Orleans-based HRI Properties recently completed the purchase of one of the most storied buildings in downtown Dallas. The developer will convert the LTV Building into a mixed-use complex, with 171 hotel rooms and 186 luxury apartments.
| May 29, 2014
Turn your pen-and-paper sketches into digital drawings in seconds with this nifty gadget [video]
Funded through Kickstarter, iSketchnote uses a smart pen to instantly digitize hand-written notes and drawings.
| May 29, 2014
7 cost-effective ways to make U.S. infrastructure more resilient
Moving critical elements to higher ground and designing for longer lifespans are just some of the ways cities and governments can make infrastructure more resilient to natural disasters and climate change, writes Richard Cavallaro, President of Skanska USA Civil.
| May 29, 2014
Wood advocacy groups release 'lessons learned' report on tall wood buildings
The wood-industry advocacy group reThink Wood has released "Summary Report: Survey of International Tall Wood Buildings," with informatino from 10 mid-rise projects in Europe, Australia, and Canada.
| May 29, 2014
Five finalists, including SOM and Zaha Hadid, chosen in competition for Sweden's tallest skyscraper
In Sernecke's competition to design Sweden's tallest skyscraper, five finalists have been selected: Manuelle Gautrand Architects, Ian Simpson Architects, SOM, Wingårdhs Arkitektkontor, and Zaha Hadid Architects.
| May 29, 2014
Retail renovation trends: Omni-channel shopping, personalized experiences among top goals of new store designs
In pursuit of enhanced customer experiences, retailers are using Big Data, interactive technology, and omni-channel shopping to transform their bricks and mortar locations.
| May 28, 2014
Video Blog: How today’s construction firms are bridging the BIM gap
Turner Construction and Parsons Brinckerhoff talk about how BIM has revolutionized the way that they conduct projects, and how technology has allowed them to leverage collaboration in such a way that they can work with decentralized teams.
| May 28, 2014
KPF's dual towers in Turkey will incorporate motifs, symbols of Ottoman Empire
The two-building headquarters for Turkey’s largest and oldest financial institution, Ziraat Bank, is inspired by the country’s cultural heritage.
