Guangxi China Resources Tower, a new 403-meter-tall (1,322 feet) skyscraper in Nanning, China features the world’s highest outdoor pool—at 323 meters (1,060 feet) above grade. The tower is the 18th tallest building in China and the 37th tallest in the world.
The architecture was inspired by the crystalline forms associated with the mountains of Guangxi. The structure’s faceted and fragmented geometry provides a multitude of surfaces that reflect the changing light qualities of the tropical sky. The character of the tower changes throughout the day, mirroring the mood of the city.
Horizontal sunshades delicately extend across the façade in a consistent texture, shading the floor-to-ceiling glass of the building’s interior spaces. This simple clarity of the façade results in a cohesive legibility of its angular geometry and creates a bold contrast to both the lush vegetation of the region and the surrounding mixture of architectural styles, according to a news release from Goettsch Partners (GP), the project’s design architect.
The 86-story tower anchors a 900,000-square-meter multifunctional transit-oriented development of retail, commercial office, residential, and luxury hospitality. The high-rise totals 272,260 square meters, composed of the 336-key Shangri-La Nanning hotel, 172,740 square meters of office space, and 5,930 square meters of retail space.
Located on the lower floors, the office program is distinguished with a single-sided taper of the south façade that strategically reduces the floor plate depths as the tower rises in response to the stepping core. Atop the office volume, a dramatic shift in the building profile occurs as the hotel program emerges. A terrace at Level 71 caps the lower volume and creates a unique outdoor sky space, featuring the hotel pool. Dramatic views of the surrounding lakes, parks, and mountains extend in all directions, enlivened by the 180-degree view from sunrise to sunset.
The complex includes interconnected podium and basement floors that form a cohesive network of buildings optimized to benefit the larger master planned development. External sunshades and a high-performance façade enclosure system help to reduce energy loads while delivering natural light and exceptional views to all floors. Optimized mechanical systems maximize the efficiency to minimize energy and water consumption while creating a comfortable indoor environment.
On the Building Team:
Owner and/or developer: China Resources Land Limited (CR Land)
Design architect: Goettsch Partners
Architect of record: CCDI Group
MEP engineer: Parsons Brinkerhoff
Structural engineer: RBS Architectural Engineering Design Associates
General contractor/construction manager: China Construction Eighth Engineering Division
Related Stories
| Jul 15, 2014
Michael Graves talks with Washington Post about new design eye from life in a wheelchair
Celebrated American architect Michael Graves sits with the Washington Post to talk about how being on a wheelchair changed the way he focuses on design.
| Jul 15, 2014
A look into the history of modular construction
Modular construction is more than a century old, and throughout its lifespan, the methods have been readapted to meet specific needs of different eras.
| Jul 14, 2014
Meet the bamboo-tent hotel that can grow
Beijing-based design cooperative Penda designed a bamboo hotel that can easily expand vertically or horizontally.
| Jul 14, 2014
Foster + Partners unveils triple-glazed tower for RMK headquarters
The London-based firm unveiled plans for the Russian Copper Company's headquarters in Yekaterinburg.
| Jul 11, 2014
First look: Jeanne Gang reinterprets San Francisco Bay windows in new skyscraper scheme
Chicago architect Jeanne Gang has designed a 40-story residential building in San Francisco that is inspired by the city's omnipresent bay windows.
| Jul 10, 2014
Berkeley Lab opens 'world's most comprehensive building efficiency simulator'
DOE’s new FLEXLAB is a first-of-its-kind simulator that lets users test energy-efficient building systems individually or as an integrated system, under real-world conditions.
| Jul 9, 2014
McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. adds Nicholas Sandersfeld as Director of Business Development to newly opened San Jose office
California's largest general building contractor just opened up an office in San Jose, and named Nicholas Sandersfeld as the new Director of Business Development.
| Jul 9, 2014
Top U.S. cities for design professionals
Though New York and Los Angeles are often seen as the sole hubs for design jobs, other design epicenters are scattered between the coasts.
| Jul 9, 2014
First Look: SOM's design for All Aboard Florida Fort Lauderdale rail station
The lightweight and luminous design "responds to its setting and creates a striking infrastructural icon for the city," said SOM Design Partner Roger Duffy.
| Jul 8, 2014
Does Zaha Hadid’s Tokyo Olympic Stadium have a design flaw?
After being criticized for the cost and size of her stadium design for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, a Japanese architect points out a major design flaw in the stadium that may endanger the spectators.
