The Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) has won an international competition to design the Greenland Group Suzhou Center, in Wujiang, China. The 358-meter supertall tower will become the defining visual landmark for both the new Wujiang lakefront development and for the city as a whole.
The 75-level building is designed to accommodate a complex mixed-use program including office, service apartments, hotel and retail on a 37,000 sm site. Sited prominently along Taihu Lake in the Jiangsu Province of China, the building's curved, tapered form unifies the office, hotel and residential uses within a single volume. The tower features a 30-story tall operable window corresponding to the hotel and residential floors, that helps drive the environmental performance of the development.
The tower's form is optimized to harness natural forces in and around the site to maximize its performance. High performance design engineering has been integrated into its design.
The Wujiang Greenland Tower's composite core and outrigger structural system use proven cost-effective construction techniques, while its unique split-core configuration of the upper floors increases the efficiency of the building structure. By placing half of the building core program on each side of the lobby and interconnecting them with structural steel braces, the combined core becomes more effective than a typical center core system while also creating a dramatic tall lobby space within.
The atrium is a key design feature of the building. It maximizes daylight penetration, facilitates mixed mode ventilation in the lobbies and public spaces, and acts as a fresh air supply source for the tower. The building is oriented to harness both the stack effect and prevailing winds via the east and west façades of the atrium.
Major high performance energy saving strategies include a high performance façade, utilizing cooler outside air at higher levels for natural ventilation of the atrium, natural light harvesting using daylight responsive controls, lighting energy optimization using efficient fixtures and occupant controls, energy recovery systems, demand controlled ventilation, and an onsite energy center with combined heat and power plant to capitalize on the overall load diversity of the development. BD+C
Related Stories
Architects | Jun 14, 2019
Making public facilities more public
Municipal facilities must strike a delicate balance between openness and security.
Architects | Jun 4, 2019
Big design, small budget: These are the best small projects for 2019
Bjarke Ingels Group's prototype mountainside cabin and Fieldwork's forest pedestrian bridges are among 12 projects honored by AIA's Small Project Practitioners group.
Architects | Apr 26, 2019
Designing for the final frontier: Space architecture
Colonizing Mars is an exciting possibility in the not-too-distant future, and architects will play a vital role in making it a reality, despite the plethora of challenges that need to be overcome.
Architects | Apr 12, 2019
Bipartisan 'Invest in America Act' gains industry support
The bill would attract as much as $125 billion investment for buildings, infrastructure.
Office Buildings | Apr 8, 2019
It’s time for office amenities to get to work
Amenities with the greatest impact on effectiveness and experience are those that directly support the work needs of individual employees and their teams.
Industry Research | Apr 8, 2019
New research finds benefits to hiring architectural services based on qualifications
Government agencies gain by evaluating beyond price, according to a new Dodge survey of government officials.
Architects | Mar 17, 2019
HMC Architects sets up a ‘design lab’ to explore new ideas
The goal is for project team members to collaborate earlier to inspire innovation.
Architects | Mar 12, 2019
Thrown a curve: Fitting a restaurant into spherical dome was the design challenge for Willmott’s Ghost
The Seattle eatery nests inside the conservatories on Amazon’s massive campus.
Building Technology | Mar 8, 2019
What is your firm's innovation 'hit rate'?
As firms begin to adopt the practices and mindset of Silicon Valley tech and advanced manufacturing, it’s fair to ask: Are all of these innovation projects and initiatives working?