In Guangzhou, China, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has designed the recently completed Star River Headquarters to minimize embodied carbon, reduce energy consumption, and create a healthy work environment. The 48-story tower is located in the business district on Guangzhou’s Pazhou Island.
The tower’s pleated façade ascends in a parabolic taper, which reduces wind loads while creating vertical planes of light and shadow. This design provides shading to reduce direct sunlight while at the same time allowing diffuse daylight to enter the interior spaces. In addition, the envelope’s high-performance curtain wall systems and thermal insulation reduce cooling loads and improve indoor comfort.
Building design features rounded corners, open floor plates
Individual bays formed by the pleats can accommodate both open and closed offices on the building’s perimeter. The building’s rounded corners are free of columns, creating open floor plates with views of the Pearl River.
Mullions that run the entire building height of 259.5 meters (851 feet) integrate operable panels, so occupants have direct access to fresh air. The building’s crown features a latticed structure containing a greenhouse with heritage plants and a pavilion with a reflecting pool.
The building is located on a public plaza with native landscaping and paved areas around the glass-enclosed lobby. The building’s canopy wraps around the base and extends above a retail building, forming a covered pedestrian arcade. This design also conceals the mechanical spaces on the block’s edge. Visitors can access the retail offerings and subway connection below grade.
The building management system includes environmental control standards, plant monitoring, and a user interface that allows for efficient operations.
On the Building Team:
Owner/developer: Guangzhou Star River Commercial Investment And Development Co, Ltd.
Design architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Architect of record: Guangzhou Design Institution
MEP engineer and structural engineer: SOM
General contractor: Zhongtian Construction Group Co., Ltd.
Interior design: ChengChung + Design
Lighting design: Leox Design Partnership|
Façade consultant: Shanghai PFT Construction Consulting Co.
![Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-1_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-2_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-3_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-7_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-8-fix_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-12_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-13_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-14_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-15_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-16_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-17_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-18_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-20_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-22_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-23_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-25_large.jpg)
![Star River Headquarters, designed by SOM. Photo by Seth Powers, courtesy SOM](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Pazhou%20Star%20River-final-tiff-27_large.jpg)
Related Stories
| Jan 21, 2011
Manufacturing plant transformed into LEED Platinum Clif Bar headquarters
Clif Bar & Co.’s new 115,000-sf headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., is one of the first buildings in the state to meet the 2008 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The structure has the largest smart solar array in North America, which will provide nearly all of its electrical energy needs.
| Jan 19, 2011
Baltimore mixed-use development combines working, living, and shopping
The Shoppes at McHenry Row, a $117 million mixed-use complex developed by 28 Walker Associates for downtown Baltimore, will include 65,000 sf of office space, 250 apartments, and two parking garages. The 48,000 sf of main street retail space currently is 65% occupied, with space for small shops and a restaurant remaining.
| Jan 7, 2011
Mixed-Use on Steroids
Mixed-use development has been one of the few bright spots in real estate in the last few years. Successful mixed-use projects are almost always located in dense urban or suburban areas, usually close to public transportation. It’s a sign of the times that the residential component tends to be rental rather than for-sale.
| Jan 4, 2011
An official bargain, White House loses $79 million in property value
One of the most famous office buildings in the world—and the official the residence of the President of the United States—is now worth only $251.6 million. At the top of the housing boom, the 132-room complex was valued at $331.5 million (still sounds like a bargain), according to Zillow, the online real estate marketplace. That reflects a decline in property value of about 24%.
| Jan 4, 2011
Grubb & Ellis predicts commercial real estate recovery
Grubb & Ellis Company, a leading real estate services and investment firm, released its 2011 Real Estate Forecast, which foresees the start of a slow recovery in the leasing market for all property types in the coming year.
| Dec 17, 2010
Vietnam business center will combine office and residential space
The 300,000-sm VietinBank Business Center in Hanoi, Vietnam, designed by Foster + Partners, will have two commercial towers: the first, a 68-story, 362-meter office tower for the international headquarters of VietinBank; the second, a five-star hotel, spa, and serviced apartments. A seven-story podium with conference facilities, retail space, restaurants, and rooftop garden will connect the two towers. Eco-friendly features include using recycled heat from the center’s power plant to provide hot water, and installing water features and plants to improve indoor air quality. Turner Construction Co. is the general contractor.
| Dec 13, 2010
Energy efficiency No. 1 priority for commercial office tenants
Green building initiatives are a key influencer when tenants decide to sign a commercial real estate lease, according to a survey by GE Capital Real Estate. The survey, which was conducted over the past year and included more than 2,220 office tenants in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, the UK, Spain, and Japan, shows that energy efficiency remains the No. 1 priority in most countries. Also ranking near the top: waste reduction programs and indoor air.
| Dec 7, 2010
Hot rumor: Norman Foster designing Apple’s new campus
Lord Norman Foster, reportedly has been selected to design Apple’s new campus in Cupertino, Calif. If the news is true, Foster is a good match for Apple say experts. Foster built his celebrity by marrying big gestures to technological wizardry. And, unlike some starchitects, he has glommed onto the environmental revolution—something Apple has made a point of embracing, too.
| Dec 7, 2010
Product of the Week: Petersen Aluminum’s column covers used in IBM’S new offices
IBM’s new offices at Dulles Station West in Herndon, Va., utilized Petersen’s PAC-1000 F Flush Series column covers. The columns are within the office’s Mobility Area, which is designed for a mobile workforce looking for quick in-and-out work space. The majority of workspaces in the office are unassigned and intended to be used on a temporary basis.
| Nov 16, 2010
Calculating office building performance? Yep, there’s an app for that
123 Zero build is a free tool for calculating the performance of a market-ready carbon-neutral office building design. The app estimates the discounted payback for constructing a zero emissions office building in any U.S. location, including the investment needed for photovoltaics to offset annual carbon emissions, payback calculations, estimated first costs for a highly energy efficient building, photovoltaic costs, discount rates, and user-specified fuel escalation rates.