Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) recently unveiled the design for the Hangzhou Wangchao Center in Hangzhou, China. The tower will add 125,000 sm of office, hotel, and retail space directly adjacent to one of the city’s new subway stations.
The tower’s silhouette is the result of an efficient structural system that minimizes wind loads with eight mega-columns that slope outward at the corners to create large, flexible floor plates. As the corner columns move farther apart, secondary perimeter columns branch out to maintain equal bays.
At the tower’s crown, the primary corner columns extend upward to a truss at the top level. Hangers and spandrels are braced back to the central concrete core with a series of struts that work in tandem to support MEP equipment and conceal the building maintenance systems.
Above the lobby, a Vierendeel transfer truss links the secondary columns to the corner columns, which creates an open lobby space below. The cladding on the undulating façade consists of planar glass panels.
"The Hangzhou Wangchao Center's distinctive silhouette derives its form from an integrated design process that solves programmatic, structural, and environmental criteria,” says SOM Design Partner, Gary Haney, in a release. “Located at the intersection of several major transportation networks, the tower is a beacon of performance-driven design and is emblematic of Hangzhou's future as a new global destination."
The Hangzhou Wangchao Center is slated for completion in 2021.
Related Stories
Affordable Housing | Oct 20, 2023
Cracking the code of affordable housing
Perkins Eastman's affordable housing projects show how designers can help to advance the conversation of affordable housing.
Luxury Residential | Oct 18, 2023
One Chicago wins 2023 International Architecture Award
One Chicago, a two-tower luxury residential and mixed-use complex completed last year, has won the 2023 International Architecture Award. The project was led by JDL Development and designed in partnership between architecture firms Goettsch Partners and Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture.
Mixed-Use | Oct 17, 2023
Long-gestating entertainment district may get started in Orlando later this year
The DeVos family, who own the Orlando Magic pro basketball team, has chosen two development partners.
Office Buildings | Oct 16, 2023
The impact of office-to-residential conversion on downtown areas
Gensler's Duanne Render looks at the incentives that could bring more office-to-residential conversions to life.
Mixed-Use | Oct 9, 2023
A coastal California city reawakens its downtown
The Prado West mixed-use redevelopment gives Dana Point a new look.
Mixed-Use | Oct 5, 2023
Mixed-use pieces supporting a master plan in North Carolina fall into place
Near Chatham Park, a new multifamily housing community follows the opening of a shopping center.
Contractors | Sep 25, 2023
Balfour Beatty expands its operations in Tampa Bay, Fla.
Balfour Beatty is expanding its leading construction operations into the Tampa Bay area offering specialized and expert services to deliver premier projects along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Mixed-Use | Sep 20, 2023
Tampa Bay Rays, Hines finalize deal for a stadium-anchored multiuse district in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team announced that it has reached an agreement with St. Petersburg and Pinellas County on a $6.5 billion, 86-acre mixed-use development that will include a new 30,000-seat ballpark and an array of office, housing, hotel, retail, and restaurant space totaling 8 million sf.
Adaptive Reuse | Sep 19, 2023
Transforming shopping malls into 21st century neighborhoods
As we reimagine the antiquated shopping mall, Marc Asnis, AICP, Associate, Perkins&Will, details four first steps to consider.
Resort Design | Sep 18, 2023
Luxury resort provides new housing community for its employees
The Wisteria community will feature a slew of exclusive amenities, including a market, pub, and fitness center, in addition to 33 new patio homes.