Architecture

Baoneng Tower

Shenzhen, China  |  Design 2012


At the heart of Luohus Sungang area, the project situates at the intersection of Bao An Bei Lu and Liyuan Lu. Accommodating a mega scale jewelry trade and convention center, a shopping mall, a 500 metre mixed-use tower that houses international Grade A office and a 5-Star hotel, the development will be one of the most significant project in core of the emerging Sungang hub.

Breaking away from the standard recipe of a static, impenetrable, shinny obelisk, the tower is conceptualized as an assemblage of modular towers that embodies the vibrant energy of Shenzhen. The building bulk required to hold all the mandatory programs appears to be sliced’into a series of slender, shorter vertical volumes as a means to contribute a scale that is compatible to its context. These volumes are then juxtaposed and stacked with articulated shifting. The strategic offset of the ascending volumes captures more natural light and views into the building, while, at the same time, creates spacious outdoor sky terraces at various levels as stages for metropolitan activities and events.

Though the bundled tower, with its height restricted at 300 metres, falls short in the arms race for taller skyscrapers, it achieves an iconic status with a sensual urban silhouette a miniature skyline. The design of the tower contributes a multiplicity that negotiates between its immediate urban fabric and Shenzhens metropolitan cityscape, a vertical city that promotes mid-air life, and an urban totem that symbolizes energy and growth.