Pleats may be out when it comes to pants, but Bjarke Ingels Group seems to think they look pretty good on skyscrapers.
The design firm’s new 96,000-sm office development for the Shenzhen Energy Company in Shenzhen, China uses an undulating building envelope that creates a rippled skin around the development’s two connected buildings. Folding parts of the envelope reduces solar loads and flare and creates a façade with closed and open parts that oscillate between transparency and opacity.
Photo: Chao Zhang.
The façade’s shape corresponds to the solar orientation, maximizing north-facing openings for natural light and views and minimizing exposure on the sunny sides. The façade is stretched out within the protruded areas of the buildings and two smooth deformations create large spaces for meeting rooms, executive clubs, and staff facilities. The façade system manages to reduce overall energy consumption of the building without any moving parts or complex technology.
See Also: WeWork names BIG’s Ingels as its Chief Architect
The development consists of two towers, a north tower that rises 220 meters and a south tower that rises 120 meters, that are linked together via a 34 meter podium. The podium contains main lobbies, a conference center, a cafeteria, and exhibition space.
Photo: Chao Zhang.
Visitors will enter from the north and south ends of the buildings while employees will enter from the front plaza into the naturally-lit plaza. The Shenzhen Energy Company offices will occupy the highest floors with the rest left available as rentable office space.
ARUP and Transsolar collaborated with BIG on the project, which started construction in 2012.
Photo: Chao Zhang.
Photo: Chao Zhang.
Related Stories
| Feb 14, 2012
Thornton Tomasetti names Al Hashimi vice president for its Middle East Operations
Al Hashimi is joining the company to help expand Thornton Tomasetti’s business in the region and support clients locally.
| Feb 8, 2012
World’s tallest solar PV-installation
The solar array is at the elevation of 737 feet, making the building the tallest in the world with a solar PV-installation on its roof.
| Jan 30, 2012
Hollister Construction Services to renovate 30 Montgomery Street in Jersey City, N.J.
Owner Onyx Equities hires firm to oversee comprehensive upgrades of office building.
| Jan 16, 2012
Mid-Continent Tower wins 25 Year Award from AIA Eastern Oklahoma
Designed by Dewberry, iconic tower defines Tulsa’s skyline.
| Jan 4, 2012
Shawmut Design & Construction awarded dorm renovations at Brown University
Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2012, and will be completed by December 2012.
| Jan 3, 2012
Rental Renaissance, The Rebirth of the Apartment Market
Across much of the U.S., apartment rents are rising, vacancy rates are falling. In just about every major urban area, new multifamily rental projects and major renovations are coming online. It may be too soon to pronounce the rental market fully recovered, but the trend is promising.
| Dec 27, 2011
Ground broken for adaptive reuse project
Located on the Garden State Parkway, the master-planned project initially includes the conversion of a 114-year-old, 365,000-square-foot, six-story warehouse building into 361 loft-style apartments, and the creation of a three-level parking facility.
| Dec 21, 2011
BBI key to Philly high-rise renovation
The 200,000 sf building was recently outfitted with a new HVAC system and a state-of-the-art window retrofitting system.
| Dec 19, 2011
Chicago’s Aqua Tower wins international design award
Aqua was named both regional and international winner of the International Property Award as Best Residential High-Rise Development.
| Dec 14, 2011
Belfer Research Building tops out in New York
Hundreds of construction trades people celebrate reaching the top of concrete structure for facility that will accelerate treatments and cures at world-renowned institution.
