Goettsch Partners to design Shenzhen-based headquarters complex

The Chinese city of Shenzhen is often used as an example to illustrate the rapid transformation many Chinese cities have undergone in the past few decades. At one time a small fishing community of about 30,000 people, Shenzhen has become a massive city with a population exceeding 12 million. As the population began to rise, so too did the buildings. At the end of 2016, Shenzhen had eight buildings over 1,000 feet tall already constructed or topped out and dozens more over 500 feet tall.

While it may not be quite as rapid anymore, Shenzhen’s transformation is still taking place, and now, courtesy of Chicago-based architecture firm Goettsch Partners, the Chinese city will be getting two more skyscrapers in the form of the COFCO Qianhai Asia Pacific Headquarters complex.

Goettsch Partners recently won the design competition that was held for the complex with its two-tower design comprising 1.4-million sf of space in the Qianhai district. One tower will stand 200 meters and has been dubbed the COFCO Asia Pacific Tower. It will serve as the headquarters for the company’s Asia Pacific group. The second tower, named the Aviva-COFCO Financial Tower, is slightly shorter at 180 meters, and will provide space for the Aviva-COFCO Life Insurance Company.

Each tower is composed of several slender bars that step back to reveal a series of internal atria and a sky terrace in the upper zones. Both of the towers’ glass curtain walls are designed specifically for the buildings in order to accentuate their verticality, according to the architect. The curtain walls also provide solar shading and natural ventilation via operable windows hidden behind perforated metal panels.

The complex is designed to link the green belt to the east with nearby office towers, using both interior and exterior paths to allow the public to easily pass through the site.

Each towers’ upper zone is reserved for use as COFCO headquarters. Each floor in this zone is connected by a large internal atrium from the main lobby up to the 300-sm sky terrace that offers outdoor amenity space at the top of each tower.

Construction on the complex is scheduled to being this summer.

Rendering courtesy of Goettsch Partners.

Rendering courtesy of Goettsch Partners.

Rendering courtesy of Goettsch Partners.