Stretching 1,765 feet into the sky, CITIC Tower has become the tallest building in Beijing. The tower draws inspiration from the form of the “zun,” a ritual vessel originating in Bronze Age China.
The tower abstracts and refines the zun’s vase-like form, balancing composition and articulation with structural requirements and leasing depth needs. The building is square with rounded corners with its width changing vertically from a 78-meter-wide base, to a 54-meter-wide waist, and finally to a 69-meter-wide top.
“We abstracted the zun’s elegant form and focused on its gradual transformation, applying this motif across immense scales: from the tower’s overall massing, all the way down to its curtain wall, entry vestibule, and interior detailing,” said Li Lei, Design Director, KPF, in a release.
The lobby’s upward curve mirrors the tower’s outward drape in the opposite direction and an interior canopy features custom aluminum ribbing that follows its curvature and echoes the facade expression. KPF’s goal with the design was to create a centerpiece for Beijing’s Central Business District that elicits harmony with the historic capital while also creating aspirational and contemporary architecture.
See Also: KPF breaks ground on West Lake 66 mixed-use development in Hangzhou
The tower comprises the CITIC Group and CITIC Bank headquarters, tenant-occupied office spaces, and a multipurpose business center.
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Apr 2, 2024
SOM designs pleated façade for Star River Headquarters for optimal daylighting and views
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.
High-rise Construction | Feb 23, 2024
Designing a new frontier in Seattle’s urban core
Graphite Design Group shares the design for Frontier, a 540,000-sf tower in a five-block master plan for Seattle-based tech leader Amazon.
Luxury Residential | Feb 1, 2024
Luxury 16-story condominium building opens in Chicago
The Chicago office of architecture firm Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC) yesterday announced the completion of Embry, a 58-unit luxury condominium building at 21 N. May St. in Chicago’s West Loop.
Biophilic Design | Jan 16, 2024
New supertall Manhattan tower features wraparound green terraces
At 66 stories and 1,031.5 ft high, The Spiral is BIG’s first supertall building and first commercial high-rise in New York.
Products and Materials | Nov 30, 2023
Top building products for November 2023
BD+C Editors break down 15 of the top building products this month, from horizontal sliding windows to discreet indoor air infusers.
Senior Living Design | Nov 7, 2023
Age-restricted affordable housing community opens in Rockville, Md.
Residences on the Lane boasts a total of 150 units, each designed to cater to various income levels for seniors aged 62 and up.
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.
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.
Office Buildings | Sep 28, 2023
Structural engineering solutions for office-to-residential conversion
IMEG's Edwin Dean, Joe Gulden, and Doug Sweeney, share seven key focuses for structural engineers when planning office-to-residential conversions.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 115 Architecture Engineering Firms for 2023
Stantec, HDR, Page, HOK, and Arcadis North America top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
