From the architect. The Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM)-designed Zhengzhou
Greenland Plaza has opened its doors to its office users. The circular
60-story tower takes its place as the tallest building in the central
Chinese city. Located in the northeast portion of Zhengzhou,
the 919-feet (280-meter) tall tower’s circular form is a response to
the surrounding development’s shape that centers on a manmade lake. Zhengzhou Greenland Plaza punctuates the neighborhood and provides the area—and the city—with an iconic new landmark on the skyline.
The 2.59-million-square-feet (240,169-square-meters) building houses a
mixed-use program of offices on its lower floors and a 416-key hotel
above. Daylighting was a key driver of the building’s design.
Sophisticated three- to five-story-tall light-gauge painted aluminum
screens are configured at an outward cant that enhances interior
daylighting through scientifically calculated reflections while
protecting the all-glass exterior from solar gain. The screens provide
multiple performance and aesthetic-related roles. The same outward cant
that aids daylighting allows for a nuanced approach to artificial
lighting, providing outboard locations for dramatic nighttime lighting
of the building that make the tower a beacon. The screens are located
between one and two-meters from the building’s curtain wall—allowing
window washing to occur behind the screens. Their visual porosity varies
depending on a viewer’s location. When close to the building’s base,
the tower appears to be primarily metal; from a distance, the panels are
more open and the building’s glass nature is revealed. The rhythmic
cant of the screens, combined with their decreasing size as they rise on
the building, creates a dynamic movement that gives the building a
fine-grained texture that relates to the building’s humanistic
aspirations.
The form of the tower tapers slightly as it rises. “We conceived the
building as a classical column,” SOM Design Director Ross Wimer says.
“Its iconic image comes from this timeless form—adapted with
cutting-edge, 21st century technologies to create a building that
expresses our time.” These innovations include a heliostat that crowns
the building and reflects daylight throughout the hotel atrium. “Like
the solar screening, the heliostat is a scientifically-derived element
that enhances the experience of daylight for the building’s users,”
Wimer says. The device allows daylight to be reflected and focused into
the atrium whose surfaces are finished to help drive light deep into the
space. Computer-controlled dimmer switches modulate the light
level-based on the illumination provided by the reflector, enabling the
atrium to consume less energy and generate less heat throughout the
year.
Wimer notes that, while not unheard of, circular skyscrapers remain
somewhat unusual. Among the best known examples are Bertrand Goldberg’s
Marina City (179 meters) in Chicago, Sir Norman Foster’s 30 St. Mary Axe
(180 meters) in London, Jean Nouvel’s Torre Agbar (145 meters) in
Barcelona, and Adolf Loos’ unbuilt scheme for the Chicago Tribune
Tower.
Zhengzhou Greenland Plaza’s status as the tallest building in the city
adds to SOM’s well-established legacy of tall buildings. SOM-designed
buildings top the skylines of many cities worldwide, including Chicago,
New York, Beijing, Kuwait City, Milwaukee, and Dubai—whose Burj Khalifa
is the tallest structure in the world. Zhengzhou
is a prefecture-level city located on the south bank of the Yellow
River and the capital of Henan province with 8.6 million residents.
Greater Zhengzhou was recently named one of China’s 13 emerging megacities by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
SOM secured the commission for the project by winning an international competition. Prior to its completion, Zhengzhou
Greenland Plaza has already been honored for its design by the Asia
Pacific Property Awards and the Chicago Athenaeum. Its innovative
curtain wall was recognized by Architect magazine’s R+D Awards program.
Source: Archdaily
Zhengzhou Greenland Plaza is built with the latest technology available today and yet it resembles the ancient pagodas of China. Its form is truly inspired by China's long history of culture and architecture. The influence of Chinese architecture may not be admitted by the architect but the end result is too obvious for one to ignore its resemblance to ancient icons all over China.
The site is simply picturesque thanks to the central lake that seems to bring all the buildings towards it. This type of design planning with architecture and landscape complementing each other can easily be traced back to the ancient gardens and parks all around China.
