Zhengzhou Greenland Plaza - The Modern Pagoda

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.

Shanghai Tower

Construction of Shanghai Tower has been completed. Design by architecture firm Gensler, it is now China's tallest building and the second-tallest building in the world.

Located in Shanghai's burgeoning Lujiazui financial district, the 632-metre-high skyscraper is 31 metres taller than the previous title holder, the Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Mecca.

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai remains the world's tallest building at 828 metres high.

Shanghai Tower was designed with a curved and twisted form generated through a series of wind-tunnel tests. The unique form is expected to reduce wind load by as much as 24 per cent during typhoons.

It comprises 121 storeys, divided into nine vertical zones that include shops at the base, offices in the centre, and hotels, cultural facilities and observation decks at the top.

Each zone is organised around one of several "sky lobbies" – plant-filled atriums filled with natural light, designed to mimic the social environments traditionally created in town plazas and courtyards.

Shanghai Tower dwarfs other two equally magnificent skyscrapers namely Shanghai World Financial Centre and the Jin Mao Tower. 

Construction of the skyscraper was completed at the end of 2015, marking its official entry into the list of the world's top 10 tallest buildings as recorded by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).

It's dynamic form resembles an ancient dragon in motion soaring up towards heaven. Shanghai Tower symbolizes the rise of China. 

Asia Square Tower 1

Singapore's competitiveness remains as strong as ever. This is very obvious when Global investment management firm BlackRock managed to sell prime office building Asia Square Tower 1 for $3.4 billion to Qatar's sovereign wealth fund. It is the largest ever single-tower sale in Asia Pacific.

The 43-storey building was bought by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). Current tenants of Asia Square Tower 1 include financial services companies Citibank and Julius Baer as well as insurance firm Marsh & McLennan.

"Asia Square is one of the most prestigious commercial developments in the region and represents a rare opportunity to acquire a premium, highly sought-after property in one of Asia's most important business and financial centres," said Stuart Crow, Head of Asia Pacific Capital Markets, JLL. 

This sale is a true testament of Singapore's outstanding position as the financial hub of the region. Surrounding property may well witness an appreciation of values following this remarkable deal.

Time For Reflections

Reflections at Keppel Bay’s mesmerising forms epitomises Daniel Libeskind’s signatorial designs with his first-ever residential development in Asia. The form is so unreal that you won't know whether you are looking at real buildings or computer graphics. This project is an icon for its kind in this part of the world.

Ascending like a symphony of chords with its soaring towers and low-rise apartment blocks, this veritable masterpiece commands breathtaking views of the sea and city skyline.

At its centre stage is a 100,000 square-feet reflecting pool skirting the multiple towers. A host of lifestyle amenities, such as an Olympic-length swimming pool and a state-of-the-art gymnasium, provide stylish environment for leisure. The 5 star facilities also provide great excuse to invite friends for social gatherings.

Within 6 sky towers and 11 fan-shaped villa apartment blocks, 1,129 well-appointed luxury homes ranging from 2- to 4-bedroom apartments and penthouses; including an exquisite grand penthouse with 6 bedrooms and an entertainment lounge spanning 13,300 square-feet.

SCDA Innovative Tower

Penang Sentral Proposal

Latest computer rendering of the upcoming Penang Sentral project has surfaced recently on the internet and although the design looks plainer than the original bold proposal, it still manage to create a modern and chic atmosphere especially for mainland Penang which is lack of good architectural design.

This project will no doubt revitalize Butterworth which has long fallen into the shadow of George Town in terms of economic and tourism significance.

It is touted to be a new centre of connectivity given that it will be a new hub for integrated transportation, integrating rail, ferry and bus services. 

Penang sentral is designed to be the getaway to the Northern Corridor of Malaysia. Serving as the centre of transportation for Penang and the northern corridor, the hub also integrates retail, commercial and residential development within the planned 6 million square feet of development.