Tianjin Architecture, China : Information + Images

SINOSTEEL INTERNATIONAL PLAZA Client: SINOSTEEL International Plaza (Tianjin) Ltd Status: Under construction, to be completed 2012 Location: Tianjin, China Type: Office, Hotel, Service Apartment Site Area: 26,666 sqm Building Area: 350,000 sqm Building Height: 358m Director in Charge: Ma Yansong, Qun Dang Design Team: Eric Spencer, Tony Yam, Liu Xiaopu, So Sugita, Zhao Wei, Wang Xingfang, Li Jieran, Lu Lu Associates: Jiang Architects & Engineers Sinosteel International Plaza Tianjin - Project Summary: Sinosteel International Plaza is a new, organic, honeycomb icon for the redeveloped city of Tianjin. The Chinese central government has chosen Tianjin, a port city one hour east of Beijing, to become the new economic hub of Northern China. Binhai New District will be the centre of this hub. This new central business disctrict will be created from scratch over the next five years. Sino Steel commissioned MAD to create a landmark for this new central business district. They specified two towers: an office tower (358 metres) and a smaller hotel (88 metres). On site - new image 16 Mar 2009: We wanted to move away from the usual image of the central business district: rows and rows of glass and steel boxes. Our design is natural, organic and futuristic. Our key concept is the honeycomb façade. The façade is made up of five different sizes of hexagonal windows, a traditional element in Chinese architecture. These windows flow across the building in an irregular, naturally occurring pattern: like cells multiplying. This pattern gives life to the building, changing the way it looks from different perspectives. The towers rise from a green ‘hill’, which functions as the hotel’s podium, a further contrast against the hard surfaces in the rest of the Binhai New District. The honeycomb façade is also what’s holding the building up: the skin is the structure. This removes any need for internal structures, freeing up the building to a much more flexible use. This bold new solution will challenge conventional construction technology, in order to achieve something unique. A perfect combination of strength and beauty. The honeycombs’s final contribution is to ensure the building will be energy efficient. Although the pattern at first appears to be random, it actually responds to patterns of sun and wind on the building. By mapping the different air flows and solar direction across the site, we were able to position different sized windows accordingly, minimizing heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. Our design sees oriental features combined with novel, futuristic building methods. The Sinosteel International Plaza will become something natural, growing in the man-made environment of this new urban area. Sinosteel International Plaza Tianjin images / information from MAD 130808 / 160309