Archinect - News2024-05-20T00:28:19-04:00https://archinect.com/news/article/150424043/foster-partners-tops-out-shenzhen-skyscraper-inspired-by-rock-formations-and-paper-folding
Foster + Partners tops out Shenzhen skyscraper inspired by rock formations and paper folding Niall Patrick Walsh2024-04-15T13:50:00-04:00>2024-04-16T13:37:43-04:00
<img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/cc/cc971477103f5afebcafc6e7dd67e7ea.jpeg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p>The <a href="https://archinect.com/fosterandpartners" target="_blank">Foster + Partners</a>-designed China Merchants Bank Headquarters in <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/10373/shenzhen" target="_blank">Shenzhen</a> has topped out. The office <a href="https://archinect.com/news/tag/13491/skyscraper" target="_blank">tower</a> forms part of a wider mixed-use development, which, when completed, will form a “new city quarter” in Shenzhen.</p>
<figure><figure><a href="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/3f/3fa15d7127832856ca118bae0ba672bd.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1028" target="_blank"><img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/3f/3fa15d7127832856ca118bae0ba672bd.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=514"></a><figcaption>Image credit: zhangchao via Foster + Partners</figcaption></figure></figure><p>Externally, the tower is clad in glass and stainless steel, the result of an “iterative modeling process to minimize the energy consumption of active systems by carefully balancing solar shading, daylight and thermal loads,” according to the team. The tower’s north facade is inspired by rock formations in China with stacked bays varying in height, while the south-facing facade is inspired by the geometries of traditional paper folding.</p>
<figure><p><a href="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/5f/5f55bd23a4fa7fee4f58ff74c00609de.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1028" target="_blank"><img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/5f/5f55bd23a4fa7fee4f58ff74c00609de.jpeg?auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=514"></a></p><figcaption>Image credit: zhangchao via Foster + Partners</figcaption></figure><p>“The new tower is a unique addition to Shenzhen’s urban fabric and will be an enduring symbol of China Merchants Bank,” Foster + Partners Head of Studio Grant Brooker said about the scheme. “The building’s wide curved windows offer spectacular v...</p>