Zhongzhou Holdings Finance Center is a mixed-use complex located in Shenzhen’s Nanshan Culture District, consisting of a multi-purpose podium, a 300-meter office and hotel tower, and a related 160-meter residential tower. The design achieve balance and harmony for the building’s tenants, inhabitants, and users.
The simple form and fluid skin of the tower is sleek and modern, presenting a dynamic image for the district and Shenzhen at large. The design demonstrates a highly-refined collection of multi-purpose, performance-based solutions and coincidental aesthetic discoveries that were built and will be maintained on a modest budget.
Early in the design process, a series of solar studies were completed to establish the performance of the design as a base-case scenario to improve the towers’ energy performance and user comfort levels. The studies included incident (direct) solar heat gain analysis, diffuse (indirect) solar heat gain analysis, daylighting analysis, radiance analysis, wind pressure mapping, view analysis, and social and program mapping. The resulting shape is a gently curving façade that helps light to be distributed evenly throughout the interior, increasing daylighting while minimizing solar gain. This bowed façade improves the distribute of daylight over a standard flat façade.
A vertical notch at the corners of the buildings act as a visual break between façades. These breaks also add an experiential bonus to the corner offices and units, which differentiates it from the rest of the floor space. In order to further optimize daylighting and visual comfort for users, horizontal louvers were positioned to redirect light into the spaces while reducing excessive light levels near the glass. The louver is deepest near the center of the façade where the contrasts are greatest. The louver tapers to a minimal dimension towards the corners where daylighting needs and contrast mitigation are lowest.
The louvers also significantly shade the exterior walls. A frit is introduced to the non-vision glass panels to compensate where the louvers taper toward the corners. The tapered horizontal louvers also reduce view obstructions in the corners. Throughout the development, the density of the louvers changes according to program type. For example, the residential and hotel units have the lowest density of louvers, while the podium has the highest density.
The interior of each of the buildings is equally significant. Atria of various sizes are situated throughout the complex, from double-height areas that create open common spaces for breakout meetings to the impressive 17-story hotel lobby. Insulated Low-E glass has been used extensively and by placing multi-layered horizontal shading panels in crucial areas, diffused light is introduced into the indoor, reducing lighting energy consumption. Patterned colored glazing in portions of the façade also lowers glare while increasing shading performance.
Zhongzhou Holdings Financial Center represents the intersection between performance and function. It expresses an understanding of local environmental conditions through the intense refinement of passive technologies to create a timeless architectural expression. The building’s façade was strategically designed to work within the site’s dense urban environment and it’s unique design helped the building achieve a LEED-Gold rating. The building also has numerous atria and break spaces to increase the comfort level of tenants.
