BIG’s ‘leaning’ Qianhai Prisma Towers, featuring a 300 meter tall residential tower and a 250 meters tall office tower, will complete the new Qianhai Bay development, solidifying Qianhai’s position as the burgeoning financial and cultural center of Shenzhen. Mr Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director, BIG said “Both towers are conceived as simple prismatic building envelopes split open to make room for public space on the ground where they stand. The open seams and gaping corners allow the green spaces to ascend from the ground to the sky leaving wedges for outdoor gardens and terraces for the life of the people living and working within. With its timeless simplicity and inviting openness, the architecture of the two towers is firmly rooted in the urban values underpinning Shenzhen, a vertical modern city of 1000 parks.” The project is part of a new development plan for Qianhai Bay that aims to further enhance the area’s status as an emerging financial and cultural center in Shenzhen. Located in the Guiwan District of Qianhai, the Prisma towers will touch both sides of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Plaza, also known as the ‘Green Belt’, and will mark the entrance of Guiwan. The scheme will host new office spaces, residences, and over 20,000 sqm of multi-story public spaces, in close proximity to the comprehensive regional transportation hub and Qianhai Bay. The project is expected to start construction in 2025.The ground floors are designed to be fully opened, creating a welcoming urban living room. This also enhances connectivity, linking the tower to the ‘Green Gallery’ and the nearby shopping mall. A sinuous pedestrian bridge acts as a canopy, creating shaded spots for pedestrians and as a link between the mall, retail podium, and surrounding neighborhood.Generous layers of green look through the building extending from the ground floor to the roof, where locals and tourists can enjoy a sweeping panoramic view of Qianhai Bay. In order to achieve and improve thermal performance, the architects installed photovoltaic cells on the connecting beams of the west and east facades of the sloping office tower. Furthermore, they wrapped the exposed part of the office building with a double-layer closed cavity curtain wall system CCF. Meanwhile, the apartment tower units have operable ventilation inlets built into the window frames to achieve natural ventilation.Occupying 130,760 square meters, the residential building is articulated by three rectangular structures radiating in a tripod-like plan. The three structures span different heights, thus providing users with multiple views of the city and the sea. The three building blocks lean onto each other, thus forming vertical green gaps between them, extending from the ground to the roof. The outer wall of the west tower extends slightly towards the sky, emphasizing the ‘slanted’ design language, adding a sculptural beauty to the skyline.The ground floor of the office building hosts common areas including an amphitheater, tree-lined social spaces, and a porch bar. The architects at BIG strategically positioned event spaces beneath the building’s canopy, trees, and overhangs, in order to respond to the climatic characteristics of the area. Rainwater is collected through the sloping curtain walls and used for the building’s irrigation system and public space maintenance.The two structures are intentionally located between Shenzhen’s two intercity railways; the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Intercity Railway is on the east side of the site, and the proposed Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Express Railway will be on the west side of the residential towers. Through the underground hall of the adjacent underground commercial street, people can directly reach the transportation hub center from the tower.
BIG’s ‘leaning’ Qianhai Prisma Towers, featuring a 300 meter tall residential tower and a 250 meters tall office tower, will complete the new Qianhai Bay development, solidifying Qianhai’s position as the burgeoning financial and cultural center of Shenzhen. Mr Bjarke Ingels, Founder & Creative Director, BIG said “Both towers are conceived as simple prismatic building envelopes split open to make room for public space on the ground where they stand. The open seams and gaping corners allow the green spaces to ascend from the ground to the sky leaving wedges for outdoor gardens and terraces for the life of the people living and working within. With its timeless simplicity and inviting openness, the architecture of the two towers is firmly rooted in the urban values underpinning Shenzhen, a vertical modern city of 1000 parks.” The project is part of a new development plan for Qianhai Bay that aims to further enhance the area’s status as an emerging financial and cultural center in Shenzhen. Located in the Guiwan District of Qianhai, the Prisma towers will touch both sides of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Plaza, also known as the ‘Green Belt’, and will mark the entrance of Guiwan. The scheme will host new office spaces, residences, and over 20,000 sqm of multi-story public spaces, in close proximity to the comprehensive regional transportation hub and Qianhai Bay. The project is expected to start construction in 2025.The ground floors are designed to be fully opened, creating a welcoming urban living room. This also enhances connectivity, linking the tower to the ‘Green Gallery’ and the nearby shopping mall. A sinuous pedestrian bridge acts as a canopy, creating shaded spots for pedestrians and as a link between the mall, retail podium, and surrounding neighborhood.Generous layers of green look through the building extending from the ground floor to the roof, where locals and tourists can enjoy a sweeping panoramic view of Qianhai Bay. In order to achieve and improve thermal performance, the architects installed photovoltaic cells on the connecting beams of the west and east facades of the sloping office tower. Furthermore, they wrapped the exposed part of the office building with a double-layer closed cavity curtain wall system CCF. Meanwhile, the apartment tower units have operable ventilation inlets built into the window frames to achieve natural ventilation.Occupying 130,760 square meters, the residential building is articulated by three rectangular structures radiating in a tripod-like plan. The three structures span different heights, thus providing users with multiple views of the city and the sea. The three building blocks lean onto each other, thus forming vertical green gaps between them, extending from the ground to the roof. The outer wall of the west tower extends slightly towards the sky, emphasizing the ‘slanted’ design language, adding a sculptural beauty to the skyline.The ground floor of the office building hosts common areas including an amphitheater, tree-lined social spaces, and a porch bar. The architects at BIG strategically positioned event spaces beneath the building’s canopy, trees, and overhangs, in order to respond to the climatic characteristics of the area. Rainwater is collected through the sloping curtain walls and used for the building’s irrigation system and public space maintenance.The two structures are intentionally located between Shenzhen’s two intercity railways; the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Intercity Railway is on the east side of the site, and the proposed Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Express Railway will be on the west side of the residential towers. Through the underground hall of the adjacent underground commercial street, people can directly reach the transportation hub center from the tower.
