The new home for Shenzhen Energy Company looks
different because it performs differently: the building skin is
developed to maximize the sustainable performance and workplace
comfort in the local subtropical climate of China’s tech and
innovation hub in Shenzhen.
The 96,000m2 office development for the state-owned Shenzhen
Energy Company is designed to look and feel at home in the
cultural, political and business center of Shenzhen, while
standing out as a new social and sustainable landmark at the
main axis of the city. BIG won the international design
competition in the city known as China’s ‘Silicon Valley’ with
ARUP and Transsolar in 2009 and started construction in 2012.
“Shenzhen Energy Mansion is our first realized example of
‘engineering without engines’ – the idea that we can engineer
the dependence on machinery out of our buildings and let
architecture fulfill the performance. Shenzhen Energy Mansion
appears as a subtle mutation of the classic skyscraper and
exploits the building’s interface with the external elements:
sun, daylight, humidity and wind to create maximum comfort and
quality inside. A natural evolution that looks different because
it performs differently.” Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG.
The volume and height of the new headquarters for Shenzhen
Energy Company was predetermined by the urban masterplan for the
central area. The development consists of two towers rising 220m
to the north and 120m to the south, linked together at the feet
by a 34m podium housing the main lobbies, a conference center,
cafeteria and exhibition space. Together with the neighboring
towers, the new towers form a continuous curved skyline marking
the center of Shenzhen.
BIG developed an undulating building envelope which creates a
rippled skin around both towers and breaks away from the
traditional glass curtain wall.
By folding parts of the envelope that would reduce solar loads
and glare, a façade with closed and open parts oscillate between
transparency to one side and opacity to the other. The closed
parts provide high-insulation while blocking direct sunlight and
providing views out. As a result, the towers appear as a
classical shape with an organic pattern from a distance and as
an elegant pleated structure from close-up.
The sinuous direction of the façade corresponds to the solar
orientation: it maximizes north-facing opening for natural light
and views, while minimizing exposure on the sunny sides. This
sustainable facade system reduces the overall energy consumption
of the building without any moving parts or complicated
technology.
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Images by Chao Zhang |
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From the street level, a series of walls are pulled open for
visitors to enter the commercial spaces from the north and south
end of the buildings, while professionals enter from the front
plaza into the daylight-filled lobby. Once inside, the linearity
of the building façade continues horizontally: the pixel
landscape of the stone planter boxes is in the same dimensions
and arranged in the same pattern as the ripples of the building
envelope.
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Image by Laurian
Ghinitoiu |
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Images by Chao Zhang |
The offices for Shenzhen Energy Company are placed on the
highest floors for employees to enjoy views to the city, while
the remaining floors are rentable office space. Within the
protruded areas of the building, the façade is stretched out—two
smooth deformations create large spaces for extra good views on
each floor, meeting rooms, executive clubs and staff facilities.
The folded wall provides a free view through clear glass in one
direction and creates a condition with plenty of diffused
daylight by reflecting the direct sun between the interior
panels. Even when the sun comes directly from the east or west,
the main part of the solar rays is reflected off of the glass
due to the flat angle of the windows.
As the sun sets, the changing transparency and the curved lines
of the façade create an almost wood-like texture or a scene of
vertical terraced hills. The slits that open between the curtain
wall to reveal special spaces such as boardrooms, executive
offices and breakout areas, lend the building a distinct
character from different parts of the city.