Our design for this mixed use development in Xi’an proposes an alternative to the generic plinth and tower typology by gradually blending the tower and ground. The blending, along with the curvilinear form of the tower, also serves to mitigate solar shading on neighbouring buildings, a crucial part of the brief.
Both economic and environmental optimisation drove the design process for the facade. The challenge was to maximise its energy efficiency while reducing its material budget requirements. Despite the complex curvature of the overall form, we achieved a budget equal to that of a conventional, orthogonal tower. This is owing to facade rationalisation strategies such as flat glazing panels and identical louvres. The louvre design borrowed ideas from Optical Art – the overall appearance of the facade changes depending on the location of the viewer and the position of the sun. In order to integrate all these properties into a single facade, we developed a custom digital tool to help us with optimisation.
Type | Commission
Programme | Office, Residential, Retail
Client | Weizhi Group
Total Area | 92.000 m2
Status | Construction Documents
Date | 2013 - ongoing
Design Team | Theo Sarantoglou Lalis and Dora Sweijd with Kasper Ax, Valeria Garcia, Theo Grousopoulos, Nikos Klimentidis, Luis Sacristan, Yu Zheng.
Executive Architect | LDI
Engineer | LDI
Temporary Partnership | Spactrum studios
