On Thursday, September 26th, the Tianjin CTF Finance Centre officially opened to the public, securing its position as the seventh tallest building in the world and the third tallest in China. The 530-meter-tall tower was designed to LEED® Gold standards, with sustainable strategies including a high-performance envelope, optimized daylighting, and green landscaping.
The mixed-use skyscraper consists of offices, 300 service apartments, and a five-star, 350-room hotel. In response to each of these programs requiring a different sized floor plate, the design team arranged them into a stacked form. The result is a profile that tapers dramatically in a way that is aesthetically striking, and which minimizes the surface area of the building in order to reduce exposure to the wind, sun, and moisture.
When devising the structural design of the tower, SOM architects and engineers evaluated a range of possible systems to match the tapered form. They eventually created a hybrid solution: a stepped-core-in-core structure with a sloped perimeter column system. This design resolves a number of structural challenges at once, from wind forces to earthquake safety.
The tower’s facade expresses its innovative structure. Staggered glass panels and crescent-shaped aluminum mullions create an elegant texture that catches light and gives the tower an animated quality while highlighting its sinuous form. The building, located in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, is expected to play a significant role in advancing the region’s livability and economic growth.
“Tall buildings are significant investments of time, money, and natural resources. We believe successful architecture is measured by how well it works,” said Brian Lee, the Design Partner who oversaw the project . “This design proved to be incredibly efficient in resolving all of the requirements of the project brief—from programmatic function to structural performance.”
About Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) is an influential collective of architects, designers, engineers and planners, responsible for some of the world’s most technically and environmentally advanced buildings, and significant public spaces. From a strategic regional plan to a single piece of furniture, SOM’s designs anticipate change in the way we live, work and communicate, and have brought lasting value to communities around the world. The firm’s approach is highly collaborative, and its interdisciplinary team is engaged on a wide range of international projects, with creative studios based across the globe.