Striking, inside and out

China Merchants Tower anchors the master plan for Woods Park, located in the Nanshan District of Shenzhen, China. The mixed-use project was one of the first high-rise developments in the area. Providing 360-degree mountain and ocean views, the tower is distinguished by its striking tapered form and fine-grained facade texture. A suite of high-performance features and flexible floor plates provide a comfortable workplace environment. Balconies on each floor provide access to the outdoors.

Making an impact

As one of the earliest high-rise office developments in the area, China Merchants Tower has set an example for surrounding future developments and helped to activate ensuing infrastructure upgrades. A lease-only office building, the tower is home to many high-profile clients from the finance, real estate and energy industries, including several Fortune 500 companies.

Innovative layouts

Using cantilevered columns, the structural system creates long-span, column-free corners, providing flexible floor plates and enhanced views out towards Shenzhen. The notches on the bowed and tapered exterior allow for balconies, giving tenants access to the outdoors on each floor. Inside, the notches create 16 corner offices per floor, doubling the number that would be possible in a traditional rectilinear tower.

The building features a low-E, unitized glass curtain wall that is clad in a system of horizontal glass fins and vertical aluminum struts. The fins have been closely spaced together to reduce solar gain. The fins give the facade a fine-grain texture and balance the tower’s slenderness and verticality. They also refract light at night and work in conjunction with the top of the tower—its signature element—to illuminate the form, making the building read as a beacon across Shenzhen.

Located near the coast, the building is subject to heavy winds from the South China Sea. The tower’s tapered form and chamfered corners mitigate wind loads. In response to Shenzhen’s sunny climate, the design team adopted a strategy to shade the building with carefully spaced horizontal panels that reduce glare and indoor temperature without obstructing the expansive views. This strategy reduces the tower’s solar radiation by an average of 22 percent across all facades.