The Chongqing River Tower reconsiders typical mixed-use high-rise solutions by offering a unique and porous building volume that maximizes natural ventilation, access to sunlight, and view potential. Sited at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers and opposite the dense downtown peninsula of Chongqing, the tower employs a modular framework that not only negotiates a mixed-use program but also creates human-scale experiences within an urban-scale facade.

The project represents a delicate balance of simplicity and controlled complexity. Its design addresses both the developer’s directive for efficient, repeatable floor plates, and the city’s desire for an iconic form in an emerging district. Rising 300 meters, the tower will encompass office, hotel, and apartment space.

The basis of the design is a 6-meter module, arrayed to form 48-by-48-meter square floor plates. Within the hotel and apartment levels, each floor falls within one of three basic configurations, in which modules are methodically subtracted to allow light and air deeper into the building while maximizing views. In designing the tower, SOM drew inspiration from Chongqing’s constructed vertical landscapes, along with the carved and eroded topography of its surroundings.