A landmark for a growing urban district

Ningbo, a coastal city with ancient origins, has achieved remarkable economic growth in the 21st century. The city has guided its urbanization with robust planning initiatives that prioritize walkability, and preserve parks, greenways, and canals.

The Guohua Financial Tower is designed as a model workplace that emphasizes health and wellbeing. Situated along a prominent boulevard in East New Town, the project is a centerpiece of this new high-density development, centered on creating a walkable and engaging urban experience. 

At the busiest corner of the site, the design draws pedestrians in with a tree-filled public plaza and a reflecting pool. A serene courtyard features planted terraces, waterfalls, and open-air mezzanines. The courtyard is lined with retail and cafes, and connects to the tower through a glass atrium. At ground level, the office tower lobby’s airy, high ceilings and glass enclosure mirror the openness of the podium.

Enhancing the public realm

The design of the Guohua Financial Tower emphasizes urban placemaking, connection to nature, sustainability, and material efficiency to support a lively neighborhood. For local residents or visitors meandering along the adjacent Yangmuqi Canal, the design offers respite and leisure activities. At the ground level, the reflecting pool and tree-filled public plaza soften the edge between the site and the surrounding environment. When entering the project from the tower, there is a dramatic procession from the lobby, to the atrium, and out into the courtyard. The plaza and interior atrium provides space for future large-scale public art.

A holistic approach to sustainability

The Guohua Financial Tower has achieved both LEED Gold and China’s Three Star Green Building certifications, with sustainability strategies that prioritize stormwater management and a facade that optimizes energy use. The building is oriented to passively minimize solar heat gain and encourage natural ventilation through the public plazas and courtyards. “Sky gardens” within the tower use living walls to filter the air and create healthy workplace environments. The landscaped podium, occupiable terraces, and public plazas allow occupants to experience the site’s natural filtration and management of rainwater. 

The perimeter diagrid structural system, by virtue of its location and configuration, resists a significant portion of the lateral loads compared to a conventional center core and moment frame system; thereby reducing structural steel and concrete quantities and resulting in lower embodied carbon.