Designed and zoned to be the tallest building in the new central business district of Tianjin, this new mixed-use tower includes 91 stories of office, retail, hotel, and condominiums, capped with a seven-story crown to conceal the mechanical systems. Chicago-based Goettsch Partners have designed the tower with a series of vertical perforated metal bands between the windows, allowing natural ventilation into the building without interrupting the facades with visible openings. Though the project was conceived more than two years ago, like countless others, it was hit financing problems. With some tweaking of the programming ratios, however, it is now moving ahead. “The building is a marriage between structure and program,” said Paul De Santis, an associate principal at Goettsch. The tower is arranged around a six-cell core, which steps back to two cells at the top of the building as it gets thinner. At ground level, the offices will be served by a major entrance on the building’s north side facing a pedestrian plaza, while the hotel and condominiums will be served by the south entrance. Several of the condominiums at the top of the building are a full floor, which De Santis expects will command “Beijing or Hong Kong prices.”

Architect: Goettsch Partners
Client: Guangzhou R&F Properties
Location: Tianjin, China
Completion: 2015