{"id":11162,"date":"2020-01-16T08:45:49","date_gmt":"2020-01-16T06:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glastory.net\/?p=11162"},"modified":"2023-01-19T14:04:23","modified_gmt":"2023-01-19T12:04:23","slug":"tianjin-7th-highest-glass-wonder-of-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glastory.net\/de\/tianjin-7th-highest-glass-wonder-of-the-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Tianjin\u2019s 7th highest glass wonder of the world"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sustainable original in glass and steel<\/h2>\n

Reaching toward the heights of where China plans to grow its business fortunes stands the shiny-new Tianjin Finance Centre in the northeastern port city. High-performing glass buildings are a specialty for the architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM)<\/a> based in Chicago. They have been chosen for countless projects that bring an iconic structure into being, enhancing its surroundings and adding efficiency to the building\u2019s purpose. All fa\u00e7ade glass for the building was supplied by CSG Holding, the largest architectural glass manufacturer in China. <\/em><\/p>\n

Integrating architecture and engineering<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Tianjin Finance Centre is one of the most recent testimonials to SOM\u2019s commitment to excellence, innovation and sustainability. According to SOM Consulting Design Partner Brian Lee, the result has been right on target. The Tianjin Finance Centre represents a very original concept of what a tall building should be. This was based on the fine integration of architecture and engineering to produce an optimal form from a structural and building enclosure point of view, at the service of very efficient and desirable interior spaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst is when cities often look so much the same, because buildings are just copies of each other. So what we\u2019re trying to do is build a very original, unique form with each and every one of our buildings. We want them to be memorable, functional and efficient,\u201d Brian Lee emphasizes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

SOM held a workshop with the client to discover his visions for the building. The team presented different models in various shapes  to see which imagery resonated most.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach shape represented buildings we knew would work, from an efficiency point of view and from how we felt a tall building should work,\u201d Lee explained. \u201cIn the end, one model really caught the client\u2019s eye \u2013 a more lyrical form, which was very unusual and evocative. We knew from extensive research that it would have a really strong chance to be a very high-performing tall building.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Additionally, the building needed to fit well in its surroundings in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), one of the first national economic development areas in the country, gaining approval in 1984. TEDA is located 50 kilometers east of the over 15-million-inhabitant Tianjin port city and 30 minutes by fast-speed train from Beijing.<\/p>\n

Three-part program<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The building\u2019s strict program dictated its three sections: office, residential and hotel. Each space needed to be of world-class quality, with a functional floor plate and an efficient core \u2013 and offer a sense of connection to the outdoors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese sectional requirements actually helped us form the shape of the building. The client was an experienced builder. He didn\u2019t want anything frivolous, but rather was looking for the innovative. Something iconic, with a landmark quality \u2013 and at the same time, highly efficient,\u201d Lee describes.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Efficiency in every detail <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Back at the studio, the SOM team worked on the program in the most efficient way. By combining the tapering shape with a visually soft aerodynamic quality, the resulting shape fit the program perfectly. A hybrid stepped-core-in-core structure design with a sloped perimeter column system reinforced the building against earthquakes and high wind loads.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew a tapering tower always performs well in wind,\u201d Lee says. \u201cAlso rounding off the corners of the tower helps reduce wind resistance.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And the team continued fine-tuning the design, creating a porous top and using concave surfaces. Each element was developed to optimize the structure\u2019s performance. A moment frame was selected with an added brace to form a curving frame, which also enhanced the building\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, then we had this beautiful, fluid lyrical shape. But we needed to think about what kind of enclosure to use,\u201d Lee explains.<\/p>\n

\"Glastory: