Tencent, the world’s third-largest Internet company, is designing a new twin-towers headquarters to be located in Hi-tech Park in the Nanshan District of Shenzhen. Thornton Tomasetti is providing building skin consulting services to the architect.
Although the design calls for 15 skin systems—extensive unitized curtain walls, a number of long-span glass walls, ETFE pneumatic cushion atria, and two cable-net walls— we helped take the project from concept design to design development in only seven months. Using Rhino software, Thornton Tomasetti met the challenge of designing box frames with the purpose that they are easy to fabricate, assemble, hoist and install. In addition, we developed the design to handle water and wind loads of a typhoon zone.
A notable architectural feature is the saw-tooth shaped box panels that cover the façade, and extend outwards by up to 1.5 meters from the building structure. They create a textured aesthetic and support sustainability objectives by providing self-shading to reduce energy consumption during the hot summer. The buildings are expected to achieve LEED Gold and to perform as a China Green Building 2 Star accredited green building.
Project Stats
Location: Shenzhen, China
Owner: Tencent Holdings Limited
Architect: NBBJ / Tongji LDI
Area: 2.9 million sf
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