Giant Interactive Group Corporate Headquarters
Shanghai, China

We provided structural design—schematic and design development—to Morphosis Architects for the 258,000-sf corporate headquarters on a 44.5-acre-acre site. The western portion of the steel-framed building is covered by a 164,000-sf green roof and contains a hotel, indoor pool, multipurpose sports court and recreational areas. Steel tree columns and wide-flange girders support the slab on metal deck roof diaphragm while a combination of shear walls, steel braced frames and retaining walls stabilize it. The headquarters is bisected by a highway. The east wing contains an auditorium, offices, a library and a café. The offices cantilever 115 feet over a man-made lake, with glass floors providing views of the water below. The cantilever is achieved by steel braced frames and two-story-deep trusses. The building’s complex faceted geometries required extensive BIM coordination with the architect. The green roof and a double-skin façade reduce heat gain and maximize the headquarters’ energy efficiency.