Zaha Hadid Architects won the competition to design Tower C in the new business hub of the Shenzhen Bay, which will become a major hub for the eponymous metropolis, Guangdong Province and its capital cities Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macau. This mega-project for 300,000 employees will consist of “clusters” of corporate headquarters among technology enterprises. In addition to them, there will be accommodation and hotels, congress centers and exhibition complexes, a transport hub, "botanical" meadows and a coastal zone with typical wetlands.
Skyscraper C, consisting of two towers with a height of almost 400 m, will be located at the intersection of the city-planning axes of Shenzhen, next to the metro station, squares and a park. Therefore, it is oriented towards pedestrians, and inside are terraced gardens that continue in the interior with cultural and leisure facilities: they will be placed in bridges connecting the twin towers. This green open podium will also provide natural light placed under the TPU building.
The skyscraper program includes not only offices, but also shops, restaurants, a hotel, and a conference center.
The double insulated glass curtain wall is conceived with vertical gutters to provide self-shadowing, which is essential in the hot climate of the southern coast of China. Openings are provided for access to the outside air. The combination of natural and hybrid ventilation on each floor will be controlled by its own sensors. In general, the energy consumption and micro-climate in the skyscraper will be subordinated to the control system of the entire area, capable of responding to all changes inside and outside the building in real time.
Aquaponic terraced gardens on the podium will trap airborne contaminants, while the tower's interiors will use "low-volatility" materials to improve air quality.
