Project Details
- Project Name
- Minqiao Building Fuzhou
- Client/Owner
- Fujian Sansheng Estate Development Co., LTD
- Project Types
- Office
- Project Scope
- New Construction
- Size
- 1,338 sq. meters
- Year Completed
- 2017
- Shared by
- LEO A DALY
- Team
-
Andrew Graham, Architectural Designer
Pei Tan, Interior Designer
Dong Liu, Architect
Ju-Pei Lin, Architect
Amelia Clark, Project Manager
- Project Status
- On the Boards/In Progress
- Style
-
Modern ,Traditional
Project Description
The Minqiao Building in Fuzhou, China, is a compelling architectural icon comprised of paired towers -- a 40-floor, 155M commercial office tower and a 28-floor, 100M government office tower. The design team worked with the constraints of a narrow site to accommodate the tower program and maximize the allowable FAR of 11.20. A 3-floor retail podium connects to the neighboring retail to the north via a public plaza.
The building design is inspired by the rich natural landscape and mountainous environment surrounding Fuzhou. The concept, titled “Twin Peaks,” evokes the form of two mountain peaks rising up in tension as beacons on the horizon. The forms take their shape from the unique condition of the long and rectangular site, and from the provided solar envelope analysis, which smoothly carves the forms on the northern side and can be seen as a metaphor to the carving Shoushan stone sculptures, one of the three Superexcellences of Fuzhou.
An efficient footprint is derived from the shape of the site’s buildable area, which is elongated in the east to west direction. The shearing of the main tower forms into two equal parts serves to create an underlying tension between the two masses and breaks down both the north and south facades of each tower into smaller pieces.
155M Commercial Office Tower
The commercial office tower, designed to standards for Class A office buildings, is approached and entered from the north plaza. The grand office lobby lies directly beneath the split of the two tower forms and contains an interior open space of 14.5M tall that connects directly to the main, 3-zone elevator lobby.
The split core layout of the commercial office tower serves to maximize usable open office space on each floor while pushing parts of the service core to the east and west facades. Glazing on the north and south is structural silicone glazed, unitized curtainwall system detailed to emphasize the verticality of the tower which effectively wraps the entire building from north to south. The roof parapet projects up to create an iconic void on the east and west facades where the massive structures holding up the parapet become highly visible at night. The east and west sides of the tower are glazed with an iconic curtainwall that stands out from a distance and is equally stunning up close because of the “jewel-box” quality of intricate detailing.
100M Government Office Tower
Entry to the government office tower is similarly from the north plaza, or via the below grade parking levels into the 9M tall main lobby. The classic layout of a central core works well to create a desirable office depth for Chinese government use while containing all service functions within. A form rising between the two towers provides a centrally located 400 person meeting space for governement uses. The government office tower is clad with an architectural metal system with a similar spacing as the main office tower. The addition of more metal, as well as a shadow-box spandrel panel creates a sophisticated design which echoes the East tower, however with better economy of materials.