Stretching 1,765 feet into the sky, CITIC Tower has become the tallest building in Beijing. The tower draws inspiration from the form of the “zun,” a ritual vessel originating in Bronze Age China.
The tower abstracts and refines the zun’s vase-like form, balancing composition and articulation with structural requirements and leasing depth needs. The building is square with rounded corners with its width changing vertically from a 78-meter-wide base, to a 54-meter-wide waist, and finally to a 69-meter-wide top.
“We abstracted the zun’s elegant form and focused on its gradual transformation, applying this motif across immense scales: from the tower’s overall massing, all the way down to its curtain wall, entry vestibule, and interior detailing,” said Li Lei, Design Director, KPF, in a release.
The lobby’s upward curve mirrors the tower’s outward drape in the opposite direction and an interior canopy features custom aluminum ribbing that follows its curvature and echoes the facade expression. KPF’s goal with the design was to create a centerpiece for Beijing’s Central Business District that elicits harmony with the historic capital while also creating aspirational and contemporary architecture.
See Also: KPF breaks ground on West Lake 66 mixed-use development in Hangzhou
The tower comprises the CITIC Group and CITIC Bank headquarters, tenant-occupied office spaces, and a multipurpose business center.
Related Stories
High-rise Construction | Jun 1, 2018
CTBUH names 2018 Best Tall Building Worldwide, among nine other award winners
Oasia Downtown Hotel named “Best Tall Building Worldwide” for 2018.
| May 24, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Security and the built environment: Insights from an embassy designer
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), embassy designer Tom Jacobs explores ways that provide the needed protection while keeping intact the representational and inspirational qualities of a design.
High-rise Construction | May 18, 2018
The 100 tallest buildings ever conventionally demolished
The list comes from a recent CTBUH study.
High-rise Construction | May 14, 2018
Register before it’s too late: 2018 Tall + Urban Innovation Conference
The conference explores and celebrates the very best in innovative tall buildings, urban spaces, building technologies, and construction practices from around the world.
Reconstruction & Renovation | May 8, 2018
Willis Tower elevators receive upgrade as part of $500 million update
Otis will handle the upgrades.
Multifamily Housing | Apr 24, 2018
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture designs 47-story condo tower in Miami
The tower will be located in Miami’s South Brickell neighborhood.
High-rise Construction | Apr 17, 2018
Developers reveal plans for 1,422-foot-tall skyscraper in Chicago
The tower would be the second tallest in the city.
Mixed-Use | Apr 5, 2018
SOM unveils design for 54-story mixed-use tower in Hangzhou, China
The tower will rise 944 feet.
Wood | Feb 15, 2018
Japanese company announces plans for the world’s tallest wooden skyscraper
The planned tower would rise 350 meters (1148 feet).
High-rise Construction | Feb 14, 2018
BIG and Carlo Ratti Associati-designed Singapore skyscraper has open-air ‘oases’ at multiple levels
The new skyscraper will include “the office of the future.”
