Favorite Completed High-Rise Building
Construction was officially completed last week on Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Ziefeng Tower, designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), and was already voted “Favorite Completed High-Rise Building” by Greenland Group’s technical staff – SOM’s client for the project and China’s major development company.
Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Ziefeng Tower by SOM – Photography: Lv Hengzhong
The 268-meter, 56-story tower, completed in August 2015, combines office spaces and a 20-story luxury hotel, while a retail podium with landscaped roof terraces surrounds its base. The rectangular massing and texture of the facade differ according to the program. While its lower two thirds, reserved for office spaces, have a geometric diagrid system of triangular fins, the upper part, housing the luxury hotel, is carved out of the tower’s rectangular mass and has a smooth texture – the “Great Window”, as SOM refers to it, overlooking the historical city of Nanchang. Apart from its aesthetic function, the change in register also has a role in transitioning the floor plates, according to the size and layout of the hotel.
Diagram of the Shading System – Courtesy of SOM
A high performance shading system was installed on each of the building’s facade. Shading fins prevent excessive solar heat gain. They intersect in a node, each fitted with LED lights, ensuring the visibility of the distinct pattern and rectangular form at night. The tower also achieved the LEED® silver accreditation, due to its technical innovations.
Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Ziefeng Tower by SOM – Photography: Lv Hengzhong
With its slim, tall figure and slick design, the tower becomes an iconic addition to Nanchang’s skyline, as well as the high-tech zone and business district or Gaoxin. Receiving the award was “extremely gratifying”, said SOM Managing Director, Michael Pfeffer. SOM and Greenland Group started their collaboration in 2004 and has since designed and completed 10 projects in China.
Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Ziefeng Tower by SOM – Photography: Lv Hengzhong
Project Info :
Country: Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
Area: 209000 m²
Year: 2015
Photographs: Lv Hengzhong
Collaborators: Kaplan Gehring McCarroll Architectural Lighting, Architectural Lighting Design Consultant, Rolf Jensen & Associates, Fire Protection Engineering Consultant, SWA Group, Landscape Design Consultant, Edgett Williams Consulting Group, Inc., Vertical Transportation Design Consultant, Lerch Bates, Façade Access Design Consultant, Shen Milsom & Wilke, Acoustics Engineering Consultant, Rowan Williams Davies & Irwin, Wind Engineering Consultant
Site Area: 40,000 m²
Number Of Stories: 56 stories
Building Height: 268 m
Leed® Certification: LEED® Silver
Ana Cosma is an editor at Arch2O with a deep-rooted passion for architecture and urban design. Drawing on nearly a decade of architectural experience across prominent firms in Stuttgart, Germany—including Exyte, BWK.Architekten, and SCD Architekten—Ana brings a practiced eye and international perspective to her editorial work. Her academic foundation in Architecture and Urbanism from Politehnica University of Timișoara, complemented by a study period at Sapienza Università di Roma, informs her nuanced approach to exploring contemporary urban challenges and design innovations. At Arch2O, Ana curates and contributes insightful articles that bridge professional practice with emerging trends in urbanism and architectural theory.