Cradle Towers, Tonkin Liu Architects, based in London, unveils its competition-winning design proposal for the Trade Center in Zhengzhou, China. The ‘Cradle Towers’ of Zhengzhou is composed of 5 mixed-use towers, housing residential facilities, offices, and a hotel. The 5 towers emerge from a ring-like podium which houses retail and leisure facilities. The ring acts a transitional element between the city and the soft landscape within its perimeter.
A responsive facade creates a heavy base, and lantern-like tips. Image Courtesy of Tonkin Liu
Tonkin Liu’s design aims to assert the value of its deep-rooted past while aspiring to a thriving future. Tonkin Liu explain: “Zhengzhou is the cradle of the nation’s civilization. It sits at the heart of one of the earliest settlement areas of ancient China. Emblematic of the parks of the nearby Songshan mountainscape, and the Round Sky and Square Earth proverb, the Cradle Towers celebrate the city’s origins as it looks to build its future.”
A ring-shaped podium contains a soft landscaped garden. Image Courtesy of Tonkin Liu
The 5 towers of the Trade Center surfacing from the podium, with varying heights, and tapering gradually to the top, resemble the Songshan mountains located 50 miles east of Zhengzhou. All the towers and the deep base plan get their share of daylight through the vertical courtyards with vertical-garden-sheltered interior facades.
A family of mixed-use towers with responsive facades and vertical gardens. Image Courtesy of Tonkin Liu
The glass exterior facades are enveloped with a responsive skin for solar shading and privacy purposes. Upon looking from afar, the skin seems to be gradually transforming from the dark bottom to the light at the top and end with lantern-like roof gardens. The landscape that centers the project extends beyond the raised ring-shaped podium, linking the inner court with the city.
Project info:
Architects: Tonkin Liu Architects
Country: China, Zhengzhou
Year: 2017
Photographs: Courtesy of Tonkin Liu
Yosra is an architect, writer, and teacher. She is always into learning something new. Her life motto is: "A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” One day she will travel the world and visit its architectural wonders. In the meanwhile, she contends herself with reading and writing about them.