The Best of Asia & Australasia

Guangzhou is a city with a very long history, more than two thousand years. In former times it was one of the most important sea-gate on the Grate Silk road. Today it is third by population (after Beijing and Shanhai) megalopolis of China, recognized political, economical, scientific, technical, educational, cultural and transport centre of whole South China. Twice a year here take place the Canton Fair, CECF – one of the most important events in industrial and sales sphere. (In former time Guangzhou was known in Europe as Canton).

In Guangzhou, like in all other big Chinese cities, there are a lot of new buildings and even under construction. One of the very new and “fresh” is the Guangzhou International Finance Center. There was a special international competition in 2005 organized by local authority with a big numbers of participants. The competition won British architectural bureau “Wilkinson Eyre Architects”, which is well known as company, focused on different type of works: from highrise buildings to reconstructing an old manor houses and cities parcels. At the moment “Wilkinson Eyre Architects” is projecting the reconstruction of famous Apraksin Dvor (Yard) in Saint- Petersburg (Russia). Following an international design competition, Wilkinson Eyre Architects was selected to design the Guangzhou International Finance Centre in Guangzhou which is now one of the tallest buildings in the world.

Guangzhou International Finance Centre
Location: Guangzhou, China
Height: 437.5 m
Floors: 103
Architect: Wilkinson Eyre Architects
Engineer: Arup
Local Design Institute: South China Design Institute (SCUT)

Full version you can download here

Wilkinson Eyre Architects,
Christian Richters, Jonathan Leijonhufvud