Buddha Silhouette

Haikou (“Seagate”) a city in southern China, located on the northern coast of Hainan Island, at the Nandu River mouth. Its origin relates to the period of the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). Haikou is the largest city in Hainan, so it’s no wonder that an international competition has been declared for its Central Business District development.

The competition was realized by the Berlin-based design & research HENN StudioB in cooperation with IPPR International Engineering Corporation, Arup, Front and Lumen3. The other participants of the competition for Haikou Tower were Wilkinson Eyre with Shenzhen Huasen Architecture Design Company, Broadway Malyan with Shanghai Architecture Design Institute, Zaha Hadid Architects with Guangdong Architecture Design Institute, RMJM/ Alsop with Southern China University of Science and Technology, Zeidler with Beijing Institute of Architecture Design, Scott Wilson with Eastern China Architecture Design Institute, IBI with China Academy of Architecture Design Research.

Finally HENN StudioB won the first prize in the competition to design the highest building of the complex – the Haikou Tower. The construction content of International Trade Plaza includes: super five-star hotels, office buildings, tourism, commerce, catering, international conference halls, etc. The client - Hainan Airline Group has put forward rigid requirements for the general graphic design and architecture of the towers to provide the vertical elevation of the site and construction.

The site elevation of local area should be arranged reasonably according to the specific topography, land status and function. Each building should be designed and constructed to meet the architectural features of the complex through a combination of building body mass to reflect the architectural features, building form and environmental landscape of perfect unity, and to achieve the appearance of novelty and uniqueness, reasonable and perfect functions, intelligent equipment, modern design.

The architectural style of buildings should ensure their economic viability taking into account psychological and physical characteristics of people, as well as their safety inside and outside of high-rise building. The architectural design should have a comprehensive analysis of the environment responding to the surrounding architecture, and based on the analysis put forward in the design, so that the entire International Trade Plaza can become an integral part of the region.

Haikou Tower
Client: Hainan Airline Group
Location: Haikou, China
Program: Office, Hotel, Conference, Commercial
Height: 450 m
Area: 320,000 sqm
Design Team: HENN StudioB
Local Partner: IPPR International Engineering Corporation, Beijing, Haikou
Consultants: Arup, London, Shanghai Front, New York Lumen 3, Munich

Full version you can download here

Materials provided by HENN StudioB