Pearl of the North
Site excavation works are underway at the Baoneng Shenyang Global Financial Centre development in Shenyang, China, designed by global multidisciplinary firm Atkins. The development, with total investment estimated at over £1bn, consists of two towers of 565m and 328m in height, and will be the landmark of Shenyang, the largest city in northeast China. “The excavation work for the entire development site started last spring and is still ongoing,” Atkins Asia Pacific Communications Manager Christina Zhuang told WAN, adding that construction on the entire complex was due to be completed in 2018.
The 565m tower, dubbed the ‘Pearl of the North’, will become the tallest building in Shenyang, and signals the continuing growth of the city. As a symbol of wisdom, luxury and purity in Chinese culture, the pearl is instantly recognisable at the top of the landmark tower and acts as a beacon for the project and the city as a whole.
“Our client challenged us to design a supertall building that is iconic, yet simple in structure. In addition to meeting seismic codes and international standards, the project has to be efficient and satisfy a tight construction schedule. It showcases Atkins’ expertise in designing supertall towers, but more importantly, it is a landmark project that achieves the client’s and stakeholders’ expectations,” said KY Cheung, senior architectural design director at Atkins in Asia Pacific. Atkins was commissioned by Baoneng Real Estate Development for architectural design, including concept design, scheme design, preliminary design and façade design development for the two towers.
The 565m tower will contain 111 floors, accommodating class A offices and other amenities such as a luxury executive club on the top. The 328m tower will host 34 floors of office with a 320-room five star luxury hotel on top. The hotel podium facilities include a 3,000 sq m banquet hall plus 6,000 sq m of associated facilities, which can accommodate luxury automobile showcases. Shenyang, traditionally a heavy industrial city, is now a key centre of the automobile industry in China. The towers form part of the masterplan for an area of 58.5 ha called the “Golden Corridor” Youth Street in the central business district. The development overlooks Youth Park and the Nanyun River to the east. In addition to the two tall towers, the complex will contain five luxury residential towers each approximately 200m high above a large shopping mall.
Atkins Global