Archinect - News

KPF’s James von Klemperer on 520 Fifth Ave. and being a 'good neighbor'

2024-10-18T11:20:00-04:00

I think all tall buildings, especially, have a kind of responsibility that goes beyond the program and the site. Because once you emerge into the skyline in a significant way, which this building will, the skyline is almost viewed, I think, by us New Yorkers as public property. If you put up a terrible profile on the skyline, everybody has to look at it from uptown, downtown, Long Island, New Jersey. And it’s very subjective.

The firm's forthcoming 1,002-foot supertall, which we first previewed back in February, is ramping up construction towards completion in 2026. Its language of setbacks and arches is a nod to other towers shaped by the famous 1916 zoning envelope mandate that produced the Chrysler Building and many other quintessential designs through mid-century.

KPF is currently working on what will be the new tallest building in Texas for 2026 while the city prepares an 11-block Fifth Avenue pedestrian corridor redesign led by Field Operations.

Image credit: Binyan Studios

Image credit: DBOX

Foster + Partners reveals Seoul ‘live-work’ tower with bay window facade

2024-10-03T09:46:00-04:00

Foster + Partners has unveiled its design for a new high-rise “live-work” building in Seoul, South Korea. The 14-story building, on a corner plot in the city’s Dosan-daero Road, is intended to “cater for a highly personalized approach to business hospitality.”

Image credit: Foster + Partners

The scheme includes twelve whole-floor units with personalized spaces for working and entertaining as well as private rooms for relaxation. Each unit contains a personal vault and access to a luxury lounge area, where owners can securely view and display belongings to guests. The vaults also include private dining rooms, bars, and a wine cellar, while a wellness level on the floor below offers a spa, pool, and luxury treatment areas.

Image credit: Foster + Partners

Outside, the building’s street-facing facade is broken down into a series of bay windows with private green balconies and winter gardens. The penthouse unit also has access to a private roof terrace with views of the city.

Image credit:...

Brazilian city proposes world's tallest residential tower

2024-08-04T08:00:00-04:00

Planning officials in the coastal Brazilian city of Balneário Camboriú have just entered the race for the world’s tallest residential building after approving plans from an unnamed architect for the new 100-story, 1,785-foot Triumph Tower.

The project, which has yet to commence or set a completion date, would surpass Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill's 1,550-foot Central Park Tower in New York City to become the new world record holder. Another contending scheme, part of the Boardwalk at Bricktown development from Architects Orange in Oklahoma City, will determine its final reported height of 1,907 feet later once its leasing picture takes better shape. The 984-foot Gran Torre Constanera in Santiago, Chile, designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners, currently holds the record for South America's tallest building.

Updating KPF’s quest to deliver Texas’ new tallest skyscraper

2024-06-10T10:37:00-04:00

Contractor Brett Bickford recently described his firm DPR's work on their “dream job” constructing the new 74-story KPF-designed The Waterline skyscraper in Austin. The project that will yield 2.7 million square feet of space and a mixed-use program that includes 351 luxury residences, a 251-key hotel, and 700,000-square-foot office component will become the state’s new tallest building in 2026. Construction recently reached the halfway mark, with I.M. Pei’s 1981 JPMorgan Chase Tower in Houston dead in its sights and the adjacent Lady Bird Lake and Waller Creek water features anchoring it in the periphery.

Oklahoma City approves 'unlimited height' request for North America's new tallest building

2024-06-04T17:59:00-04:00

Things are looking up (way up) this week for what may become North America’s new tallest building: Southern California-based firm AO announced in a social media post today that the Oklahoma City Council had approved the development team's request for unlimited building height for the proposed 1,907-foot-tall Legends Tower.

The ambitious 126-story scheme in downtown OKC is part of the Boardwalk at Bricktown development led by Matteson Capital. The group told media outlets in March that the $1.5 billion mixed-use project was fully funded.

AO's latest update also hinted at an intended groundbreaking "this Fall."

Thailand is in talks to build the world's tallest tower

2024-04-30T11:42:00-04:00

A group of investors led by a Dubai-based real estate developer is in talks to build a mixed-use tower in Thailand that may vie for the title of the world’s tallest building, according to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.

Thailand's prime minister met with a group of Middle Eastern and Chinese companies to discuss the plan. Among the groups consulted was Emaar, developers of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, currently the world's tallest tower.

Screenshot of the X/Tweet by PR Thai Government @prdthailand announcing the plan

As of 2024, the tallest building in Thailand is the Magnolias Waterfront Residences Iconsiam in Bangkok, measuring 70 stories and 1,043 feet tall. Meanwhile, it was reported last month by the UK's Architect's Journal that Foster + Partners was designing another scheme which would become the world's tallest building: a 1.2-mile-high skyscraper in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Plans for world’s tallest residential tower unveiled in Dubai

2024-04-27T08:00:00-04:00

Hospitality brand Six Senses has unveiled plans for a new residential tower in Dubai Marina, set to be the world’s tallest. Sprouting up in Dubai Marina, the Six Senses Residences will be the second Dubai location to come from Six Senses, joining the nearly-opened Six Senses The Palm Jumeirah hotel. The tower is said to boast an impressive 122 floors, when it is eventually completed in 2028.

The height of the new Six Senses Residences Dubai Marina tower is equal to the under-construction Burj Azizi tower nearby, a $1.5 billion commercial project that was announced to have broken ground in January and will be completed the same year.

Image credit: Select Group

They will become two of the world’s six 120+ story structures. Reported amenities include a 109th-floor lap pool and cryotherapy chambers, crystal sound healing room, movie theater, and spa.

Image credit: Select Group

Despite the size, only 251 high-end residences are included. The current record-holder for tallest residential building, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture's Central Park Tower in New York City, has 179 units over 131 floors.

Image credit: Select Group

WSP Middle East and Woods Bagot are reportedly in charge of the architectural design.

Foster + Partners tops out Shenzhen skyscraper inspired by rock formations and paper folding

2024-04-15T13:50:00-04:00

The Foster + Partners-designed China Merchants Bank Headquarters in Shenzhen has topped out. The office tower forms part of a wider mixed-use development, which, when completed, will form a “new city quarter” in Shenzhen.

Image credit: zhangchao via Foster + Partners

Externally, the tower is clad in glass and stainless steel, the result of an “iterative modeling process to minimize the energy consumption of active systems by carefully balancing solar shading, daylight and thermal loads,” according to the team. The tower’s north facade is inspired by rock formations in China with stacked bays varying in height, while the south-facing facade is inspired by the geometries of traditional paper folding.

Image credit: zhangchao via Foster + Partners

“The new tower is a unique addition to Shenzhen’s urban fabric and will be an enduring symbol of China Merchants Bank,” Foster + Partners Head of Studio Grant Brooker said about the scheme. “The building’s wide curved windows offer spectacular v...

In Oklahoma City, plans for North America’s new tallest building move toward approval

2024-04-13T10:00:00-04:00

The Oklahoma City Planning Commission voted yesterday, April 12th, to recommend its city council's approval of the proposed 1,907-foot-high tower design from AO (fmr. Architects Orange) that would become North America's tallest building when realized.

Plans are still contingent on the success of the proposed first two towers' leasing agreements, as we reported in January. AO, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary, is working for a local Orange County-based developer named Scot Matteson to realize the design after increasing its initial proposal for a 1,750-foot design that would have been America’s second-tallest building. The so-called Legends Tower would be built at a total of 126 stories and include 944 luxury residences plus another 99 condominiums and 352 rooms reserved for the Hyatt Hotel chain.

Just 48 of the tower's apartments will be considered affordable (all of which are to be located in the podium). The proposed LED signage is the only part of the proposal that was...

Foster + Partners unveils design for Dubai luxury residential towers

2024-03-26T11:45:00-04:00

Foster + Partners has unveiled plans for two luxury residential towers in Dubai. Named VELA and VELA VIENTO, derived from the Latin words for ‘sails’ and ‘wind’ respectively, the design of the towers echoes the architectural language of the firm’s previous waterfront tower The Lana, which sits nearby.

Image credit: Binyan Studios

“VELA, VELA VIENTO, and The Lana share a horizontal rhythm, an expressed structure, and voids in the massing, which makes them instantly recognizable,” Foster + Partners Head of Studio Gerard Evenden explains. “Together, they provide a range of generous outdoor spaces and play an integral role in the transformation of Dubai’s Marasi Bay.”

Image credit: Binyan Studios

VELA rises 492 feet in height encompassing over 30 floors. Inside, 38 residential typologies range from 4,253 square feet to 11,727 square feet. The units encompass penthouses and three-and-four-bedroom plans, with double-height living spaces, private terraces, and L-shaped corner pools. The towe...

Oklahoma City proposal for the U.S.'s new tallest building is fully funded, developers say

2024-03-15T12:11:00-04:00

While many have wondered if the project is financially feasible in Oklahoma City, Matteson told The Oklahoman the entire $1.5 billion development is fully funded. But, Matteson admitted there are some outstanding questions about whether the tower can be built. The outcome lies in whether he can receive approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, zoning approval from the city and whether the phase one apartment towers are sufficiently leased.

By extending the spire of the 1,907-foot Legends Tower, the Architects Orange (AO) plan would become, as we previously reported, the tallest building in North America. The developers of the 5-million-square-foot proposal have stated at least 50% of units in the first two smaller towers will have to be leased first before they build at that height.

Speaking to reporters about the prospect of realizing America's tallest building in a small city like OKC, developer Scot Matteson said: "I’m used to this skepticism by the public and other people, but we have goals, and we seem to meet them all the time."

Matteson Capital also said they won’t be able to obtain a building permit until at least September.

Foster + Partners reportedly designing world’s tallest building: a 1.2-mile-high Riyadh skyscraper

2024-03-04T11:46:00-05:00

The UK’s Architect's Journal has reported that Foster + Partners is working on the design of a 2-kilometer-high (1.2-mile-high) skyscraper in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. If delivered, the scheme would be the tallest building in the world, double the height of the Burj Khalifa, which currently holds the title.

According to AJ’s reporting, the development is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, with “international design names” such as SOM also previously linked to the project. The scheme is reported to be sited close to the King Khalid International Airport, whose design is being overseen by Foster + Partners. When completed, the 14,000-acre complex is expected to be one of the world’s largest airports.

Related on Archinect: Foster + Partners to design 'one of the world's largest airports' in Riyadh. Image credit: Foster + Partners

Archinect has reached out to Foster + Partners for comment about the alleged skyscraper.

The news comes one week after we reported on updates from Sa...

SHoP designs first U.S. real estate tower for Mercedes-Benz in Miami

2024-02-29T11:09:00-05:00

SHoP Architects has designed a residential tower for Mercedes-Benz in Miami, the first branded real-estate project for the car company in the United States. Overseen by JDS Development Group, and designed in collaboration with a Mercedes-Benz design team, the scheme is centered on the theme: “Timeless Design, Inspired by Miami.”

Image credit: JDS Development Group by the Boundary

The tower adopts a cube-shaped profile comprised of interconnected geometric bodies. The designers describe the approach as “two contrasting principles that combine to create clear forms and sensuous surfaces,” with “Sensual Purity” characterized by free-flowing elliptical lines and a stacked-box design representing the “technical side of the design language.” To reflect the signature color palettes of Mercedes-Benz cars, the tower will be clad in monotone silvers, blacks, and whites, while creating “opportunities for distinctive highlights and stimulating contrasts.”

Image credit: JDS Development Group by t...

Snøhetta tops out Manhattan residential tower with ‘striking geometry’

2024-02-23T12:03:00-05:00

A Snøhetta-designed residential tower in Manhattan’s Upper West Side has topped out. Named 50 West 66th Street, the scheme is described by Snøhetta as having a “striking geometry” with a “natural palette of refined materials.”

Archinect first reported on the development in 2017 upon the release of the design proposal, detailing the tower’s palette of textured limestone, glass storefronts, and bronze details. Externally, the facade is defined by what the designers call a “series of sculptural excavations, evocative of the chiseled stone of Manhattan’s geologic legacy.”

Image credit: Extell

As the tower rises, its profile gradually narrows, including a distinctive splitting of the volume at the 16th level, creating a shared amenity terrace. Above the terrace, the opposing corners of the tower are sliced away to create residential balconies. “Angled facets evoke this chiseled vocabulary, revealing the same gleaming bronze found at the building’s base,” the designers add.

Image credit: L...

Skanska and BIG complete curving terracotta-colored tower in Houston

2024-02-21T11:43:00-05:00

A team led by Skanska and Bjarke Ingels Group has completed a major new office tower in Houston, Texas. Named 1550 on the Green, the 28-story tower is part of a three-block master plan by Skanska, designed by BIG, with interiors by Michael Hsu.

Image credit: Skanska USA Commercial Development, Inc.

The 375,000-square-foot tower is primarily devoted to office accommodation, with ground floor space dedicated to hospitality. Other amenities in the scheme, per the project’s official website, include a 7,000-square-foot fitness center and a 9,400-square-foot tenant-exclusive rooftop event space.

Image credit: Skanska USA Commercial Development, Inc.

Externally, the tower adopts a multi-tiered, curved structure overlooking Discovery Green park. “Vines that will eventually creep along the terracotta-colored tower are meant to help the building blend into the surrounding park,” the Houston Chronicle writes about the tower. “The building's curve allows even tenants on lower levels to view Disc...

Production begins on the world’s tallest 3D printed structure

2024-02-16T11:40:00-05:00

Production has begun on a 3D printed tower in Switzerland, which is expected to be the tallest structure of its kind in the world. Named the ‘Tor Alva’ or ‘White Tower,’ the project is currently being fabricated at ETH Zurich, where the first eight columns of the tower’s lower floor commenced 3D printing in February.

Image credit: Hansmeyer/Dillenburger

The columns’ fabrication sees a robot extrude the concrete in 8mm-high layered print paths. In a departure from traditional concrete construction, the 3D printing process means formwork is no longer required, freeing new avenues for the team to experiment with shapes, surface details, and cavities. The tower will also be the first instance of printed concrete being used in a fully structural manner, with steel reinforcement inserted during the robotic production process.

Image credit: R. Masallam

The tower will be constructed in the remote Swiss Alps village of Mulegns, where it will host music and theater performances. At 98 feet (nea...

The political reason behind London’s ‘weird’ skyline

2024-02-15T11:30:00-05:00

The dominance of starchitect-led high rises in London is the result of the UK’s subjective planning system, according to a new opinion piece in The New York Times. Taking aim at the city’s “weird” skyline, business and economics columnist Peter Coy argues that “developers hire star architects because doing so gives them a better chance of winning approval for taller, more profitable buildings.”

Related on Archinect: The City of London skyline is expected to add these eleven towers by 2030. Image credit: City of London Corporation

“London has a jarring profusion of odd skyscrapers with funny names or nicknames,” Coy explains. “There are the Shard and the Scalpel, which are pretty elegant. The (mostly) well-liked Gherkin, which looks like a glass pickle. The wedge-shaped Cheese Grater. And the widely loathed Walkie-Talkie, a bulbous cartoon of a building that “looms thuggishly over its low-rise neighbors like a broad-shouldered banker in a cheap pinstriped suit,” to quote The Guardian....

KPF reveals supertall Midtown Manhattan tower behind arched windows

2024-02-05T11:22:00-05:00

KPF has released new images of a supertall tower currently under construction in Midtown Manhattan. Named 520 Fifth Avenue, the tower rises 1,000 feet to “strike a distinctive presence on the most famous skyline in the world and rub shoulders with distinguished architectural icons,” according to the design team.

Image credit: Binyan Studios

When completed in 2025, the 450,000-square-foot tower will contain residential and office functions alongside ground-floor retail. The interiors have been designed to provide “venues of quiet retreat and spirited engagement,” while also targeting LEED, WELL, and WIREDSCORE certifications.

Image credit: Binyan Studios

The scheme’s exterior is defined by a motif of arched windows with design details inspired by the tower’s prominent neighbors including The Century Association, the New York Public Library, Grand Central Station, Rockefeller Center, and the Chrysler Building. The tower is also expected to the the second tallest on Fifth Avenue after th...

Major cantilevering hotel tower for Midtown Manhattan revealed by Marin Architects

2024-01-29T11:28:00-05:00

New York City-based Marin Architects has revealed its design for a 42-story tower near Bryant Park in Manhattan. Named the Xadia Hotel, and located at 57 West 39th Street, the scheme seeks to “make a tasteful impression on the city skyline through a unique, cantilever façade and eye-catching interior lighting design,” according to the design team.

Image credit: Marin Architects

From the outside, the scheme is defined by an illuminated crown sitting atop the tower. In placing the crown above the tower’s otherwise minimalist facade treatment, the team sought to represent “a departure from excessive ornamentation, focusing instead on the power of understatement.”

Image credit: Marin Architects

The exterior also sees a significant 25-foot cantilever over an adjacent property, which the team estimates has allowed for the inclusion of an additional 68 units in the scheme. Inside, meanwhile, the tower will contain 173 guest rooms, a rooftop bar and restaurant, a plaza, and an arcade.

Image c...

The tallest building in the U.S. may be built in Oklahoma City following design revision

2024-01-23T11:22:00-05:00

The team behind the Boardwalk at Bricktown development in Oklahoma City is to request a design variance from city officials which, if granted, would see the project become the tallest building in the United States. Designed by California-based Architects Orange for Matteson Capital, the project contains four towers and spans 5 million square feet, hosting hotels, residential units, and commercial and hospitality functions.

Image render courtesy AO

As we reported earlier this month, the project sees three towers rising 345 feet, with a fourth taller ‘Legends Tower’ originally measuring 1750 feet in height. With the scheme already approved by city officials, the team has sought the approval of a variance that will increase the height of the Legends Tower to 1,907 feet, making it the tallest building in the United States. The record is currently held by One World Trade Center, which measures 1,776 feet tall.

Image render courtesy AO

Described as a “mixed-use marvel” by the design team, t...

Burj Azizi, Dubai's future second-tallest tower, begins construction in the UAE

2024-01-22T15:27:00-05:00

The imminent start of construction of the Burj Azizi, a $1.5 billion new commercial high-rise in Dubai that’s billed to become the city’s second-tallest construction upon completion, has been announced in the United Arab Emirates by a prominent local developer named Azizi Developments.

The tower, which has yet to name an architect or specify its final height at topping out, will reportedly host a vertical mall, luxury residences, and an observation deck. Planned for 122 stories, it will rival the Lotte World Tower and China 117 Tower as one of just five structures in the world to be completed at over 120 stories in height. Its construction will take place not far from the record-holding Burj Khalifa on Sheikh Zayed Road, culminating in a new icon backers say is a gift to the city that has nurtured their business success over many years.

“This tower will be our legacy,” said the Chairman of the Azizi company, Mr. Mirwais Azizi. “With Dubai having given my family and I so much — safe...

35-story Raffles Boston becomes Hancock Tower's newest neighbor

2024-01-10T13:32:00-05:00

The Architectural Team (TAT) has completed a mixed-use tower in Boston featuring the city’s first sky lobby. The Raffles Boston Hotel & Residences features a 400-foot curved glass form and is described by the team as a “sophisticated new skyline statement within a challenging and historic context.”

Image credit: Ed Wonsek

The 35-story high-rise comprises 146 homes, 147 hotel guestrooms, and 16 amenity spaces. To compensate for the site’s narrow plot, the tower’s design sees a cantilever at the fourth-floor extent over the adjacent historic University Club to support the upper 29 stories, with a further cantilever occurring at the 17th floor.

Image credit: Ed Wonsek

In addition to increasing the internal area of the tower, the cantilevering approach forms a distinctive design element of the scheme’s exterior, “granting the tower a contextually scaled street presence while also allowing the building to express itself as a sculptural form on the upper levels,” according to the team. To d...

A proposal for the second-tallest building in North America sneaks forward in Oklahoma City

2024-01-02T19:13:00-05:00

Oklahoma City could soon be home to the country’s second-tallest structure if plans for a new 1,750-foot skyscraper designed by the California practice Architects Orange (AO) are approved along with a larger $1 billion entertainment district proposal from developer Scot Matteson.

The tower is included as part of the mixed-use Boardwalk at Bricktown development that calls for a hotel, two condominium towers, and an LED-lit multilevel podium with a pool and other public areas at a site just two blocks away from where the new home of the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA franchise is now being planned.

Matteson and other developers behind the scheme are hoping the local real estate market can support their ambitions, and say the 134-story apartment tower could be added to the mixed-use scheme provided there is adequate demand. The plan would be funded in part by a $200 million tax increment financing.

Image render courtesy AO.

"We felt that creating someplace can live and work and play and be ...

Ronald Lu & Partners completes Hong Kong tower offering ‘nature on every doorstep’

2023-12-28T12:34:00-05:00

Hong Kong-based Ronald Lu & Partners has completed a residential development in Kowloon described as a “real forest building.” Named Garden Crescent, the scheme was designed with the philosophy of “nature on every doorstep.”

Image credit: Ronald Lu & Partners

Externally, the building features slanted structural supports to create solid and void spaces that are designed to create multiple avenues for natural ventilation and passive cooling. On the podium level, the scheme’s biophilic elements include a landscape of trees, shrubs, and plants aimed at improving air quality, reducing the urban heat island effect, and enhancing the local microclimate.

Image credit: Ronald Lu & Partners

As the tower rises, voids in the form create six multi-layered green courtyards. Designed to be fully accessible to birds and insects in an effort to repopulate the area’s biodiversity, the courtyards are also intended to give residents imme...

Zaha Hadid Architects completes Prague high-rise development with cascading terraces

2023-12-20T11:53:00-05:00

Zaha Hadid Architects has designed a high-rise building in the Czech Republic adjacent to one of Prague’s major railway stations. Named Masaryčka, the scheme has been envisioned as “a welcoming gateway to the city for suburban and domestic rail passengers as well as those using the express rail link that is currently under construction to Prague’s international airport.”

Image credit: BoysPlayNice

According to the architects, the complex’s form is designed to establish a dialogue with the architecture and urbanism of Prague’s Old Town. Containing office and retail uses, the 300,000-square-foot development incorporates seven stories within its eastern section and nine stories at its western end.

Image credit: BoysPlayNice

On the exterior, fins within the double-skin facade contribute to solar shading in the summer and “transform the project’s horizontal composition to the verticality of its western facade facing the spires of the Old Town.” A cascade of terraces divides the development...

KPF’s tapered Tower 36 wins approval in Miami

2023-10-30T13:50:00-04:00

The design of KPF’s Tower 36 has been approved by the Miami Urban Development Review Board. Developed in collaboration with architect of record ODP Architecture & Design, the 922,000-square-foot tower will hold both office and retail functions.

Image credit: Atchain, courtesy of KPF

Externally, the 635-foot-tall tapered tower is defined by a glass facade containing terraces on all office floors. The terraces have been “arranged in a configuration that conveys a sense of movement across the building” and detailed with light bronze soffit accents.

Image credit: Atchain, courtesy of KPF

At the base of the tower, a podium holds retail spaces, bicycle, and car parking, and a landscaped roof accessed by a restaurant. The podium strikes a curved form, with the ground level cut away at the northeastern corner to reveal a motor court arrival and office lobby entrance.

Image credit: Atchain, courtesy of KPF

“Accentuating the podium’s cantilevered form and open corners, the façade’s layered patte...

New photos of Kinzo-designed interiors in Foster + Partners' record-setting MOL Headquarters

2023-10-11T13:36:00-04:00

Archinect has received new photos of Foster + Partners' now in-use MOL Group corporate headquarters tower in Budapest following a public opening that took place in the Hungarian capital earlier this spring. The building's interiors were designed by Berlin-based architecture studio Kinzo Architekten.

The tower was inaugurated in December and is the tallest structure in Hungary, topping out at 469 feet and 28 floors. It joins F+P’s Varso Tower design in Poland, now the EU’s tallest building, as two record-setting constructions that were completed last year. The firm says it is part of their focus to design office spaces that meet contemporary demands from workers and environmental advocates.

In terms of sustainability, the low and zero-carbon technology offerings include a 900-panel rooftop photovoltaic array, ground source heat pumps, greywater recycling, and a state-of-the-art rainwater harvesting system. Heating and cooling provided by a radiant panel system work to ...

MVRDV transforms 1990s Shenzhen tower into ‘vibrant and colorful skyscraper’

2023-10-09T11:56:00-04:00

Construction has been completed on the MVRDV-designed Shenzhen Women & Children’s Centre, transforming an old mixed-use tower in the Chinese megacity into a “vibrant and colorful skyscraper.” The 330-foot-tall tower contains a hotel alongside a range of facilities for the welfare of women and children.

Image credit: Xia Zhi

The original tower was completed in 1994 during a period of rapid growth in Shenzhen. Plagued by two decades of fire safety concerns, the tower remained largely empty until the decision in 2019 to overhaul the building.

Existing tower before MVRDV's commission. Image credit: MVRDV

Image credit: Xia Zhi

MVRDV’s proposal for the tower saw the existing structure reused in an effort to avoid the carbon cost of demolishing and rebuilding. The most visible aspect of the transformation is a new facade featuring a grid of multicolored exterior frames. The new three-foot-deep envelope is designed to provide extra shading while also incorporating openable panels for natural v...

Saudi Arabia is restarting construction on record-setting Jeddah Tower

2023-09-18T17:07:00-04:00

Jeddah Economic Company (JEC) has restarted work on the world’s tallest tower, the 1,000-metre-plus-tall Jeddah Tower project in Saudi Arabia. [...] The developer has invited contractors to bid by the end of this year for a contract to complete the record-breaking structure. Kingdom Holding Company CEO Talal Ibrahim Almaiman confirmed that the tender has been officially issued when contacted by MEED.

The Jeddah Tower project, designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, first appeared on Archinect in 2011 and is roughly one-third of the way through the construction of its record-setting superstructure, MEED reports. Progress had been halted in January of 2018 over labor shortages and was further delayed by the pandemic. The Saudi Binladin Group (or SBG), which originally managed the project, has since undergone a debt restructuring and will be replaced by one of 14 potential contractors hailing from Europe, China, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Lebanon, and Kuwait.

Architect Gordon Gill had told reporters for CNN to "Never say never" when asked last fall whether or not construction would ever resume.

Previously on Archinect: Jeddah Tower construction reaches 63rd floor

Once completed, the tower will stand slightly over 1 kilometer (3,280 feet) in total height, though the exact figure is said to be kept secret. The megatall tower is currently projected to add $12.5 billion US...

Zaha Hadid Architects designs Xi’an tower with ‘gently curving silhouette’

2023-08-08T12:26:00-04:00

Zaha Hadid Architects has released images of their proposed Daxia Tower in Xi’an, China. The tower will form part of the city’s high-tech zone, which is repositioning the city from its historic Silk Road roots to become a “major hub for new technology.”

Image credit: ATCHAIN, courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects

The 700-foot-tall tower will contain over 1.3 million square feet of offices, retail, and ancillary facilities. The scheme’s “gently curving silhouette” is accentuated by layers of patterned glazing and large atriums to increase natural light volumes internally. Each atrium creates a “cascade of planted interior terraces that echo mountainside waterfalls,” while also offering views of the historic city and high-tech zone.

Image credit: ATCHAIN, courtesy of Zaha Hadid Architects

“Optimizing natural daylighting and ventilation using high-performance low-emissivity, unitized glazing with a thermal coating and insulated for low U-values to reduce energy demand and enhance efficiencie...