The Xizhimen Business District is laid out around the new intermodal transport hub serving the north west of the Chinese capital, at the level of the second ring road, where three high-rise office buildings form a contemporary city gate. Built upon a base of shops and services and an adjacent car park, at a constant 100-metre height but with varying depth, the buildings form an ogival profile rooted in the Chinese tradition of curved roofs offering a soft transition with the sky. Their all-glass sides are protected on the south façade by a mesh of shade screens whose grain is reminiscent of traditional tile roofs.
Client: Beijing Municipality, China Railways Ministry, Beijing Huarong Investment Co. Ltd
Prime Contractor: AREP Ville and ADIMC (Architecture Design Institute of the Ministry of Construction)
Delivery: 2006