As Pei Cobb Freed and Partnerscelebrates the 60th anniversary of its founding this year, the international firm is showing no signs of slowing down in its progress with significant commissions across the globe. This week, the practice revealed designs for a new high-rise building in Shenzen set to form a soaring landmark at the gateway of a huge business development in the Chinese city.
The Minmetals Capital South Tower will rise 29 stories among a host of other glazed high-rise offices, setting itself apart with the help of some gently curving façades that evoke wind-filled sails. “Our aim was to evoke a timeless form,” says Yvonne Szeto, design partner for the project. “A sail is both graceful and auspicious, taking its energy freely from nature.”
Billowing planes of blue glass wrap the exterior, while structural cross-bracing elements are expressed through the translucent elevations. Stone cladding will be adopted on the lower stories to ground the building and bring “a sense of solidity and dignity to the entry levels of the tower,” according to the architects.
Inside, quadruple-height lobbies to the north and south will provide grand entrances flooded with natural light, leading to a public open space that will include terraced landscaping, modern water features, and public art. The design has ambitious goals pertaining to sustainability; passive shading devices and operable windows are included to help the building achieve a LEED Gold rating upon completion.
The unveiling of the project in China continues a stellar summer for Pei Cobb Freed and Partners. Founding Partner Henry N. Cobb picked up the President’s Medal from the Architectural League of New York for his “truly consequential work as a designer and educator.”