Shenzhen Zhao Xin Huijin Plaza
Shenzhen Zhao Xin Huijin Plaza is situated at the prominent intersection of Shennan Avenue and Jianshe Road, directly facing two of Shenzhen's most iconic landmarks, Kingkey 100 and Diwang Tower. This premium location calls for a distinctive and bold design to complement and rival the surrounding architectural marvels. The plaza comprises three main components: Tower A, Tower B, and the podium. Tower A, standing at approximately 261 meters, serves as a landmark skyscraper, while Tower B is a high-rise residential building featuring a more conventional design. The connecting podium fulfills commercial functions.
Tower A, the Landmark
The landmark Tower A is a mixed-use office tower rising to a height of 261 meters, distinguished by its two primary design elements that create a striking visual identity. The first feature is the elliptical cut at the northwest and southeast corners, dividing the façade into two large elliptical slices. This approach ensures Tower A is highly recognizable along Shennan Avenue, one of Shenzhen's most important roads and the main access route to the plaza. The organic and smooth elliptical form softens the building's irregular massing and mitigates discontinuities caused by recessed sections. The result is a structure where two graceful elliptical curves intersect the tower, directing views towards the golden intersection or the sky lobby at its midpoint, further enhancing its distinctive image.
The second key design feature of the landmark tower is the decorative texture that envelops the entire structure. This texture draws inspiration from Shenzhen's profound and vibrant tropical nature, evident not only in the city's parks but also along its roads and even within its architecture. This design creates a compelling intersection between the building and its natural surroundings, seamlessly integrating it into the landscape.
Inspired by the interplay of sunlight filtering through the branches of red mangrove trees, the texture captures and reinterprets the intricate yet orderly patterns of mangrove branches. When sunlight passes through this façade, it creates captivating shadow effects within the interior. The texture transits dynamically along the height of the tower: starting with a sparse, orthogonal grid at the base, it evolves into a dense diamond pattern at the midsection, where the sky lobby is located. From there, it gradually reverts to the orthogonal grid as it ascends to the top. This progression mirrors the tower’s form, seamlessly integrating the standard lower floors, the expansive middle section, and the upper levels. The resulting façade showcases a unified design language, with sunlight streaming through the intricate texture to produce a rich variation of light and shadow effects.
Tower B
Tower B, by contrast, employs a straight-line system, resulting in a dignified, elegant, and beautifully designed residential building. While the existing floor plan creates a somewhat fragmented southern façade, the linear qualities of the design impart coherence and rhythm to the structure. A key design feature of Tower B is the glossy reflective metal panels, identical to those used in Tower A and the podium. By incorporating triangular metal panels of varying sizes and angles, Tower B's façade achieves a sparkling, diamond-like reflection.
Podium
The podium, as the building that connects the two towers and serves as the element that unifies the entire complex, uses the same design vocabulary as the two towers. The diamond lattice texture is an echo of the red dendritic texture of Tower A and the diamond-shaped façade of Tower B. The podium is an element that connects the two towers and unifies the entire complex. The repetition of modules in the same language on the façade, the gradient of module thickness, the orderly alternation of glass and highly reflective anodized aluminum panels, all reinforce the commercial atmosphere of the place. The finishing touch is a strong connection of architectural elements with different functions, scales and categories, such as landscape, umbrella canopies in the sunken plaza, podium ceilings and rooftop structures, into a whole through the elliptical vocabulary. Overall, the elliptical vocabulary is a response to the elliptical facets of the Tower A façade.
