Tian Fang Tower in Tianjin, China by Kevin Kennon

Kevin Kennon, international architect, is designing a new landmark building for Eco-City, Tianjin, China, a joint development between China and Singapore. This 120,000 square meter 45 floor office tower and luxury shopping center, developed by Tianjin Real Estate Development & Management Group, LTD, utilizes the most advanced sustainable and Biophilic design strategies and technologies to reconnect people with nature.

Tian Fang Tower - Aerial View during Day

• Architect: Kevin Kennon Architects
• Location: Tianjin, China

Tian Fang Tower - Aerial View at Night

Tian Fang Tower is inspired by the form and growth of bamboo forests. Tian Fang generates 20% of its clean energy on site—through a combination of hydrogen fuel cells, solar panels, and wind turbines while simultaneously conserving 20% of the energy used by a similar fully occupied mixed-use tower. Once completed in early 2013, Tian Fang will be one of the most advanced sustainable commercial buildings in China.

Tian Fang Tower - North View

The project is distinctive for its innovative design strategies, with special attention paid to the building’s relationship to its site, day lighting, and program. Solar and wind studies influenced the site orientation and building massing, with approximately 50 atriums allowing green space and natural light to infiltrate the building. The principal strategy behind this advanced Biophilic design is to utilize natural convection to heat and cool the building with filtered fresh air.

Tian Fang Tower South View

The design of Tian Fang is based on a 14×14 meter square module. A typical office building has four corners, but Zhu Ta building has 18, providing prime real estate in corner offices. The layout of the luxury retail—with fine international and Chinese cuisine on the top floor—also follows this module and is composed of 17 14×14 meter volumes which rise to become a series of distinctive angled roofs shaped at various orientations to the sun providing solar power. In between these roof forms are skylights which allow daylight to activate the luxury shopping center. The effect is that the tower and the base are one.

Kevin Kennon, President and Design Principal of Kevin Kennon Architects, says “This project is the culmination of years of thinking about tall building design that incorporates an environmental strategy and adaptive innovation to create signature architecture. The goal of this particular project is to act as a catalyst for the future design of buildings in China, considering pollution is a foremost challenge in this rapid industrialized country.”

Tags: China, Tianjin

Categories: Mixed use, Sustainable Design, Tower

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