China World Trade Center (CWTC) Tower 3B has opened as a new hub for commerce and tourism in Beijing’s Central Business District. One of the city’s tallest buildings, it is the latest addition to the CWTC, a growing mixed-use campus designed primarily for China’s leading commercial enterprises.

Tower 3B stands at one of the busiest intersections in the district, adjacent to the SOM-designed Tower 3A. Its 59 stories include a five-story retail podium, a 554-room hotel at the base, and 68,000 square meters of office space on the upper floors. The placement of the hotel below the offices is an unconventional inversion of typical mixed-use tower design.

The form of the building was inspired by geometry found in nature, as well as the demanding structural constraints of the tower’s program stacking. The design is also informed by traditional Feng Shui methods. Its gentle geometry is expressed in a cascade of inclined planes shaded by deep fins, which create a cadence of tiers that subtly diminish in proportion as they approach the sky. The angled tiers of glass create dynamic reflections of Beijing’s vibrant skyline.

The design of Tower 3B also addresses the region’s climate concerns. To reduce energy use, the exterior glass curtain wall is tilted to decrease glare and solar heat gain in the warm summer months. The tower is designed to achieve LEED® Gold certification.