The China International Exchange Committee for Tall Buildings (CITAB) and the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) have named five SOM towers as the winners of six 2016 China Tall Building Awards. The inaugural awards program recognizes projects that have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of tall buildings and the urban environment, and that achieve sustainability at the highest and broadest level. Selected by an international jury of leading architects, engineers, and construction and industry professionals, the awards celebrate the highest caliber of design for skyscrapers in China.
Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Central Plaza, Parcel A received an Honorable Distinction in the 2016 China Innovation Award category, and joined Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Zifeng Tower and Zhengzhou Greenland Plaza to receive an Honorable Distinction in the 2016 Best Tall Building China category. Additionally, Beijing Greenland Center received an Honorable Distinction in the 2016 China Construction Award category, and Jin Mao Tower, completed in 1999, won the 2016 China Tall Building Legacy Award.
Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Central Plaza, Parcel A is a complex of mixed-use buildings that anchor a zone of new development in Nanchang, the capital of the Chinese province Jiangxi. The project encompasses four volumes: a pair of low-rise structures housing retail and conference functions accompanied by a pair of identical 303-meter-tall office towers. Completed in 2015, the landmark skyscrapers are the tallest buildings in Nanchang.
Jiangxi Nanchang Greenland Zifeng Tower is located in Nanchang a rapidly industrializing city bordered by mountains and a sizable lake. Challenged to design an iconic tower for Nanchang’s burgeoning Gaoxin District, SOM created a refined, geometric structure that cuts a powerful figure on the skyline, reflects the diverse topography of the region, and expresses the building’s mixed-use program.
Zhengzhou Greenland Plaza is the tallest building in Zhengzhou, one of the fastest growing cities in north-central China. The 280-meter-tall tower provides unparalleled views of the cityscape while anchoring Zhengzhou’s newest mixed-use development. Conceived as a classical column, the distinctive skyscraper is a beacon for the city, illuminating the city’s landmark harbor. The tower houses offices in its lower floors and a hotel in its upper levels.
Beijing Greenland Center, located in the Dawangjing Business District, rises elegantly above one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares. Beijing Greenland Center welcomes a new era of contemporary architecture to the city, incorporating office and residential programming in a slender, soaring tower atop a four-story retail podium. Clad in a modular system of sloped, woven glass panels, Beijing Greenland Center activates the landscape through a dynamic interplay of texture, light, and shadow.
Jin Mao Tower, a 420-meter-high structure, was China’s tallest building when completed in 1999 and remains one of the most iconic in the country. Recalling historic pagoda forms with setbacks that create a rhythmic pattern, the 88-story tower has become a model for skyscraper design throughout the country. Comprised of a 38-story, 555-room Grand Hyatt Hotel and 50-story office tower with a six-story conference center and retail podium, Jin Mao Tower is encircled by a reflecting pool, offering visitors respite from the busy streets of Shanghai.