Beijing, China: On Friday, November 25th, the China World Trade Center Company Limited hosted SOM staff and prominent city officials for the topping-out ceremony of China World Trade Center Phase 3B. The 58-story tower is now the second tallest building in Beijing, behind the 74-story China World Trade Center 3A tower designed by SOM and completed in 2010.
The design of China World Trade Center 3B references geometries of nature, such as bamboo and the conch shell, while clad in self-shading bands of high-performance glass. The gentle outward tilt of the curtain wall reduces both glare and solar heat gain during the city’s warm summer months and also allows the facade to clean itself. Designed to achieve LEED® Gold certification, the tower will contain 120,800 square meters of rental office space, a 600-room hotel, and associated amenities within a podium element located on the north edge of the site.
About Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the leading architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban planning firms in the world, with an almost 80-year reputation for design excellence and a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries. Since its inception, SOM has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment. The firm’s longstanding leadership in design and building technology has been honored with more than 1,700 awards for quality, innovation, and management. The American Institute of Architects has recognized SOM twice with its highest honor, the Architecture Firm Award—in 1962 and again in 1996. The firm maintains offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Abu Dhabi.