Inspiration in nature

Rising at the heart of a rapidly developing neighborhood, Ningbo Center Tower marks a new place in the skyline of Zhejiang’s coastal city. The 80-story tower, designed and engineered by SOM, draws inspiration from the form of a lotus flower, a symbol of elegance and purity in ancient Chinese poetry, with a scalloped structure that unfolds toward a petal-shaped crown. High-end offices on the lower floors, a 250-key Ritz Carlton Hotel near the top, and restaurants at the pinnacle draw a wide range of tenants and visitors. With an adjacent retail structure and plaza beside the building’s base—part of a master plan SOM developed for East New Town—the two-block-long site connects directly to the neighborhood’s green spaces and a nearby transit station.

Designed for flexibility and comfort

Ningbo Center Tower is designed to suit a wide range of tenants. Its structure is pushed to its core and outer edge, making the interiors column-free and easy to reconfigure. The building tapers as it rises, allowing the lowest levels to offer the largest floor plates and the guestrooms to receive abundant natural light. The restaurants provide panoramic views and include spaces at the crown that open to the sky. Within a curtain wall of glass and aluminum, the design team created openings in the mullions that bring fresh air to the interiors. Each of these openings includes an operable panel inside, allowing tenants to adjust the feel of their space.

Engineered for carbon savings

Like the intricate structure of a lotus flower, the tower’s facade and structure work in concert to define a graceful, flowing shape and texture. The building features a hybrid structural system, which is tailored to the specific wind and weight loads at both the lower and upper floors.

Diagonal columns at the base stiffen the building’s lower frame, reducing tension at the core and improving seismic resilience. Above, the columns intersect before ascending vertically into a floral pattern—a highly efficient structural solution that saves about 2,600 metric tons of steel and 1,200 metric tons of carbon. Across the facade, each curtain wall panel is positioned to create a curve within the tower while minimizing the need for bent glass, resulting in additional carbon savings. Next to the tower, the retail podium features a fritted glass facade, which is illuminated by LED lighting to mark the presence of the public realm during the evening hours.