Dutch architect MVRDV and UK engineer Arup will design a 250-metre-tall headquarters in Shenzhen for Chinese real estate developer Vanke comprised of eight interlocking blocks.
The eight sections rise from four separate bases across two plots separated by a road, which join to form a single crowning tower at the top.
The 167,000 sq m project will house office space for Vanke, and also contain leasable offices, retail space, a restaurant, hotel, and outdoor space.
Each block will have a different façade design, and four will feature either an indent on one side or a hole that punctures the entire depth of the block, creating what MVRDV calls public “windows to the world”, such as atriums and parks.
A sunken, multi-level green public space will link all four plots at the base.
MVRDV has nicknamed the project “Vanke 3D City”.
Winy Maas, MVRDV principal, said: “Vanke 3D City can be seen as a new type of skyscraper.
“By stacking the required programmatic entities, initially proposed for two separate plots, on top of each other, the two individual Vanke Group Headquarter buildings are turned into a Vanke City. They turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.
“By opening the buildings, a series of giant collective halls are created with a view over the bay and to the world.
“The plazas, gardens, and halls are connected by a series of stairs and elevators, linking the many blocks into a continuous urban fabric high off the ground-a true three-dimensional city.”
Work on the project is due to start in mid 2019.
Images courtesy of MVRDV
