Located at the heart of the Futian Free Trade Zone, south of the Shenzhen Central Business District, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation Integrated Service Centre is a 45-storey, naturally ventilated tower with an integrated multi-level podium. The scheme will provide a vibrant shopping, leisure and workplace destination set within a cultural-led public realm podium, which will connect to the existing metro station below and street level piazza.
Originally, RSHP was presented with two briefs by different clients for a tower and a mixed-used podium on neighbouring plots. RSHP’s proposal was to merge the briefs by integrating the podium into the tower, providing one architectural identity, and introducing public realm and leisure facilities across the two developments.
With an area of 96,223m² and measuring 212m to the top of its central core, the tower’s plan adopts a butterfly layout with curved bays of east and west office wings. The lower levels contain a health centre, which is unusual in a commercial tower, and public offices for state-owned companies. Mid to higher levels will provide commercial office space and a collection of green terraces for occupants.
The 13,640m² podium is a retail and cultural building of 6 levels that integrates into the tower’s south side, with over 50% of its roof dedicated to green public space. The podium will provide sports facilities, a library, retail, and a double height arts exhibition space. The tower’s entrance lobby is also positioned within the podium at street level. This double height glazed area is supported by slim columns, permitted by the mega triangular trusses above on the podium roof, which transfer the load of the tower’s east wing to the building’s central core. The basement area is a sunken plaza with retail, integrating the concourse of the existing Futian Bonded Zone station.
A concrete central core provides the tower’s primary lateral stability system with mega trusses located every 12 levels, these are positioned on refuge/service floors to avoid any impact on the occupied office spaces. This enables flexible, unobstructed floorplates and cantilevered external bays free of primary structure, to maximise uninterrupted views from the curved glazed corners of the office wings.
With excellent views in all directions, the tower embraces the opportunities of the building’s location, capturing wonderful panoramic vistas of Shenzhen Bay and the mangrove areas. The publicly accessible roof terrace and viewing platform on the tower’s west wing make this project an exceptional vantage point to observe passing birds on their migratory path - a popular activity for Shenzhen citizens. A group of panoramic glazed lifts - an architectural feature not usually seen in the area - capitalise on the views and animate the building’s north and south facades.
The scheme is designed to have an operational energy consumption that will achieve China’s 3-star sustainability certification, equivalent to LEED Gold. The tower will be completely naturally ventilated: 10% of the façade is openable and the glazing incorporates vents to allow external air to circulate, significantly reducing the requirement for air-conditioning.