Foshan Entrepreneur Building / CCDI

Architects: CCDI
Area: 157604 m²
Year: 2023
Photographs: Fang Jian
Lead Architect: Wang Lang
Engineering: Nantong four construction Group Co., LTD
Landscape: CCDI
Consultants: CCDI
Design Team: CCDI Studio 21
Architects: NIE Changning, LIU Zhen, Yang Zhuang, Sun Tao, LI Luyun, Chen Yue, ZHuang Yanhua
Construction Drawing Architects: Jin Ai, LI Yihua, Sun Tao, Ding Wei, WANG Yulong, DU Guotao
Structural Engineer: Wu Guoqin, Shi Yongmang, LI Jianwei, Liu Yaonan, Chen Youzhong, Wang Ning
Water Supply and Drainage Engineer: Liu Kangrong, Yang Jichao, Zhuang Wenqiong
Mep Engineers: Jiao Peirong, YE Qiongxia, HUANG Jiaxing, Lin Shaobin, QIN Yangyang, He Yeyuan, Tan Xiaojun, Huang Yanqi
Clients: Foshan City enterprise joint development limited company
Program: Office building
City: Foshan
Country: China

The Foshan Entrepreneur Building is a 246-meter super high-rise office building designed by CCDI, serving 28 elite enterprises in Foshan New City. Positioned at the end of the urban axis, the city’s east-west axis divides the plot into two sections, integrating urban relations and forming a landmark structure.

Foshan Entrepreneur Building, a 246-meter super high-rise office structure in Foshan New City, serves 28 elite enterprises. Positioned at the urban axis’s end, the city’s east-west axis divides the site into two plots.

Start at the site – Friendly city relations – The podium partially spans both plots, unifying them. The east side faces a water system, and the west side forms a roof terrace overlooking urban green spaces and squares. The tower’s volume includes a sky courtyard at the corner, which reduces wind pressure by aligning with the dominant regional wind direction. This integration shapes the building’s podium and tower as a cohesive whole.

Abstract extraction of regional culture – During the initial conceptual design phase, the architects sought to capture the regionalism of the Foshan Entrepreneur Building. They drew inspiration from Foshan’s local culture, particularly Lingnan architecture and lion dance traditions. The architectural form was abstracted into smooth, modern silver-gray lines, reminiscent of a traditional lion dance, with the lion’s head steady and the tail swinging, creating a band of light as it moves. This design integrates the essence of Foshan’s traditional lion dance, embodying the spirit of Lingnan culture through architectural forms.

Climate adaptability and accessibility in near-Earth space – The podium space is a design focus for super high-rise buildings and is the primary area of citizen interaction. By analyzing Lingnan architecture, the architects incorporated the gray space technique from arcade buildings into the podium’s spatial form. A partial overhead space on the first floor, along with functional blocks on the second to fourth floors, creates a continuous interface spanning two plots. This design allows the urban axis to traverse the elevated space, forming an open urban public space between the plots with a light opening in the upper part of the building.

On the first floor, the building features an elevated arcade space along the street, designed for people working, shopping, and using the subway. This space provides shaded, rain-protected walkways, accommodating visitors from all directions. The podium’s continuous interface, reminiscent of a swinging lion’s tail, creates a simple, powerful design leading up to the tower. This super-tall near-Earth space acts as a City Connector, forming a three-dimensional pedestrian system linking surrounding cities. Additionally, the third floor connects to the urban pedestrian bridge, integrating the public flyover with the internal commercial pathway. The roof garden on the skirt house offers an urban terrace, blending nature with the high-density environment.

Sustainable super high-rise office space design balancing experience and efficiency – Supertall buildings adopt a square shape, emphasizing efficiency. Office spaces can be divided and combined practically. The hanging garden volume at the corner reduces wind pressure on the tower while offering a double-height garden experience, providing an urban balcony overlooking Foshan New City. The tower’s east-west facade features a zigzag design, avoiding direct east-west exposure. This curtain wall construction forms self-shading, reducing energy consumption and creating a sustainable super high-rise office space.

Construction: Disordered form designed regularly – To achieve a high degree of completion at a limited cost, the building’s “flow” modeling and engineering construction were optimized using GRASSHOPPER software. The curved surfaces were adjusted to fit the construction size of the curtain wall, combining aluminum plates and glass to create a straight, curved curtain wall unit. By aligning the glass and aluminum plate along a 1.8-meter axis, the original curved curtain wall was simulated. The angle between the aluminum plate and glass was adjusted to maintain the design’s integrity. The elevated dome section on the ground floor features a suspended ceiling with triangular perforated panels, forming an intriguing urban gray space.

Epilogue – Foshan Entrepreneur Building is a 246-meter super high-rise integrating offices, retail businesses, urban TOD, and various functional spaces. Its design features multiple dimensions of public space, including overhead space along the first-floor street, a lighting atrium, a subway, a sunken square, an urban bridge on the third floor, and an urban terrace on the skirt house roof. These elements collectively establish the building’s public character. Addressing functional requirements and local climate considerations, the design forms a three-dimensional transportation system connecting the pedestrian and subway networks of surrounding cities. This super high-rise revitalizes city blocks, fulfilling its mission as a high-density urban structure.