HENN WINS CENKE TOWER COMPETITION

"The new tower for the Cenke Group is located on the north-south axis in the centre of the Chinese metropolis of Taiyuan. As well as office space, the building also contains a hotel on its upper floors and a retail area at the basement level.

 

The longer sides of the 280 m high building take the form of convex shells with vertically accented facades constructed from opaque aluminium elements and glass of various degrees of transparency.

The trapezoid-like shape reduces successively with the building height in the upper levels and determines the amount of direct sunlight admitted to suit the planned use of the space within.

While the offices receive optimum solar shading and maximum interior daylight, the hotel guests can enjoy the widest possible views over the city. The narrower sides of the tower with their concave curvatures and smooth transparent glass facades strike a counterpoint to the solid, powerful overall appearance of the building.

They allow views into the building's interior and show off the elegant, diagonally braced structure. The entrance area is located on the western side of the building along the lively boulevard. A planted sunken courtyard south of the building merges seamlessly into the basement.

The new tower for the Cenke Group is located on the north-south axis in the centre of the Chinese metropolis of Taiyuan. As well as office space, the building also contains a hotel on its upper floors and a retail centre at the first basement level."

Location: Taiyuan, China

Architect: HENN

Area: 114 000 m2

Start of planning: 2014 - 2015

Client: Cenke Groupe

GLAZED SOFTWARE FACTORY BY HENN

“The central theme for an IT company’s new office building in Karlsruhe is a "Glazed Software Factory". This is not only expressed in the external appearance of the new building but is also continued in the building structure and internal layout.

Open, transparent spatial structures allow a varying range of office types, which combine areas for communication and concentration with one another to provide a bright and diverse working environment for customers and staff.

In terms of urban design, the building takes the elongated plot as its theme. Three interlocking and slightly offset volumes form numerous terraces and accentuate the main entrance on the north side of the site.

So as to ensure a high degree of flexibility, the building is designed to be divided into smaller units and rented, if required. Two main entrances, each with their own foyer, one for the main building user and one for future tenants, mean that building users are clearly separated as they enter the ground floor.

Generous, transparent stairwells and open connecting bridges enable rapid orientation within the building and create a variety of visual relationships for views into and views out of the building. The facade and external appearance of the building are defined by large format fixed window elements, which fan out slightly to the north and give some basic shade from the sun.

The staggered arrangement of the opaque and transparent facade elements lends the building a subtle depth and allow it to change how it looks in the interplay of light and shadow.” Description from the HENN.

HENN WINS COMPETITION IN WENZHOU

The 160-metres high tower in Wenzhou, designed by HENN in a seaport located on China’s east coast, forms the architectural starting point for the city’s new central business district.

With a total of 38 storeys, there will be space for shopping arcades in the podium building, for offices in the mid-section and a hotel on the upper floors.