Qianhai Shimao Tower

At nearly 300 meters tall, Shimao Financial Center stands as one of Qianhai’s landmark towers and one of the world’s tallest structurally twisting buildings. The building tapers and simultaneously rotates, creating striking imagery with twisting curtain walls and structural columns. The tower sits as the tallest building within a high-density urban block surrounded by six towers. It is designed to both harmonize the cluster of buildings into a holistic composition and stand out as an iconic structure. Given the density of the site, the rising tower’s gradual twist responds well to its context by relaxing spatial adjacencies and freeing up views. The podium interweaves with pedestrian networks on multiple levels and connects to the below-grade Metro Station. The porosity, multi-level retail programming, and lively plaza all highlight the importance of activated public space and the spaces in between the towers.