Firm： Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)

Type： Commercial › Office Hospitality + Sport › Hotel Residential › Apartment

STATUS： Concept

SIZE： 3000 sqft - 5000 sqft

A 668 meter tower defines the Liansheng Financial Center complex, located in Taiyuan, China. The tower, which is actually a pair of connected, tapered towers, achieves its height by dividing the building's lease span into 2,000 square-meter floorplates. Like a steel flange, it positions its structural mass as far apart as possible to deal with lateral forces. Structural linkages are strategically located along the height of the towers to optimize the overall and floor-by-floor stiffness of the joined system. This solution enables the building to sit on a reasonable base while providing 4,000 total square-meters of leasable space per level. Improved natural daylight penetration, energy usage, and structural and mechanical systems efficiencies are also achieved by dividing the building's square footage into two towers.

Inside, the north tower contains 90 levels of office space, while the south tower contains 71 apartment levels and a 14 story boutique hotel, located at the top of the tower. The two towers share vertical transportation by providing transfer points in public sky lobbies located at levels 51-52 and 78-79, making it easy for occupants to enjoy spectacular views of Taiyuan.