On the Block: Pondering the 55-Story Beijing Greenland Center
By Dominique Wong
Urban planning guidelines forbid the construction of “bizarre” and “odd-shaped” buildings that are devoid of character or cultural heritage. On the Block is a monthly series where we gather opinions on some of the unusual architecture that remains, from both a design and civilian viewpoint.
Beijing Greenland Center, Dawangjing
The Building
Wangjing
may be ‘Koreatown’ but Dawangjing is ‘big Wangjing.’ Or at least it has
the biggest buildings this side of Wangjing (northeast to be exact).
The latest addition to this burgeoning business district is Beijing
Greenland Center, a 260-meter-tall tower completed in 2016. Designed by
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) the tower literally glitters
over its neighboring buildings due to its light-deflecting glass
surface. Each glass section is made up of two trapezoids – one angled
upwards and the other downward. The tower encompasses retail, offices
and apartments over 173,000sqm. And, at 55 stories high, it also
provides striking photo ops for the city’s rooftoppers. The glass facade
not only looks good but also is good, with the panels’ self-shading
effect helping the center save energy.
The Residents’ View
Local
driver Wang is impressed by the tower, he says. “It looks great – the
glass design is quite special. It looks like a nice watchstrap.” A
passing motorcyclist, Dong, is also complimentary: “This building is
really wonderful. Dawangjing is like the second CBD of Beijing.” Another
passerby – there’s a lot of foot traffic here – praises the center as
“very nice.”
The Architect’s View
Studio O
architect Angelo Michele Pagano views the Greenland Center as “an
American interpretation of the Chinese compound. It’s a more
contemporary design of a traditional landscape, where water and greenery
co-exist, thus recalling the typical Chinese park, but without the
organic layout that characterizes Chinese design. The building instead
uses the tri-dimensionality of the facade to catch as much light and
sunshine as possible,” he says. “So the facade acts not only as an
eye-catching image, but contributes to the overall [energy-saving]
system. The prismatic motif reflects the surroundings and the sky,
setting a new landmark for Beijing.”
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