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The Z-15 Tower is a skyscraper designed for CITIC Group in Beijing, China. The 500m-high mixed-use tower will surpass the 330m-tall China World Tower, the current tallest skyscraper in Beijing. It will have more than 120 storeys and about 300,000m² of floor area.

The tower has been designed by TFP Farrells who were chosen through an international competition. The final design was unveiled in January 2011. Inspired by Chinese culture, the design forms an identity for the steady financial growth.

The tower will be well connected to the adjacent shopping mall and existing metro station. Being close to the China WTC 3 and the CCTV Headquarters, it is expected to become an international iconic landmark in the country.

CITIC purchased the Z-15 plot for RMB6.3bn ($956.6bn) through bidding process. It will spend about RMB10bn ($1.5bn) for the overall site development.

Facilities

The planned facilities of the Z-15 Tower include the headquarters of the CITIC Group; 60 floors of Grade-A office space; a 20 storey, 300 room, six star hotel with state-of- the-art facilities; 20 floors of serviced apartments; galleries and a roof garden.

Design

The Z-15 Tower will be built at the heart of the new Beijing Central Business District (CBD). It is part of the city’s master plan to develop a green business district on a 30ha site in the east of Beijing. The CBD extension will include 2,000,000m² of office space, apartments, six-star hotels and retail facilities.

Several regional high-rise offices are located on both sides of a central green axis that leads to the site. The Z-15 Tower, at the end of the axis, will create a unique urban morphology with a sequential rising skyline.

A vertical pedestrian circulation system with three levels of circular walking will provide access to the city transit system, malls and offices, and external and internal public spaces via landscaped environment.

The tower will have rounded square floorplates to maximise the floor area at the top levels. The top of the building will accommodate the hotel, restaurant and bar, with a three-storey-high shared atrium.

Structure

The Z-15 Tower will be a sleek structure with a smooth contemporary vertical curve. The building will reduce in size from the bottom till the middle and gradually increase till it reaches the top.

The shape will create a hyperbolic architecture with a central slimming. It will enhance the structural stability of the building at the base.

The central core of the tower will house the service spaces and vertical circulation systems. The rounded square floor plans allow reduction of wind loads on the building. A shear-wall core and a skew frame are provided for structural resistance against earthquakes and gravity, while creating an aesthetic appearance.

Façade

The transparent façade will have a fully glazed curtain wall. It will have a texture of different rhombic layers, which will rise from the bottom of the tower to the top of the building in a particular pattern.

Inspiration

The design was inspired by the Zun, a wine vessel, which has a long tradition in Chinese ritual forms. The aspect of the design creating large spaces at the upper floors of the building was inspired by the Kong Ming Lanterns form. The façade’s appearance was inspired by traditional Chinese utensils that are woven with bamboo.

Sustainability

The tower has been designed and oriented for optimum use of natural wind in summer and sunlight in winter. An energy system for district heating and cooling is also being planned. The building will consume about 20% to 40% less energy than a typical building of this kind. A green belt landscaping of trees and plants is planned for around the tower.