Construction Updates on Zaha Hadid’s Shenzhen Institute of Financial Technology

Construction works at the Shenzhen Institute of Financial Technology have begun installing its sculptural façade. Located on a narrow site in the center of Shenzhen’s Futian district, the tower’s composition is defined by its surrounding urban environment.

Annual paths of the sun’s rays across the site have been mapped and modeled, with setbacks introduced into the tower’s volume to optimize the amount of direct sunlight reaching the district’s streets and public plazas.

Located on a narrow site in the center of Shenzhen’s Futian district, the composition of the 199m (46-story) Shenzhen Institute of Financial Technology tower is defined by its surrounding urban environment. Annual paths of the sun’s rays across the site have been mapped and modeled, with setbacks introduced into the tower’s volume to optimize the amount of direct sunlight reaching the district’s streets, public plazas, and existing neighboring buildings.

Façade Specifications

The varying degrees of transparency and color of the 76,000 sq. m tower’s façades are informed by these distortions within the building’s volume. Composed of vertical and angled glazing mullions crafted in black and bronze colors, the façades emphasize the unique geometries generated by the design’s formal contours. 

Interior Atria

A series of interior atria link together floors to promote interaction and collaboration. Foliage within these connecting atria filters air contaminants, while the rooftop garden provides a variety of sheltered spaces for events, exhibitions, gatherings, and personal relaxation. 

Passive Sunlight & Ventilation

The tower’s envelope incorporates high-performance thermal insulation with external fins that provide self-shading. Detailed analysis of exposure to direct sunlight has informed the unique composition of each façade to mitigate solar heat gain. 

Smart Building System

A smart building system will learn to predict the tower’s user patterns and occupancy levels throughout the day. Automated by AI, this system incorporates hybrid natural ventilation and will continually adjust the tower’s services for the optimum comfort of occupants at maximum energy efficiencies. Recycled steel and aggregates procured from local suppliers contribute to reducing the embodied carbon of the tower’s structure. 

About Shenzhen Institute of Financial Technology

The Shenzhen Institute of Financial Technology is an institution of the Digital Currency Research Institute of the People’s Bank of China (PBC) in Shenzhen. Located in the city’s Futian district, the first demonstration area for digital Renminbi (RMB) application in Shenzhen, the completion of the Shenzhen Institute of Financial Technology tower will encourage the development of digital RMB-related industries in Shenzhen and serve as a digital RMB cross-border payment and technology center; facilitating the expansion of digital RMB applications in Shenzhen and improving the digital RMB ecosystem.

Credits

Client: Shenzhen Futian Bureau of Public Works (深圳市福田区建筑工务署)
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
Design: Patrik Schumacher
ZHA Project Director: Joris Pauwels
ZHA Project Associate: Yitzhak Samoun
ZHA Project Architect: Haohao Chen
ZHA Project Team: Ping-Hsiang Chen, Biagio Amodio, Wei-Yu Hsiao, Maria Vergopoulou,
Sharan Sundar, Iraklis Kourounis, Alejandro Garcia Gadea, Beatrice Cordella, Cristina Barrios
Cabrera, Nessma Al Ghoussein, Samantha Pavic, Simon Yu, Jinqi Huang, Yushan Chen
ZHA Site Team: Haohao Chen, Shao-Wei Huang

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