BIG's Shenzhen Energy Mansion completes in China

BIG, Arup and Transsolar engineered an innovative facade for the office building to prevent solar load and create ideal working conditions inside.

(Image credit: Chao Zhang)

BIG's Shenzhen Energy Mansion has completed in China. The undulating headquarters for the Shenzhen Energy Company has a rippled skin that has been developed by BIG, Arup and Transsolar to improve the sustainable performance of the building and create a progressive workplace fit for the local subtropical climate.

The building provides 96,000sq m of office space within its two towers that are linked at the base by a 34m podium housing the main lobbies, a conference centre, cafeteria and exhibition space.

The folded facade works to reduce solar loads and glare by balancing a pleated pattern of closed and open parts that vary in opacity – blocking sunlight, providing insulation, yet still revealing views out across Shenzhen.

Shenzhen Energy Mansion facade — *The neat, curved facade of the Shenzhen Energy Mansion*

The clever solution to the climate and required working conditions for China's biggest tech and innovation hub was engineered with Arup and Transsolar. The team won the international design competition in 2009, and in 2012, construction had started.

‘Shenzhen Energy Mansion is our first realised example of ‘engineering without engines’ – the idea that we can engineer the dependence on machinery out of our buildings and let architecture fulfill the performance,’ said Bjarke Ingels, founding partner, BIG.

The shape of the building is subtley pushed and pulled across its form to create uniquely-shaped spaces with wider views. At ground level, the boundary of the building has been unfolded and opened up to pull in visitors from the street, while subtle protusions in the form further up the building open up large rooms for meeting rooms, executive clubs and staff facilities.

Shenzhen skyline with BIG new building — *The building contributes to Shenzhen's curved skyline.*

The volume and height of the building was defined by the Shenzhen urban masterplan, so the building fits smoothly into the curve of the skyline.

‘Shenzhen Energy Mansion appears as a subtle mutation of the classic skyscraper and exploits the building’s interface with the external elements: sun, daylight, humidity and wind to create maximum comfort and quality inside. A natural evolution that looks different because it performs differently,’ said Ingels.

Lobby of Shenzhen Energy Mansion in China

Shenzhen Energy Mansion in China seen from the road

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the BIG website

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Harriet Thorpe is a writer, journalist and editor covering architecture, design and culture, with particular interest in sustainability, 20th-century architecture and community. After studying History of Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and Journalism at City University in London, she developed her interest in architecture working at Wallpaper* magazine and today contributes to Wallpaper*, The World of Interiors and Icon magazine, amongst other titles. She is author of The Sustainable City (2022, Hoxton Mini Press), a book about sustainable architecture in London, and the Modern Cambridge Map (2023, Blue Crow Media), a map of 20th-century architecture in Cambridge, the city where she grew up.