X3-2 Office Tower

The brief outlines an international standard Grade A office building for a 9,300-square-meter development site in the heart of Shanghai’s international financial center. The allowable building area above grade is 96,000 sq. meters. The building sits within a zoning belt of high-rise towers with height limits of 150-200 meters. The proposed tower has been given a 210-meter height allowance in recognition of its prime location. Due to the large program area and height, limited site area and setback requirements, a tapering tower of decreasing floor areas was not feasible.

The tower’s elliptical form and 90° rotation combine to maximize floor area and lease spans while simultaneously optimizing the orientation of the building at the ground level entrance and toward the open view corridor to the Huangpu River. A requirement of the local building code, the building employs a dual system for resisting seismic forces. The cast-in-place core is one system while the exterior expressed braced frame is the other. This produces a very strong, efficient and economical solution requiring minimum field welding.