Architecture studio NBBJ has completed the headquarters of Chinese phone company Vivo in Shenzhen, China, which includes a terrace that wraps around the outside of the building in the sky.
Located in Qianhai Bay, a new business district in the west of Shenzhen, Vivo Headquarters is a 150-meter-high building that houses 6,000 employees.
According to NBBJ, the design of the tower was inspired by Vivo’s smart phones known for their high quality cameras.
The floor plates move from level to level, each cut at a slight angle as they rotate around the core, creating a continuous 360-degree spiral terrace.
The flexible floor plates recall the aperture of the camera lens, while the spiral terrace and the series of multi-height atriums created as a result, have views of the surrounding area.
“One of the guiding principles of this building is ‘capturing life’—the hope that everyone who works here will create meaningful professional memories in these vibrant workplaces,” NBBJ said.
“Eight different atria dissolve the boundaries between inside and outside, work and nature, tower and sky.”
The sculptured facade of the tower was designed to contrast with the glass-dominated skyline of Qianhai Bay.
Horizontal glazing maximizes views of the bay, which, combined with blinds, reduces summer heat and maximizes winter daylight.
Openable windows were hidden behind perforated metal screens, allowing for the natural ventilation needed in the hot climate of southern China, while reducing reliance on mechanical systems.
The stage has steps and bowls that are informed by the local rocky coast near the South China Sea.
Landscaping and planting varies across the fields in response to environmental conditions at different altitudes.
Shallow-rooted plants were placed at lower levels, while deep-rooted species were placed at higher levels, so that they could withstand strong winds during the typhoon season.
Planting transitions to flowering trees and ferns at higher elevations, adds different shades of green without other statics.
“Rather than a building decorated with plantings, Vivo’s HQ becomes a cohesive project where the nature of the coastal and lowland forests is woven into its architectural form,” said NBBJ.
“The landscape design responds to the vertical change in elevation, aligning natural techniques with building integration so that the transition from plaza to platform reads as a continuous, uninhabited space.”
NBBJ recently designed the Life and Mind Building at the University of Oxford, and a youth behavioral health campus that includes a series of curved buildings.
Photography by Kris Provoost unless otherwise noted.
Project credits:
Architect:NBBJ
Record builder, layout, MEP:TJA Shenzhen
Direct transport:WSP
The facade:Sit down
Sustainability:Atkins Shenzhen
Interior design:Cheng Chung Design
Lighting design:BPI
Landscape design:China Architecture Design & Research Group