AS+GG Wins Competition for Shinmao Tower

The tower, with its five-star hotel, offices, and conference facilities, is sited at the center of the master plan, making it the focal point for the surrounding mixed-use development of apartment, office, cultural, and retail uses. If it existed today, the tower would be the world's second-tallest skyscraper, behind Adrian Smith's own Burj Khalifa (828m/2,717'). More than its height, the tower calls attention to itself through its "anthropomorphic" design.

In the words of AS+GG's Smith:

The Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Center is anthropomorphic in its character, representing and honoring in an abstract way the athletes that train and struggle to have the opportunity to perform in the world-class stadiums, arenas, and natatorium directly adjacent to and integrated into the overall AS+GG master plan for this project. In this way, it adds a subtle layer of contextualism to the activities that these performance spaces contain. The result is a muscular expression in high-performance glass with layers of texture that define the elements of its shaped form.

As is the trend these days, the top of the tower is being given over to entertainment facilities: it will have one of the world’s highest observation "experiences" as well as a restaurant, night club, spa, and a swimming pool, all taking in views of Shenzhen and beyond.