Cradle Towers
In February 2017, London-based architects Tonkin Liu revealed their competition-winning proposal for a new Trade Centre in Zhengzhou, east-central China.
Cradle Towers comprises five towers that swoop out of a ring-shaped podium. The design is inspired by the nearby Songshan mountain range, and is intended to celebrate the city’s origins in a high-tech way.
The complex is a mixed-use development of residential, offices and hotels. Vertical courtyards bring natural daylight into the deep plan at the base of the towers and establish vertical gardens up their inside faces.
At the micro-scale the glass façades are fitted with a responsive skin that accommodates the conflicting requirements of programme, solar shading, and privacy. At a macro-scale it has a gradation upwards from dark to light, establishing the podium as a heavy mass and blending the lantern-like tips of the towers with the sky.
A fluid landscape spills out of the cradle and under the lifted podium ring, connecting the vast inner courtyard to the wider city sprawling beyond. At the peak of each tower a roof-top glass house simultaneously screens the mechanical plant and ‘greens’ the skyline.
Images and content courtesy of Tonkin Liu.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles
Check out some of the best features and news from Designing Buildings as well as key stories from around the web.
Construction Management, 8 July
NEETs crisis drives interest in trades, but apprenticeships barriers remain.
Passive fire protection webinar
MEP services penetration seals.
Where its at podcast (and video) - The role of the Architectural Technologist as an Expert Witness.
More than 200 remarkable buildings added to SAVE’s Buildings at Risk register.
Government scraps pre-application consultation for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
Historic England and infrastructure
New projects offer opportunities for the historic environment and local communities.
Construction Management, 2 July
Construction deaths halve in two years.
Green Book changes to drive investment in all parts of UK.
Minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES)
CIAT briefing on response to consultations for privately rented non-domestic properties.
Connect, collaborate, shape the future
Registration now live for UK Construction Week Birmingham.
CIOB announces Saul Humphrey FCIOB as new President for 26/27 term.
A quick, simple, and zero-bills solution to prevent overheating.