TIANJIN CTF FINANCE CENTRE
天津周大福金融中心
By Mary Liu

Our strategic port city is ready to enjoy unprecedented development opportunities, under the recent Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Integration Plan for the construction of a world-class city cluster centred around Beijing and Tianjin. The Binhai New Area, in particular, is gaining momentum as ‘the third growth pole in China’.
 

The addition of the Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, which is 530 m tall, is expected to play a dominant role in the area to create a prosperous, liveable, smart environment for businesses and the society.

The Tianjin CTF Finance Centre is being developed by New World China Land Limited, the flagship China property arm of Hong Kong-listed New World Development Company Limited and an early Hong Kong pioneer entering the China property market.

It is located in the core area of Binhai New Area, and it has a total GFA (Gross Floor Area) of 389,900 sqm (total area is 280,000 sqm), consisting of a 103-storey tower boasting a 5-storey podium K11 Art Mall, a 4-storey basement, a 5-star Hotel and serviced apartments. It is a comprehensive development project comprising retail, office, hotel, and serviced apartments. Its design accentuates its mixed-use nature.
 

Tallest building in the world with fewer than 100 floors

Construction of this supertall skyscraper commenced in 2011 and was fully completed in 2019. It is the tallest building north of the Yangtze River in China (second after Goldin Finance 117 that has not yet been completed and will stand at 597 m) and the eighth tallest completed building in the world. It is also the tallest building in the world with fewer than 100 floors above ground (having 97), and is located in the outer district of the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area.
 

This tower has an unorthodox architectural appearance and layout. It has a softly curving glass skin integrating eight undulating curves that follow a lyrical line connecting the centres and corners of all four elevations at its summit to create a crown. These curving mega columns reinforce the structure's response to seismic challenges and are integral to both the gravity and lateral systems. They are effective in increasing the stiffness of the building's perimeter frame, consequently drawing a bigger portion of the seismic forces.
 

Tallest building north of the Yangtze River in China

As the building tapers in height, convex and concave curves glide up the elevations to create the wavy form. Moving upwards from the podium, the tower’s floor plate morphs from square to circle, and the tower’s unique profile will be accentuated by a façade composed of thousands of glass panels, creating a shimmering texture over the building’s surface. The geometric design of the façade structure greatly increased difficulty during construction.

The initial façade design and geometry consisted of complex curves generated from ellipses and hyperbolas to create the concave and convex forms for the façade which required a total of 24,910 unique panels. This would have resulted in high risk for error and a long and complicated fabrication and installation process.
 

Arup team hence conducted a study in collaboration used parametric modelling for detailed analysis to develop a simpler tower façade design and geometry. As a result, the unique types of insulating glass units for the vision and spandrel panels have been significantly reduced from 24,910 to 1,308.
 

The total floor area was marginally only increased by 68m² and 87% of the building envelope surface is within 20 mm of the original design, preserving the authenticity of the architect’s design. The building's aerodynamic shape greatly reduces vortex shedding by “confusing the wind” and disrupting the opportunity for any resonating wind forces and loads on the structure.

Models studied the layouts of bent glass panels, left, versus flat glass panels, right. The simpler flat panels mean that the mullions must become more complex to handle the building's curves

The crystalline-like curtain wall stretches from the suspended glass canopies at each of the lobbies to the dematerialized, mega column-looped crown and presents a bold expression of a comprehensive, integrated design on the Tianjin skyline.
 

Aside from its tremendous height, the detail-designed and intricate building façade is one of the most significant components contributing to the upcoming icon of north China. The project was completed last year, and its office building, K11 ATERLIER, was officially opened in May 2020.

天津将会享受到前所未有的发展机遇，在最近的京津冀一体化计划下，政府打算建设一个以京津为中心的世界级城市群，而将会极大地为天津带来好处。滨海新区作为“中国第三增长极”，增长势头尤其强劲。天津周大福金融中心高530米，预计将在该地区发挥非常大的作用，为企业和社会创造一个繁荣、宜居和智能的环境。天津周大福滨海中心的外形设计运用了起伏的曲线，在巧妙体现大厦三个功能空间组成元素的同时，也在天际线中展现出高大醒目的形象。这座530米高的摩天大楼内设办公空间、300套服务式公寓和一家拥有350套客房的五星级酒店， 将成为天津郊外天津经济技术开发区内引人注目的新地标。这座超高层摩天大楼于2011年开工，2019年全面竣工。天津周大福金融中心建成时是中国长江以北第一高楼、全中国第四高楼及全球第八高楼。本文为您介绍天津周大福金融中心的主要情况。