The British architect firm Chetwoods has unveiled its design of the world’s tallest twin towers to be built in China,
The iconic landmark, called Phoenix Towers, will be located in the city of Wuhan, the capital of central China. It will feature two buildings located on a large island in the middle of a 47-hectare lake. The project construction is estimated to cost around £1.2bn and to employ hundreds of construction workers.
The biggest tower of 1km height will accommodate spaces such as offices, residential apartments and hotels, as well as a range of environmental technologies, including wind turbines, photovoltaics, and a thermal chimney running through the centre of the building.
The variety of renewables included in the design will be used to power an adjacent “passive” smaller tower, which will house a number of restaurants, cafes and leisure activities, with a vertical garden running through its centre.
The towers will also include systems designed to filter and purify air as well as water from the lakes in order to enhance the local ecology.
The proposed design for twin skyscrapers constitutes a part of an ambitious environmental master plan for Wuhan, which is position on the Yangtze River at the crossroads of nine provinces. The regional and central government have recently nominated the city as environmental “Super City”.
“Situated on the Yangtze River at the crossroads of nine provinces, the ‘City of 1000 Lakes’, population 10 million, has recently been designated an environmental ‘Super City’ by the regional and central government.
“At 1km high the Phoenix Towers will be the tallest pair of buildings in the world. The 47-hectare site (the towers cover 7 hectares) on an island in a lake at the end of a 3km avenue within a dense city layout will provide long vistas.
“Arching bridge-like over the surrounding boulevards, each tower will have a unique personality and attributes: the Feng tower will lean towards the commercial zone, the Huang tower towards the cultural and recreational zone.
“The project’s key emphasis is on the harmonious combination of 21st century Western technological know-how and experience with Chinese tradition and culture.
“In response to the Client’s wish to develop a new style of architecture that emphasises Chinese identity, the use of a pair of towers reflects the dualist elements of Chinese culture in contrast to a more Western monolithic form.”
Following the final approval from Wuhan’s mayor, the construction of the towers is set to begin next year and to be fully operational by 2018.
Photo Source: The Guardian
