The Chicago office of SOM | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP won an international competition for the Greenland Group Suzhou Center in Wujiang, China. This 358 meters high split-core tower is their sixth project with the Greenland Group. Key design feature for this high-rise is semi-controlled atrium acting as the “lung” of the building, maximizing daylight penetration and natural ventilation in the public spaces and the lobbies. Series of high efficiency measures were taken along the design process, with the objective to achieve a 60% savings in energy consumption and a 60% reduction in potable water use. This highly efficient landmark is a result of interdisciplinary collaboration and the serious commitment to elegant high performance design.

A set of high performance energy saving strategies include high performance façade – using cooler air at the higher levels for the natural ventilation, natural light harvesting, energy recovery systems, demand controlled ventilation and onsite energy center to capitalize on the overall load diversity of the development. The building is oriented to harness the stack effect and prevailing winds, through the east and west facades of the atrium. 30-story tall operable window provides significant environmental performance of the lakefront development, corresponding with the hotel and residential floors.

Each side of this 75-level mixed use edifice facilitates half of the programs, interconnected with steel braces which create dramatic lobby space. Within the single volume, this high-rise unifies the office, hotel and residential complex.

SOM Managing Partner Jeffrey McCarthy states that the winning Greenland Group Suzhou Center is designed not only for efficiency of construction and operation, but to make a strong skyline statement about bright future of Wujiang.