Architecture

Terracotta-clad supertall skyscraper completed in China

Terracotta-clad supertall skyscraper completed in China
The recently-completed Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre (pictured on the right) is actually one of a pair of towers referred to as the Guangzhou Twin Towers
The recently-completed Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre (pictured on the right)  is actually one of a pair of towers referred to as the Guangzhou Twin Towers
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The recently-completed Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre (pictured on the right) is actually one of a pair of towers referred to as the Guangzhou Twin Towers
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The recently-completed Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre (pictured on the right)  is actually one of a pair of towers referred to as the Guangzhou Twin Towers
The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
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The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre project consists of the skyscraper itself and a connected eight-story podium
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The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre project consists of the skyscraper itself and a connected eight-story podium
The podium includes a hotel ballroom and function space
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The podium includes a hotel ballroom and function space
The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre's total floorspace of 508,000 sq m (5.4 million sq ft) is split between office space, residential space, and a hotel
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The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre's total floorspace of 508,000 sq m (5.4 million sq ft) is split between office space, residential space, and a hotel
The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre rises to a total height of 530 m (1,739 ft) on a site overlooking the Pearl River in Guangzhou, China
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The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre rises to a total height of 530 m (1,739 ft) on a site overlooking the Pearl River in Guangzhou, China
There will be up to 30,000 people within Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre in a single day
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There will be up to 30,000 people within Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre in a single day
The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre features public transportation links and energy-efficient cooling and heating
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The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre features public transportation links and energy-efficient cooling and heating
The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is currently rated as the world's fifth tallest building
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The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is currently rated as the world's fifth tallest building
The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre reaches a total height of 530 m (1,739 ft)
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The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre reaches a total height of 530 m (1,739 ft)
To help people navigate the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, Hitachi-designed elevators travel at speeds of 72 km/h (44.7 mph)
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To help people navigate the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, Hitachi-designed elevators travel at speeds of 72 km/h (44.7 mph)
View gallery - 11 images

It's fitting that the country that boasts the famous terracotta army also be the one that's home to the world's tallest terracotta-clad tower. Rising to a total height of 530 m (1,739 ft) on a site overlooking the Pearl River, the Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates-designed Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is also China's second-tallest building, after the Shanghai Tower, and the fifth tallest worldwide.

The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre is actually one of a pair of towers referred to as the Guangzhou Twin Towers. Its counterpart was designed by Wilkinson Eyre and was completed in 2010, rising to 440 m (1,443 ft). Its fifth-place ranking comes from the influential CTBUH and consists of completed buildings only.

The tower's stepped form reflects its mixed interior layout and allows for impressive sky terraces. A total floorspace of 508,000 sq m (5.4 million sq ft) is split between office space, residential space and a hotel. An eight-story podium is connected to the tower and includes a hotel ballroom and function space, in addition to retail, restaurants, a cinema, and more roof terraces.

KPF says that glazed terracotta was chosen both for its historical use, and because it's considered more environmentally-friendly than aluminum, glass, or steel. This is partly because it can be more easily produced at multiple local sites rather than shipped-in from afar.

Furthermore, the firm says that terracotta is more resistant to corrosion and provides a better thermal performance than an all-glass curtain wall would. It also can't hurt that it lends the building a subtly different appearance than a typical glass and steel tower.

The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre reaches a total height of 530 m (1,739 ft)
The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre reaches a total height of 530 m (1,739 ft)

There will be up to 30,000 people within the Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre in a single day. To help them get around, 95 Hitachi-designed elevators, which are among the world's fastest, move around at speeds of 72 km/h (44.7 mph).

The building also features multiple local public transportation links and energy-efficient chillers with heat recovery systems.

The Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre was developed by New World Development and involved Arup, Leigh & Orange Ltd, and Guangzhou Design Institute. It's part of China's remarkable building boom, which has seen the country produce a glut of high-profile buildings recently, including supertall skyscrapers, magnificent opera houses, several of the world's largest and longest projects, and its fair-share of wacky projects, too.

Source: KPF

View gallery - 11 images
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