Architecture

BIG's remarkable Oppo HQ loops around a tree-filled courtyard

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The O-Tower is slated for Hangzhou, on a prominent site between a natural lake, an urban center, and a park
BIG
Assuming it goes ahead, the O-Tower will serve as a new R&D headquarters for Chinese smartphone maker Oppo
BIG
The O-Tower is slated for Hangzhou, on a prominent site between a natural lake, an urban center, and a park
BIG
The O-Tower will feature a retail area at its rear and its lower floors will be open to the public
BIG
The O-Tower will host a publicly accessible greenery filled courtyard at its center
BIG
The O-Tower's glazed facade will feature shading louvers to reduce solar heat gain
BIG
The O-Tower's interior will feature significant greenery
BIG
The O-Tower will host a public greenery filled courtyard at its center
BIG
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Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has produced one of its most eye-catching designs we've seen in a while with its newly unveiled O-Tower. The building is envisioned as a R&D headquarters for Chinese smartphone maker Oppo and will feature an unusual form, likened to an infinity loop by the firm, that maximizes daylight inside and creates a greenery filled courtyard at its center.

Assuming it goes ahead – which, to be clear, has not yet been confirmed at this early stage – the O-Tower will be located in Hangzhou on a prominent site between a natural lake, an urban center, and a park. We've no word on its expected height.

The O-Tower will host a publicly accessible greenery filled courtyard at its center
BIG

Its overall design brings to mind the firm's Courtscraper, which is triangular but also arranged around a central courtyard. As well as creating the courtyard and symbolically referencing the O in Oppo, the idea behind the design is that it will maximize natural light inside and offer maximum flexibility of interior floorplates.

"The needs of contemporary tech companies frequently put them in a position to choose between ideal deep and flexible floor plates to support creative and dynamic workspaces, and shallow floor plates that provide optimal work environments including access to daylight and views that benefit employee well-being and productivity," explains BIG. "The new Oppo R&D Headquarters, or O-Tower, resolves these competing requirements by translating a traditional office slab with the perfect depth for access to daylight into a cylindrical courtyard building that is compact yet also providing large, contiguous floor area.

"Pushing down the southern edge of the building to the ground minimizes the external surface area of the more solar exposed façade while maximizing views out from the inward facade, which is in turn self-shaded from solar gain by the geometry of the tower. The massing is a manifestation of a building form optimized to reduce energy use and maximize access to natural light."

The O-Tower will host a public greenery filled courtyard at its center
BIG

The O-Tower's lower floors will be publicly accessible and contain space for exhibitions, conference centers, a canteen, and workshops, while the upper floors will be mostly dedicated to office space. Significant greenery will also be planted throughout.

There's a degree of energy efficiency planned for the building too: its glazed facade will be wrapped with louvers that will be oriented toward the Sun. According to BIG, this will reduce solar heat gain by 52 percent.

The project follows the announcement of another Oppo HQ last year that's slated for Shenzhen and designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. That project is expected to be completed in 2025.

Source: BIG

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5 comments
Bob Flint
Have they studied and simulated the solar impact of this giant reflector, hate to be in the apex of this in mid summer. Could they focus & use the heat in a safe & productive way?
Username
Inspired by the Edsel grill.
CraigAllenCorson
Bob Flint - I don't see any part of the structure that would concentrate sunlight in any direction but upward. Might be a problem for aircraft in the midday hours, but other than that, I see no problem.
Daishi
Blackberry/Rim, Nokia, and LG smartphone businesses are toast. Motorola is owned by Lenova now, and China's 3rd or 4th largest smartphone player that only came into existence about 15 years ago is building a new R&D skyscraper. Huawei and Xiaomi had caught up to Apple and Samsung in global market share until the US government blacklisted them. Anyone who thinks China is just where manufacturing happens is about a generation behind on what's happening.
Aladdin Connolly
Yay. The eye of Sauron.