The headquarters building of Marubi is located in the artificial intelligence and digital economy belt of Pazhou West District, Guangzhou. It is one of the most cutting-edge areas in the Greater Bay Area and the core engine of Guangzhou's innovative economic development. The region gathers technology companies related to artificial intelligence, which is completely different from typical land strategies. The urban design here is more compact and opens up more space for the public.
01 Design in Gaps
The characteristics of this area are small blocks while high plot ratio, with extremely high development density. The total land area is only 5,770 sqm, with a height limit of 138m. Under such strict land conditions, it is required to build a comprehensive functional corporate headquarters that includes office, art & exhibition, entertainment & recreation, private club and other functions. Such height and volume are inevitably marginalised among the Pazhou skyline. However, the positioning of the project requires high recognisability, so the plan proposes dynamic symbols for its brand image, creating a controversial solution from an architectural perspective - using compactness and complexity to shape its iconic contour.
02 Over-limit torsion system
The structure is mainly composed of four stacked and staggered blocks, forming a dynamic surface. The twisting form corresponds to the optimal viewing interface on the northwest side; meanwhile, by compressing the core area towards the east and releasing more public spaces in the west, a unique architectural form is achieved. Such a large-scale structural twist means that the regular path of vertical force transmission in super high-rise no longer effective and a new mechanical equilibrium needs to be done through the structural truss conversion. This transformation of structural system has moved the corner columns, thus achieving spacious corner spaces; simultaneously, the ceiling height in the high zone can reach 4.2m by adopting these techniques, ensuring flexibility and comfort in a daily basis.
03 Creating a gravitational field
In addition to considering the architectural form, more attention is paid to the street level, such as increasing interactions between the building and the public. Despite being limited by land area, the unique cantilever structure for the podium has been created, providing the possibility for spatial expansion with its dramatic expression. The west side is the dominant interface of the entire project, as well as an essential space tied to the metropolitan. By suspending the podium, the project releases the ground floor. Nearly 40% of the area on the ground floor is elevated, with a ceiling height of 12m providing natural ventilation and creating a pleasant microclimate environment within the subtropical climate. Just like a huge funnel, it attracts the public to approach and becomes a gathering point for staff and citizens.
04 Technical response of an independent structure
The podium roof top has been transformed into a city observation deck, open to pedestrians 24hours a day, while the commercial function of the structure is connected by a revolving staircase that runs through 5 floors. This column-free steel structure spiral staircase has a diameter of 13.6m, with an unsupported section of 12m, certified by Guinness World Records as the World's Highest Unsupported Spiral Staircase Section Height. This individual structure leads directly from the basement to the fourth floor, and through the comprehensive utilisation of underground space, the building links metro station commerce to the connected passage.
05 Fragment Space
The staggering of three vertical volumes expands the functional use of their fifth facades and opens up views to different orientations of the cityscape. These spaces are designed as ‘Cloud Terrace’ for staff to take short breaks or engage in informal communication during their daily work. This type of space not only promotes interaction between people, but also provides users with a place to retreat.
06 Conclusions
This is a project that is limited in terms of land use, height, volume, cost, and other aspects, to which the team chose to utilise its disadvantages to reshape the value of the land. It has always been supported by technologies behind the expressive appearance, with compressing a series of functionality in a small space and making it an autonomous urban machine. The twisting shape has pushed structural design into a more complex range, which provides a referable technical path for the complex structure of irregular super high-rise buildings in high-density urban scenarios.
