Foster + Partners Break Ground on Naturally Cooled CITIC Skyscraper In China

<a href="http://www.fosterandpartners.com/News/438/Default.aspx"></a><a href="http://www.fosterandpartners.com/News/438/Default.aspx">Foster + Partners</a> just announced that they have broken ground on the energy-efficient CITIC Bank Headquarters in Hangzhou Qian Jiang New City, China. The angular faceted tower could be the offspring of the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/photos-inside-the-hearst-tower-new-york-citys-first-leed-gold-skyscraper/">Hearst Tower</a>, although it is even more pronounced in its use of angular geometry. Framed by a crisscross exoskeleton of bronzed structural elements, the narrow base expands as the tower rises up. An atrium will scale the tower’s full interior, delivering light deep into the floor plate and providing a column for <a href="http://inhabitat.com/index.php?s=natural+cooling">natural cooling</a> when ambient outdoor temperatures permit.

The tower will sit near the Qian Jiang River in the new city center, measuring in at 99 meters so as not to overwhelm its neighbors.

While modest in size, the 22 storey tower is not so in terms of design. The top mezzanine will host a sky garden and VIP accommodations, the construction also calls for local <a href="http://inhabitat.com/materials/">materials</a>, and the building will reuse its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greywater#Recycling">grey water</a>.

The design is derived from the traditional <a href="http://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2011/04/Dau-Vessel.jpg">Chinese ‘dua’ vessel</a>, which features a slender base and enlarged body that symbolizes wealth, dignity and stability.