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Located at the southern end of Guangzhou’s new axis, the China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) South Headquarters is transforming the city’s skyline as a new architectural landmark. Dubbed the ‘Window of Guangzhou’, the riverside development is zoned into three towers that read ‘001’ from west to east.
A Fortune Global 500 company, CCCC entrusted Arup with structural, geotechnical and MEP engineering services from scheme design to preliminary design stage for Zone B, as well as structural and MEP consultancy for Zone C.
Project Summary
3,000 tonnes connecting structure
200mlifted a mega structure above ground
51mlongest multi-storey span connecting two buildings in China
A unique icon on the Pearl River
With a total GFA of 344,000m², the Window of Guangzhou was designed to vividly demonstrate the importance of Guangzhou as an international gateway to China. The completed Zone A consists of a 200m tall office tower serving as the client’s southern corporate headquarters; Zone B and Zone C feature two zero-shaped buildings, standing 187m and 150m respectively, which will function as offices and a five-star hotel.
This project is the latest addition to our list of landmark buildings in Guangzhou, which includes the Canton Tower, the Guangzhou International Finance Centre (the West Tower) and the Guangzhou Chao Tai Fook Centre (the East Tower).
Lifting a colossus to 200m high
At Zone B, the two blocks forming the middle ‘0’ are connected at the top by a 7-storey structure. Weighing 3,000 tonnes and spanning 51m, it is the longest multi-storey span connecting two buildings at such a high altitude.
As the structural consultant, we proposed a feasible construction method in the preliminary design report, which has been adopted by the contractor in the construction scheme. Eventually, it took 24 hours to lift the mega structure to 200m high and another three hours to adjust to the perfect closure position, setting a precedent for heavy lifting in the country.
In view of unstable summer weather conditions in southern China, we provided a range of technical support to ensure a smooth operation of the connecting structure lift and closure, including advice on lifting plan, emergency response and adjustment, wind tunnel simulation for lifting, on-site weather monitoring, construction monitoring and schedule plan.
