Steven Holl’s CIFI Building in Beijing Plays on Light and Urban Porosity

Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects

Steven Holl Architects has been commissioned to design a new 26,000-square-meter mixed-use scheme for CIFI Group in Beijing. The design of the scheme revolved around five central points: light, structure, urban porosity, open offices, and ecology.

The office and retail-based project will be Holl’s second in the Chinese capital, after the firm’s 2.3 million square foot Linked Hybrid complex was opened in 2009 and named the CTBUH Best Tall Building in the same year.

Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects

Situated in Fengtai, Beijing, the CIFI building offers varying qualities of light to create unique geometries, and to shape dynamic spaces. North light curves provide “soft and evenly diffused light” while the south façade features sculpted cuts to bring light into office and retail spaces.

The north light curves were developed with Okalux, with four layers comprising a glass exterior laid over a truss, secondary tubes, and an interior translucent barrisol/newmat layer. The exterior structure, formed of aluminum-painted concrete, allows for flexible interior spaces while contrasting with the smooth, matte finish of the north light curves.

Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects

The retail area, shaped around reflecting pools and gardens, creates an “inspiring urban porosity and a pedestrian-friendly scale” while rainwater recycling in the pools and cutting edge ecological systems enhance the scheme’s environmental performance.

News of the commission comes after Steven Holl Architects were selected to design the University College Dublin future campus in Ireland.

News via: Steven Holl Architects