Shenzhen, China
KK100’s curved form and parabolic arch top are meant to evoke the image of a fountain, a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Designed by the Hong Kong office of the British firm TFP Farrells and completed in 2011, KK100 was the first 100-story tower in Shenzhen, a former fishing village on the Pearl River Delta just north of Hong Kong that has quickly grown to 13 million residents as a center for manufacturing and finance.
The mixed-use tower, which connects to mass transit and to a network of underground retail malls, combines an office building below and luxury hotel in the top 26 floors, organized around a dramatic open atrium. Elevators from the ground floor serve a sky lobby on the 94th floor that soars into a 6-story cathedral-like space that holds the hotel’s multi-level dining venues and offers spectacular views.