Guiyang WTC Landmark Tower

GUIYANG WTC LANDMARK TOWER

Guiyang World Trade Center is an important example of an alternative
to all-glass curtain wall towers. Designed by SOM architects and
engineers, the 380-meter supertall is a concrete tube-in-tube structure,
meaning both the standard core and the façade are made of concrete.

As design principal Scott Duncan explains, the choice of material was
requested by the client, a major Guiyang developer who understood
the culture of concrete culture in the region and also valued its
economy. Duncan’s team embraced the idea of an exoskeleton of
concrete expressed as a relatively thick façade with sculptural window
bays that use the depth of the structure as a sustainability strategy,
shading the interior against solar gain.

The Guiyang WTC tower is the centerpiece of a 21-building complex, all developed by the Zhongtian Urban Development Group according to an SOM master plan that combines offices, residential, and retail buildings into a complex that rises in height as it moves away from the riverfront, which is reserved for parks and public space.