業(yè)主：新世界開發(fā)公司

規(guī)模/建筑高度：50.8萬平方米/530米

功能：酒店，綜合體，辦公，住宅，商業(yè)和超高層

合作設(shè)計(jì)單位：利安（合作建筑設(shè)計(jì)顧問），凱里森建筑事務(wù)所（室內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)顧問），Yabu Pushelberg（室內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)顧問）

攝影：Tim Griffith (p12, 14, 15), Julien Lanoo (p14)

Client: New World Development Company

Size / Height: 508,000 SM / 530 M

Program: Hospitality, Mixed-Use, Office, Residential, Retail, Supertall

Team: Leigh & Orange (Associate Architect),Callison (Interior Designer),Yabu Pushelberg (Interior Designer)

Photography: Tim Griffith (p12, 14, 15), Julien Lanoo (p14)

作為中國第二高建筑，廣州周大福金融中心是超高層建筑設(shè)計(jì)的典范，項(xiàng)目設(shè)計(jì)不僅關(guān)注超高層建筑本身，同時(shí)注重細(xì)節(jié)，滿足文化和環(huán)境需求。這座530米的綜合體塔樓位于廣州珠江三角洲，是廣州市最高的建筑，象征著區(qū)域經(jīng)濟(jì)的繁榮和城市發(fā)展。

在新建中央商務(wù)區(qū)開發(fā)期間，市政府批準(zhǔn)了包括電視塔、西塔和東塔（后來命名為周大福金融中心）在內(nèi)的總體規(guī)劃，其中，西塔和東塔原計(jì)劃采用鏡像設(shè)置。隨著西塔完成近80%，KPF決定提出不同的設(shè)計(jì)方案。西塔為均勻的深色玻璃圓柱體，周大福金融中心則將采用淺色調(diào)形成對(duì)比。為了實(shí)現(xiàn)這一方案，設(shè)計(jì)團(tuán)隊(duì)考慮采用陶瓦作為材料。

作為一種陶器材料，陶瓦代表了中國陶器的歷史和傳統(tǒng)。陶瓦廣泛應(yīng)用于各種建筑，從希臘羅馬古典建筑，到中國帝王宮殿的屋頂裝飾，再到現(xiàn)代美國摩天大樓。周大福金融中心大廈采用羅紋陶瓦板，兩側(cè)配以金屬線條和玻璃，覆蓋整個(gè)塔樓，形成華麗的外立面，與周圍相鄰建筑清爽的白線條相呼應(yīng)。塔樓呈水晶造型，高聳于空中，確保了與廣州城市景觀的視覺統(tǒng)一性，同時(shí)又打破了材料的邊界。然而，材料的選擇及其成功應(yīng)用并非一蹴而就。

陶瓦能耗低，具有自清潔，耐腐蝕，易于生產(chǎn)和運(yùn)輸?shù)忍攸c(diǎn)。事實(shí)上，與天然石材不同，陶瓦的強(qiáng)度是可以控制的，特別是應(yīng)用于530米高的塔樓項(xiàng)目。從項(xiàng)目一開始，KPF就與其德國供應(yīng)商不斷實(shí)驗(yàn)，生產(chǎn)視覺模板，測(cè)試特定的形狀和紋理，以便與鋁和玻璃同時(shí)設(shè)計(jì)和生產(chǎn)。與金屬材料不同，陶瓦應(yīng)用于平面時(shí)不能確保相同的精度。而且，陶瓦也更昂貴，這提出了一個(gè)不可避免的問題——在很可能不被普通人賞識(shí)的高度，進(jìn)行藝術(shù)性細(xì)節(jié)設(shè)計(jì)的價(jià)值是什么？

雖然周大福金融中心是中國第二高的建筑，但通過巧妙的規(guī)劃設(shè)計(jì)，周大福金融中心在其最高的一些接合處采用的陶瓷襯板外立面仍可與使用者親密接觸。垂直體量階梯變化滿足樓層各種功能需求，明確了辦公、住宅、酒店和塔冠的四個(gè)過渡點(diǎn)。這些退臺(tái)為用戶提供不同高度的觀景平臺(tái)，并在酒店內(nèi)形成空中花園。為了提供廣闊的視野，設(shè)計(jì)方案平衡了固體材料的使用，并滿足了業(yè)主最大化窗戶面積的需求。在合適的拐角采用陶瓦的最終決定，使得材料成為凸顯塔樓獨(dú)特性和昭示性的重要元素。

As China’s second tallest structure, the Chow Thai Fook (CTF) Finance Centre demonstrates the alignment of supertall design with attention to details that are culturally and environmentally sound. Located on the Pearl River Delta in Guangzhou, the 530 meter, mixed-use tower is the city’s tallest building and represents the region's recent prosperity and urban growth.

Growing its new central business district, the city approved a master plan that would include the TV Tower, West Tower, and East Tower (later named CTF)—the latter two originally intended to mirror one another in disposition. As the West Tower reached nearly 80% completion, KPF decided to propose an alternate relationship between its design for CTF and its precedent. Whereas the West Tower exhibited uniform, dark glass and a cylindrical shape, CTF Finance Tower would provide a notably lighter contrast. The question of materiality to best support this approach lead the design team to consider terracotta for its diverse advantages.

As an earthenware ceramic, terracotta evokes the history and tradition of Chinese pottery. Its use in architecture ranges from Greco-Roman classical architecture, to Chinese imperial roof decoration, to its resurgence in the modern American skyscraper. With CTF Finance Centre, ribbed, terracotta plates—flanked by metal lines and glazing that climb the height of the tower—create a shining finish that evokes the crisp, white lines of its nearby companions. Positioned as a crystalline form ascending to the sky, the tower maintains visual regularity with Guangzhou’s urban landscape while pushing material boundaries. Yet the process of choosing the material and its successful application was not without its own set of challenges.

With a relatively low embodied energy, terracotta is self-cleaning, corrosion resistant, and easily produced and shipped. In fact, unlike natural stone, it is possible to control terracotta’s strength, especially in its application to the height of a 530-meter-tall tower. From day one, KPF experimented with its German suppliers to produce visual mock-ups that tested specific shapes and textures for design and fabrication alongside aluminum and glass. Compared with its metal counterpart, terracotta lacks the same precision when applied on equal planes. It is also more costly, which raised an inevitable question—what is the value of composing artful details at heights likely underappreciated by the common viewer?

Although CTF is China’s second tallest structure, its tactful planning allows for close encounters with its ceramic-lined facade at some of its highest junctures. Its vertical massing steps accommodate floor plates for varied programs, establishing four main transition points from office, to residential, to hotel, to its record-high crown. These setbacks offer viewing points for users at multiple levels, even comprising a sky garden within the hotel. With the goal of maintaining these unobstructed views, the design also balances the use of a solid material with appeasing the client’s desire for maximum window area. The ultimate decision to apply the terracotta at desirable corners affirms the material’s importance to the tower’s identity within Guangzhou.