“Sustainability goes beyond a collection of technologies,” explains Zhao Liang, chief architect of China Vanke Co, the largest residential developer in south China today. Its new headquarters in Shenzhen, designed by Steven Holl Architects, exemplifies this idea. “Our building is a manifestation of who we want to be—a company that is open and is green,” says Zhao. These values start with the company’s chairman, Wang Shi, who has also built a reputation as an outdoorsman and mountain climber. The 120,445-square-meter building, which hovers above the lush landscape like a horizontal skyscraper, has been pre-certified as a LEED platinum building, the first such designation in China.
Li Hu, partner and director of Steven Holl Architects in Beijing, credits his client with giving the project its grand idea. “Wang Shi is committed to public welfare. He wanted to return something to the community. That’s the basis for this project.” With its new headquarters located on an idyllic property in Shenzhen with views to the nearby mountains, lake, and ocean, Vanke decided to open the site to its neighbors. The structure, as long as the Empire States Building is tall, sits on eight legs, creating a large public space below it and around it.
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