Large order in Tianjin headlines tall-building news across the country.

KONE Lands 74-Unit Deal for Project in Tianjin

KONE has won a contract to supply 74 total units to Tianjin Pingan Teda IFC, a luxury mixed-use development planned in Tianjin, the company announced in November 2019. The development will have two towers, rising 313 m and 240 m in height, and will bring ofce space, apartments and high-end shopping to the city. KONE will deliver 54 elevators for the project — 12 MonoSpace^®, 37 MiniSpace™, four MiniSpace DoubleDeck and one MiniSpace Transformer — as well as 20 TravelMaster™ 110 escalators to the development. The complex will also be equipped with the E-Link™ monitoring system, and the contract includes two years of standard maintenance.

The developer, Tianjin Meiyin Real Estate Co., Ltd., is focusing on sustainability by incorporating energy-saving solutions. The complex will ofer Tianjin’s frst boutique shopping center, which will encompass themes of art, culture and ecology. The 68-story residential building will have leisure spaces among its amenities. Tianjin Pingan Teda IFC is scheduled for completion in 2022.

Design for New District in Nanjing Includes Supertall

Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture (AS+GG) revealed the design for a new mixed-use district in Nanjing that includes a 500-m-tall supertall mixed-use tower, Architect reported in November 2019. Scheduled for completion in 2025, South HeXi Yuzui Financial District and Tower (ELEVATOR WORLD, June 2018) also includes 100-, 155-, 220- and 350-m-tall ofce towers, and an 86-m-tall residential tower. The supertall design draws inspiration from the nearby Yangtze River with an exterior that refects light, mitigates wind and optimizes views. Including an observation area providing 360˚ open-air views, it is being built to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certifcation, with features such as multiple green spaces and rainwater harvesting.

Changsha Hua Center Phase II Complete

Huayuan Group’s “urban life center” project in the center of the old city of Changsha is complete and ready for occupants, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat reported in November 2019. The Hua Center Phase II, at Jiefang West Road, Taiping Street and Pozi Street, includes ground-foor retail space, ofces, sky lobbies and other amenities. The design was inspired by the mountains in Zhangjia Jie and features two towers that are staggered and twisted with uneven setbacks. A link bridge connects the 99- and 133-m-tall towers.

LotR-Inspired Towers Rise in Chongqing

A trio of towers inspired by The Lord of the Rings (LotR) franchise is rising in Chongqing, DailyMail reported in November 2019. The project, which features a circular glass corridor resembling the “Eye of Sauron,” consists of three 107-m-tall (350-ft-tall) towers. The ring-shaped corridor is suspended 99.8 m (327 ft) above ground, supported by the three towers. This project, which will house ofce space upon completion, is part of Chongqing’s Xiantao Big Data Valley, a technology park covering 494 acres.

CTBUH Revamps Website, Restructures Board

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has launched a new design for its website (CTBUH.org, pictured below), now customized for mobile devices and simplifed to better ofer tall-building news, research papers related to building tall, videos and reports.

In November 2019, the council restructured its board of trustees, expanding it from nine to 13 members and establishing “seats” for each distinct industry sector. It said the new structure is aimed at ensuring the organization’s highest-level decision-making body is refective of its diverse membership. The four new board seats, in the process of being flled, represent architecture/interiors, government, occupier/tenant and urban design/planning/ infrastructure.