Construction of the new headquarters of DJI, a manufacturer of civilian drones and film cameras, has just been completed in the Nanshan district of the city of Shenzhen, in the province of Canton, China. Sky City, designed by the architectural firm Foster+Partners, consists of twin office towers connected by a 90-metre-long suspension bridge at a height of 105 metres. Beyond the appearance of its exterior design and the way in which it has been built, with modules that seem to defy gravity, the structure that supports them and the consequences it has for the space inside are interesting.
In effect, the two towers are organised in “floating” volumes that protrude from the central cores and overlap at different heights in each of them. These volumes or modules literally hang from the central cores, thanks to a support structure made up of “megatrusses” and suspension rods of profiled steel. As the architects point out, this is the “first use of an asymmetrical suspension steel structure in a high-rise tower of this scale”.
As a result of this conception of the structure, the need for columns in the interior has been considerably reduced, so that the spaces within it are large and open. In this case, moreover, the structure makes it possible to connect the volumes vertically and establish, for example, a four-storey drone test laboratory, which is very useful for the manufacturer, DJI. This type of structure also maximises the entry of natural light, which reduces energy consumption for air conditioning. Finally, a TWIN lift system also frees up space indoors and is more energy efficient than conventional systems.
The towers, intended for offices and laboratories, have landscaped areas at the top for the enjoyment of the company’s employees. The ground floor, on the other hand, has been designed for public use, with spaces open to all citizens and a community health centre. The available space above the ground floor is intended for a “podium garden“, also available to everyone. According to the architectural firm, the ground floor concept is “a gesture of DJI’s respect towards their urban surroundings and its contribution to the local community“.
Rainwater is collected and stored for reuse, grey water is treated and used for irrigation, and the landscaped areas are also useful for absorbing and buffering the effect of monsoons in the rainy season.
You can check out all this in this video:
Source and images: Foster+Partners.
