Baumschlager Eberle Architekten

Three Towers follow the sun – With 120,000 m² GFA, the high-rise buildings are the largest residential project by Baumschlager Eberle Architekten worldwide to date.
Brief: A complex of upmarket apartments, with European-style architecture and interior design, for an affluent Chinese clientele was to be built in Yancheng, a city of over one million inhabitants.
Realisation: The creation of a southern-facing aspect was key to the design, for only south-facing units would sell to the demanding Chinese clientele. The monotone, parallel rows of apartment blocks characteristic of China were rejected in favour of powerful, individual buildings. Above ground, the floor area of some 120,000m2 was distributed over three differently shaped tower blocks linked at ground level by a pedestal storey. The arrangement of the towers ensures that at least some of the rooms in each flat are south-facing.
Features: The result was an organic composition of three abstract sculptural forms that appear to meld together or split apart depending on the viewer’s perspective. Gardens on the staggered roofs offer panoramic views over the city. The project is defined by its horizontally layered façades with profiled concrete strips running in gentle curves around the buildings and underlining their object-like autonomy.