New Government Building · City of Weifang · China

10 · 2005

Information

Design competition 2005

The new government building succeeds in blending civic dignity and authority with openness and "joie de vivre". Construction of this building will give the city a landmark visible from far out in the countryside.

Two towers form the basic silhouette of the structure, which derives from the form of a kite, which the city of Weifang is famous for. Together they are a particular monumental structure, which opens up not only to the main street, but also to the garden in the back of the site. Both of the wings contain all necessary functions such as offices, municipal offices, exhibition areas, conference rooms, a casino and kitchen.

The form of the building suits perfectly for an open space office not only for reasons of the maximum users´ comfort but also for economic reasons. In addition to that it offers the flexibility to house any other form of modern office organisation. Maximum illumination, healthy conditioning and a spectacular view from all work-stations even add to the high quality.

The building with a height of about 122m is designed as a stiffened frame structure without joints. The reinforced concrete floors are positioned on steel beams. The overhanging roof upon the sky lounge is planned to be a steel construction.

The discharging steel posts transfer the weight through the reinforced concrete walls into the cores.

The new government building of Weifang is supposed to be a modern and future-oriented building. In order to reach this aim, it is essential to design a low-energy and environmentally friendly structure. The building is furnished with a two skin façade. The outer skin is made of glass and allows natural ventilation of the interior. It also offers protection against rain, wind and noise and provides room for sun protection devices. Another advantage of glazing from floor to ceiling is the optimised utilization of daylight. The concrete construction has an integrated system for cooling and heating, which uses the heat-storing capacity of the concrete in an environmentally friendly way.

The landscape architecture is an inseparable part of the building. Together they form a harmonic union. In the hall between the two towers there are hanging gardens. These green oases are to be seen as a modern interpretation of the classical Chinese adventure garden.