Steven Holl Architects win invited competition

New York based architect Steven Holl has revealed his winning design for the Vanke Center, a progressive new sustainable 60,000 sq meter mixed-use complex in Shenzhen, China. The building, a ‘floating horizontal skyscraper’, will contain a conference center, hotel, serviced apartments and offices. Vanke Center incorporates several new sustainable elements designed specifically for the development. The floating buildings create a flexible area of shaded landscape underneath the building, allowing sea and land breezes to pass through the site. Moveable façade screens made of special composites protect the inner glass against high solar and typhoons, whilst renewable energy such as solar power and geothermal cooling are among the key issues to be explored in this project. The Vanke Center is set to break ground in April 2007.