Hybrid Tower formulates a distinctive approach in the high-rise typology by integrating a public car park with premium office space. Located in the south of Coastal City in Nanshan, surrounded by education, entertainment, retail and residential neighbourhoods, its location demands a cohesive approach.
The building sits along an east-west visual axis with Shenzhen Bay on the east end, followed by towers of increasing heights thus forming an ascending scale of the street skyline. The 80m height of Hybrid Tower responds to this urban visual trajectory. Being the only tall building in its immediate surroundings, the building is exposed on all sides. Situated at a corner, Hybrid Tower defines a clear street edge in the north, thereby serving as a reference for future development of the urban block.
On the longer west side, the car park block is organized to accommodate maximum vehicle capacity and screen the light of the setting sun. The east face of the site accommodates an entrance plaza on the ground floor and offices on the upper floors. The 20-storey building capitalizes on its site-specific advantages with eastern facade consistently curved along its full length, opening up spectacular views of the Shenzhen Bay waterfront. The natural eastern block lends a softer edge to the building.
The car parking façade is proposed with a perforated metal panel inside, forming a monolithic backdrop. The office tower is transparent, opening up impressive 180-degree views. The Hybrid Tower form is an interaction of the solid parking block and the transparent office building which ensures clear readability of different programmatic volumes that are unified into a single building. Where the monolithic and the transparent volumes intersect, south and north corners of the eastern facade transform into circular elements, highlighting the distinct corner conditions. Broad on the lower levels and tapering upwards conically, the curved edges maximize viewing surface and orientation as well as augment visual height of the tower. The ground landscape mound responds to the pivotal corner conditions of the façade to articulate a consistent formal expression.
The sophisticated design of the parking block includes 6 turbo lifts with the shortest loading time (max. 90 sec) and provides a parking capacity of 500 cars. The optimization of the parking space leaves maximum area available for offices. The Ipachrome frit print for the office façade is opaque at ceiling level and reduces in density above eye level, creates glare-free work ambience. The ground level pedestrian entrance is transparent and permeable, integrated into the urban plaza while opening up views towards the northern promenade.
The concept intensifies space usage and maximizes office area manifold, compared to a traditional model. This 'hybridization' of two very different typologies into a compact design is what makes Hybrid Tower a benchmark in planning efficiency and space optimization.
