The Greatwall Complex

The Greatwall Complex is strategically located at the core of Wuhan, designated by the government as the Central China Financial District. The site is situated along No. 9 Zhongbei Road, adjacent to the provincial capital area and Department of Finance of Hubei Province in China.

This project is a twin tower development. Tower 1 is one of the top 10 tallest towers in Wuhan at 242.9 metres high, with the uppermost floors serving as Greatwall Construction’s new headquarters. Tower 2 is trademarked by FedEx, which occupies the top floors. The twin towers are linked by four floors of podium containing retail, food and beverage (F&B) spaces. The development provides 1,200 underground parking spaces.

The potential of podium spaces and their relationship with the streetscape of Zhongbei Road were maximised. Through a series of open and inviting terrace spaces, the pedestrian realm of the street was extended up and across four levels of podium. The new public spaces offer diverse and vibrant amenities including F&B terraces, art sculptures, water curtain wall, a multimedia roof garden and a new amphitheatre.

VISION
The project aimed to create a dynamic working environment for the city of Wuhan, which would attract high-end tenants, facilitate the ongoing regeneration of the district and raise the profile of the recently designated financial core of Wuhan. The development also needed to consider the relationship with the context of the surrounding city, which had to provide a positive addition to the streetscape, engage with the existing urban realm and create new public space.

ARCHITECTURE
After careful consideration of the relationship between internal and external circulation within the podium, a façade with active terraces and circulation space was created, as opposed to the traditional blank solid face of retail malls.

The concept of the accessible and active façade begins with a sunken plaza space at B1, providing sheltered external café space and access to B1 retail space, including the supermarket and food court. Going up along the façade from level one is an amphitheatre facing south, which provides external seating space for the public and performance space during the weekends.

The transition between each level along the eastern façade is articulated by grand stair spaces, adorned by small terrace garden spaces and art installations. The destination of the public route along the façade is a lush rooftop garden located at level four, adjacent to the F&B spaces. The garden is an interactive environment that provides space for art exhibitions and performances. The internal spaces within the podium are also organised around a large central atrium, providing orientation upon arrival at level one.

SUSTAINABILITY
The Greatwall Complex is currently LEED Platinum Pre-Certified for Building Design and Construction: Core and Shell. The US Green Building Council will conduct a final LEED Certification Review in Q4 2016.

The design team created not only an elegant façade, but also led the specification process in applying a three-layer hollow laminated low-E glass for the curtain wall. A 95-percent improvement of solar and thermal performance was achieved, which in turn helps to significantly decrease utility costs.

Highly efficient floorplates were created for the office towers by giving careful considerations of tenant needs for functional efficiency and flexibility in the fit-out design. The result was a large columnfree floorplate for Tower 1 with a centrally located lift and services core, offering maximum usability of space.

The Greatwall Complex was designed as an exemplary development in Wuhan, which provides world-class working and retail spaces, a vibrant public realm, as well as a high-performance and sustainable building.