The Leatop Plaza development represents a key project for the completion of the “Gateway” at the North End of the central city axis of the Zhujiang New Town. The prominent location calls for an Emblematic Tower. The result is a simple, bold, clear and elegant shape, with a crisp geometry crowned by a sharply sloped roof. The glass layers of the façade create a sculptural image, as if cut from a block of ice.
Architects: Murphy/Jahn
Location: Guangzhou, China
Completion: 2012
Height: 270M
Area: 161,000 sqm
Photographs: Courtesy of Murphy/Jahn
The buildings strong presence derives from the simplicity of its form, the clarity of its structural systems and the expressive values of the shingled façade; transparent, translucent, opaque, reflective and luminous.
The Leatop Plaza Tower is light, transparent and energy efficient. It maximizes views and strengthens the urban connections and relationships of this challenging context. With very subtle moves, the tower redefines the conventional way we look at tall buildings. The efficient, multi-story diagonal braces on all four faces of the tower provide a tube-like primary bracing structure, stiffening the tower and minimizing the central concrete core.
