Built Expressions Bangalore :: Beijing Yintai Centre, Beijing

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Beijing Yintai Centre, Beijing

Exquisite Commercial Spaces of Beijing

Beijing is the home for many skyscrapers embedded with global offices in them. One among them is the Beijing Yintai Center designed by John Portman, Founder and Chairman of Portman & Associates (U.S based architecture firm). Beijing Yintai Centre is located at No.2 Jianguomenwai Street. As the tallest skyscraper along Chang'an Avenue, it sits on the southwestern corner of the "Golden Cross" intersection of the China World Trade Centre Bridge in Beijing's Central Business District (CBD) and adjoins Chang'an Avenue in the north and the Third Ring Road in the east.

Beijing Yintai Centre covers about 3,60,000 square meters in overall floorage. Its central tower in the middle reaches 66 stories and 249.9 meters in height, comprising of Park Hyatt Beijing, Park Hyatt Penthouses and Park Hyatt Residences. The central tower is flanked on each side by two symmetrical 52-storey, 186-metre tall superior office towers. Standing like a tripod, the three square towers resemble the Chinese character "品" (pin), which translates to 'quality'. Connecting the three towers is a podium which comprises of various world class facilities, including numerous high-end luxury boutiques, conference and banquet facilities, Chinese and Western restaurants, a modern fitness centre and a spa. The Sky Lobby of Park Hyatt Beijing on the top of the central tower is a perfect combination of an exterior stone curtain wall frame and interior glass pyramid structure, offering a splendid view of the "Chinese lantern" lighting up the CBD. Beijing Yintai Centre has become an exceptional commercial, recreational, entertainment and fashion destination in Beijing.

Design Perception

The capital city of China is developing rapidly in the real estate sector; thereby fresh construction has brought about a considerable variety of architectural design character in Beijing's skyline. "These various building shapes and forms with their elaborate roof shapes and assortment of building materials and colours competed against one another for attention. These existing factors led us to decide that the best way to distinguish Beijing Yintai Centre and help it stand out was through the symmetry of planning, good environmental layout, elegance of design, and simplicity of form," says, Ar. John Portman, Founder and Chairman of Portman & Associates.

After a thorough study, Ar. Portman came up with two ideas to form the concept, through which the design was developed. He decided to use the Chinese lantern as the project’s focal point at the location of the hotel lobby and public functions on the top of the main tower from where the city can be viewed by the guests.

Mixed Use development

Three different towers were raised on the same platform for various purposes, when asked about the measures taken to design each tower Ar. Portman stated "For us, architecture always arrives back through conceptualizing a design for the people who will use the space. The initial program called for four office towers, but they would not fit on the site. Our solution created two towers with each tower conceived as two stacked office towers that could operate independently and be sold separately. The residential tower was developed with the hotel at the top, luxury apartments under it, followed then by service apartments all of which share the hotel amenities and the podium of the overall project" states Ar. Portman

The hotel is located on the top of the tallest tower. The main hotel lobby is located at the top of the building, unlike most hotels which feature the lobby at the ground level entrance. By placing the lobby registration, lounge and restaurant in the iconic lantern at the top of the building, all the guests enjoy spectacular views of the city.

Facade

The curtain wall cladding consists of custom unitized curtain wall systems of glass and stone. "At typical tower floors, the curtain wall incorporates custom profile aluminum extrusions, structural glazing, and stone panels at spandrel and column areas. At mechanical floors, the curtain wall system incorporates extruded aluminum grilles and/or louvers in sub-frame construction. Podium exterior walls consist on conventionally set stone panels and windows with custom profile aluminum extrusion frames. The stone color is light warm beige to distinguish the building from the cold black and gray colors of the neighboring World Trade Center. The light warm beige color not only provides a pleasant shard of warmth during cold, gray Beijing winters, but the color is also indigenous to many of the great historic buildings in Beijing’ explains Ar. Portman.

Technological Systems

The towers utilize a highly efficient tube-in-tube structural approach addressing the stringent high seismic design requirements in Beijing. The exterior tube is formed by closely spaced perimeter steel columns that are connected by deep spandrel beams at each floor level. The interior tube, which houses the tower elevator cores, stair wells and mechanical fan rooms, is also formed by closely spaced steel columns. The interior tube is further stiffened by incorporating the diagonal steel bracings below level 5 through Basement B4. Dampers are provided at the bracings to increase the comfort level for lateral motions due to wind and seismic activity.

Elevator Systems

The twin, 42-story office towers each are provided with 2 groups of 6 each, double deck passenger elevators. The 6 low-rise elevators serve levels LL & Lobby, 3-23 and office Transfer / Meeting Rooms on level 24. The lifts are equipped with sufficient over travels; so that either deck can stop at transfer level 24. The 6 high-rise group elevators serve levels LL & Lobby, 24 (Transfer / Meeting Rooms), and 25-42. Each tower is also equipped with two each, full stop dedicated firefighters / goods lifts, 2 parking shuttle elevators and two pairs of escalators to serve between the lower lobby retail and lobby mezzanine floors. The podium which ties all the towers together are serviced with a variety of passenger and service elevators and well as escalators. Below grade parking is equipped with parking shuttles to bring patrons to the podium functions and tower lobbies.

The residential tower is constructed in three stacked portions, comprising of Park Hyatt hotel, luxury apartments and service apartments. Each portion of the project is served by its own dedicated passenger elevator groups with shared service elevators being dispatched up from the B2 Back-of-House Marshalling areas. The Park Hyatt hotel guests are expressed to and from the level 60 sky lobby via a 3-car express shuttle passenger group. The Park Hyatt room floors are served by a separate local group of three local passengers lifts serving down from the sky lobby. The top floor restaurant, lounge and meeting room floors are provided with local and scenic passenger elevators connecting between these levels and the 60^th floor hotel sky lobby.

Natural Hindrances

During the process of construction natural hindrances also falls into the picture. Ar. Portman has designed the structure according to the Code for Design of Tall Buildings and Code for Structural Design of Tall Buildings (JGJ3-91), plus all other appropriate standards and codes, as well as design criteria provided by the Beijing City Planning Bureau and the owner. In addition, to complying with the building codes wind tunnel testing was also done on the design to further refine the design and optimize the structure and façade designs based on the site specific conditions. The local building and energy codes had very specific design criteria to address the local climate conditions. The insulated glass units used in the curtain wall design inherently provided better performance in mitigating the noises of an urban city location”.

Significance

The project’s prominent location adds to the tower's significance. Positioned in the heart of Beijing’s Central Business District, the site is located at the southwest corner of the Beijing Jian Guo Men Wai World Trade Bridge. The site is bounded on the north by Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue, on the east by East Number Three Ring Road, on the west by Henghui Road, and on the south by Jinheng Street that separates the Beijing Yintai Center site from the Soho project, an upscale residential project. North of the project site, across the Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue, is the successful China World Trade Center, a mixed-use project built in the early 1980’s. Overall, not only is the project centrally located within the Beijing Central Business District, but the program also has all the essential components to be unique and successful. Dramatic night lighting makes the project, particularly the center tower, and a landmark in the city skyline.

As a perfect blend of the historic and traditional with the modern and forward thinking, Beijing Yintai tower captures the spirit of Beijing today. By locating the hotel lobby and public spaces at the top of the building, the towers design as created a new approach to the traditional hotel stacking configuration.

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