Leatop Plaza/ Guangzhou, China / 2012

The Leatop Plaza development answered a call for the completion of a new gateway at the north end of Zhujiang New Town, a central business district in the Tianhe District of Guangzhou, China. The result is a simple, bold, clear, and elegant shape that becomes an emblematic tower, 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. The sloped lobby and roof follow the building’s continuous structural bracing, giving the tower a precise and distinctive image. The simple square plan is surrounded by landscaped space that integrates with the urban fabric. The dramatic glazed lobby is mimicked by a glazed sky garden at the upper extent of the building, offering an exclusive feature for its occupants. Meanwhile, the shingled façade accentuates the verticality of the tower and provides exterior shading, while the functional plan and efficient braced-tube structure minimize material usage.

Combined with other environmental management strategies, Leatop Plaza achieved the first LEED certification in southeast China. Its memorable, minimal form soon became a landmark, ushering in subsequent development in the surrounding area.