CITIC Tower (China Zun)

CITIC Headquarters

Located at the core of Beijing’s new 30-hectare central business district, CITIC Tower is the tallest building and a new icon of the capital.

CITIC Tower’s design draws inspiration from the “zun”, a ritual vessel originating in Bronze Age China. In profile, the tower abstracts and refines the zun’s vase-like form, balancing composition and articulation with structural requirements and leasing depth needs. In plan, the building is square with rounded corners; its width transforms vertically from its 78-meter-wide base to its 54-meter-wide “waist” to its 69-meter-wide top. Broader at its base than its crown, the tower combines its iconography with infrastructure that supports the building’s integrity in China’s greatest seismic zone.

These sweeping proportions meet the ground with particular finesse. The lobby’s distinct upward curve mirrors the tower’s fluted, outward drape in the opposite direction, providing a dramatic backdrop to the pedestrian experience. The interior canopy features bespoke aluminum ribbing that follows its curvature and echoes the tower’s elegant façade expression.

CITIC Tower anchors the northern end of the city’s CBD, forming an iconic backdrop to the park and a prominent new destination for visitors. The tower also connects to a vast underground transportation network, linking together a pedestrian passageway system, a B2-level roadway, and four subway lines across three stations.

Location

Beijing, China

Client

CITIC Heye Investment

Team

Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (LDI), TFP Farrells (Land Bid Concept)

Type

Headquarters, Supertall

Size

437,000 m2 / 4,703,800 ft2

Height

528 m / 1,765 ft

Awards

Silver Award – Commercial Building (Pro + Real Estate Awards 2020), Architectural Design Award – Tall Building (Architecture Masterprize 2020), Overall Category Winner and Audience Vote Winner – Best Tall Building 400m+ (CTBUH Awards 2020), Excellence Award – Commercial, Retail and Office (A&D China Awards 2019), Finalist (MIPIM Awards 2019), Finalist (Architizer A+ Awards 2019), Winner (Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Awards 2019), Award of Excellence – Best Tall Building 400m+ (CTBUH Awards 2019), 9th place (Emporis Skyscraper Award 2018), Excellence Award (CRED Award 2018), Gold Award – Best Futura Mega Project (MIPIM Asia Awards 2018)

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Project Type:Supertall
Project Location:Asia Pacific