Zaha Hadid Architects has revealed design for the new Daxia Tower drawing "gently curving silhouette" in Xi’an, China. 

Commissioned by Daxia Group, the project, called Daxia Tower, is set to be built at the centre of the city’s thriving development zone. Reaching at 210-metre-height, the Daxia Tower will consist of 127,220 square meters of offices, retail and ancillary facilities.

The tower will be built on a 16,700-square-metre plot at the southeast corner of the Jingye Road and Zhangbawu Road intersection in the Yanta district of the city.

Zaha Hadid Architects envisioned a tower with smooth corners, revealing the inner life to outside, which is shaped by cavities like a flowing water drop.

The tower is accentuated by layers of patterned glazing and dramatic atriums that bring natural light deep into its floorplates.

"One of China’s largest inland cities with its population approaching nine million people, Xi’an was the country’s ancient capital and historic eastern gateway of the Silk Road. In recent years, supported by national and local government initiatives as well as the city’s many acclaimed universities and research institutions, Xi’an has developed a flourishing technology ecosystem attracting leading domestic and international corporations," said Zaha Hadid Architects.  

"The city has become a major hub for new technologies that include semiconductor manufacturing, robotics, aerospace and bio-pharmaceuticals."

The Daxia Tower is located on Line 6 of Xi’an’s metro system, the Xi'an High-Tech Economic and Technological Development Zone in the city’s southwest includes manufacturing, research and development bases of more than one-hundred Fortune 500 companies and multinational corporations. 

The new Daxia Tower by Zaha Hadid Architects for Daxia Group on Jingye Road is at the core of Xi’an’s high-tech zone which has become a key driver of the city’s economic growth.

The firm created a cascade of planted interior terraces that evoke mountainside waterfalls. ZHA designed each atrium to provide panoramic views over the historic city to the north and east, or the growing high-tech zone to the south and west.

The design of the tower is based on data analytics and behaviour modelling, as the firm emphasized. On the other hand, interiors will include future-proofed, adaptable workplaces supported by real-time analytics to create healthy and enjoyable environments that will enhance employees’ individual and overall well-being.

"Within Xi’an’s temperate continental monsoon climate, Daxia Tower’s design targets  LEED Gold certification and the highest three-star rating of China’s Green Building Program," the office added.

The interior spaces are also optimized for natural daylighting and ventilation using high-performance low-emissivity, unitized glazing with a thermal coating and insulated for low U-values. 

Thanks to these features, the project is aimed at reducing energy demand and enhancing efficiencies. The tower’s responsive facade will have integrated sensors as well as photovoltaics to enable renewable energy generation to power various systems within the building.

"Incorporating natural ventilation, the large atriums will allow fresh air to circulate through the building," the firm added. 

"Planting on the many layers of terraces overlooking the atriums helps purify the air, reduce indoor pollutants, and foster a healthier indoor environment," said ZHA. 

The tower will consist of a rainwater harvesting system that will collect and store rainwater as a supplementary source for non-potable water. In addition, the recycling system will treat and reuse grey-water to further reduce the building’s water consumption.

By using a smart management system, the system will continuously monitor and optimize energy consumption and environmental performance. 

"Sensors and automation throughout the tower will recognize patterns in occupancy and adjust interior conditions accordingly, in addition to adapting to changing weather conditions to ensure maximum efficiencies and occupants’ comfort," the firm added.

"The tower’s procurement and construction will prioritize the use of recycled and locally-produced materials from the city of Xi’an and surrounding Shaanxi province."

Zaha Hadid Architects recently opened an exhibition exploring the firm's 15-year evolutionary work in China. ZHA's another project, called Taikang Financial Centre, broke ground in Wuhan.

All visuals © ATCHAIN.

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