Leeza SOHO / ZHA / China

Leeza SOHO - World's Tallest Atrium Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects

• Architecture Firm:   Zaha Hadid Architects
• Design Architect:   Zaha Hadid and Patrik Schumacher
• Project Director:   Satoshi Ohashi
• Structural Engineers:   Bollinger + Grohmann (Competition), CABR (China Academy of Building Research), BIAD (Beijing Institute of Architectural Design)
• Facade:   KWP, Krighton facade, Yuanda
• MEP:   Parsons Brinkerhoff, BIAD
• Lighting:   Light Design, Leuchte
• Landscape:   ZHA, Ecoland
• Interiors:   ZHA, Huateng
• Executive Architect:   BIAD (Beijing Institute of Architectural Design)
• General Contractor:   China State Construction Engineering Corporation #3
• Facade Contractor:   Lingyun, Yuanda
• Site Area:   30,688 m2
• Gross Floor Area:   172,800 m2 (1,860,000 Sq feet)
• Height: 200 meters (50 levels - 46 above ground, 4 below ground)
• Above Ground:   124,000 m2
• Estimated Year of Construction: 2015 - 2019
• Construction Cost:   $288 million USD
• Alternative Name:   SOHO Li Ze Tower
• Type:   Office
• Roof:   207 meters (679 feet)
• Floor Count:   46 (+4 underground)
• Status:   Under Construction

Zaha Hadid Architect's has proposed a office tower in Beijing that is said to have the "world's tallest atrium". As the Architect's Journal reports, the Leeza SOHO project features a 200 meter-high atrium that extends the building's full height, visually splitting the cylindrical structure in two. If built, it will he anchored by an underground promenade that connects to a subway station below and public park to the west.

Zaha Hadid Architects-designed Leeza SOHO, a mixed-use office tower in Beijing's Leeza Financial Business District. Featuring the world's tallest atrium, the twisting, contorted structure weaves two separate sections of the tower in a visual infusion.

The 190 meter tall atrium rising through the full height of the building, designed to "rise as a single volume, divided into two halves." The 172,800 square meter scheme sits atop a new transit hub straddling a subway tunnel currently under construction.

The form of the design is guided by the surrounding city: at the base of the tower, the two sections are split to align with the new subway tunnel. As the tower rises, the atrium twists 45 degrees to align with Lize road, a major road in Southwest Beijing. This spectacular atrium is envisaged as a new indoor public space for the city, acting as a continuation of the plaza that will surround the building.

The building is currently under construction, with 20 of it's planned 46 floors completed. When finished in 2018, the building will stand 207 meters tall - the tallest of ZHA four collaborations with SOHO China which include Galaxy SOHO and Wangjing SOHO.

The tower is set to top-out at 207 meters in September of this year, with completion slated for late 2018.