Goldin Finance 117 / P & T Group / China

Goldin Finance 117

• Architects:  P & T Group, East China Architectural Design & Research Institute 
• Location:  Tianjin, China
• Client/Developer:  Goldin Properties Holdings Limited
• Structural Engineer:  ARUP
• Structural Material:  Composite (Core: Reinforced Concrete; Columns: Concrete filled Steel; Floor Spanning: Steel)
• Building Height:  600 m / 117 storey
• Project Dates:  2008-2020
• Building Type:  Hotel/Office
• MEP Engineer:  Parsons Brinkerhoff Consultants Private Limited
• Main Contractor:  China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd.
• Quantity Surveyor:  Langdon & Seah  
• Facade Consultant:  ARUP, Permasteelisa Group
• Geotechnical Consultant:  ARUP
• Landscape Consultant:  Design Land Collaborative
• Lighting Consultant:  Chroma33 Architectural Lighting Design  
• Wind Consultant:  BMT Fluid Mechanics Ltd.
• Elevator Consultant:  Otis Elevator Company; Sematic S.r.l; Hilti AG 
• Steel Consultant:  China Construction Steel Structure Corporation

Goldin Finance 117 is an iconic, 597 m high building being built in Tianjin, China, as part of the Goldin Metropolitan project being developed by Goldin Properties Holdings. The tower is poised to become the tallest building in the Northern China and the world's third tallest building, upon its completion. Construction of the skyscraper has been topped off and is expected to be completed in 2020. The construction began in 2008 and was expected to be completed by 2017 but halted in 2010 only to be resumed a year later. 

Designed to be the center-piece of the Goldin Metropolitan Project, the tower will be part of an overall development comprising villas, residential buildings, offices, hotels, retail, convention centre, entertainment centre, polo club and green space.

The tower has been designed by P&T Group and aims for LEED platinum certification. It is also credited with having the largest construction area in the world.

Design - 

The tower is designed to enhance Tianjin's skyline with its unique diamond-shape crown at the top, which will serve as an atrium with its glazed space. It is designed to hold an indoor pool and fine dining options that will also provide guests with magnificent view.

The tower resembles a 'walking stick' due to its lean and tapering form and diamond-shaped crown. Exhibiting a square plan, the structure gets leaner with height and delivers a tapered shape on elevation.

Sky gardens are also included in the design of the top floors to highlight greenery and allow fresh air to add to the experience of the guests. Clad with a reflective, unitized glass curtain wall, the aesthetic structure will rise majestically in the central business district.

Structure - 

The extremely slender building has a height-to-width ratio of 9.5, which is more than the limit set by Chinese seismic code. As such, the structural requirements of the tower are altered to adopt to a highly seismic zone.

To fulfill the requirements for earthquake and wind safety, the tower has a perimeter frame consisting of mega composite columns, mega braces and transfer trusses. Its core is formed of reinforced concrete and comprises composite steel plate wall.

Mega columns rise from the four corners of the building to reach the top of the crown. They connect beams, transfer trusses and mega braces, all of which are concealed by the building's curtain wall. 

The core passes through the entire height of the tower and arises from the top of the pile cap to the roof. Rectangular in plan and centered, the core consists of steel-reinforced concrete shear walls with embedded steel sections. To prevent shear failure of the concrete walls in case of a severe earthquake, steel plates are added alongside the steel sections to form composite steel plate walls.

Facilities -

The 117 storey tower will feature Grade-A office spaces from the 7th floor to the 92nd floor with a gross floor area of 280,000 m2. The offices will be leased to large domestic and multinational holdings.

A five-star hotel will be located on the top floors offering panoramic views of the city and beyond. It will have a gross floor area of approximately 80,669 m2 and will occupy floors from level 94 to the top.

Other features of Goldin Finance 117 include an indoor swimming pool, an observation deck and a resolving restaurant, all of which hold a record for being the highest located in the world.

The tower will also include a 36-storey reinforced concrete office building, a retail area at the podium and three levels of basements car park and retail. Each storey of the tower at the  lower levels will have a gross floor area of 3,633 m2.

Guests and visitors will be transported to different levels via double-deck, high-rise elevators, which simultaneously uses a shared hoist-way in two cars, which not only increases the building transportation system's efficiency but also saves up to 40% of space.