BEIJING: A skyscraper office building with two twisted double-curved facades was recently unveiled in Chongqing, China.
Designed by architecture firm Aedas and completed this year, the 39-story Dance of Light Tower stands 590 feet (180 meters) high and features a twisted façade that mimics the shape of the Northern Lights, according to a press release.
Located in Xingfu Plaza, Jiangbei District, Chongqing, the skyscraper has a maximum “twist angle” of 8.8 degrees per floor, more than 1.5 times that of other skyscrapers in the world, and is the “world’s most twisted skyscraper.” It is a “tower”. world,” he argued, Aedas, citing his 2016 issue of the CTBUH journal.
“The Dance of Light concept was proposed to celebrate Chongqing’s achievements in embracing technology,” said Aedas.
The designers were inspired by the dancing Aurora Borealis (the rays and swirls of the polar lights common in the North and South Poles), so light plays a key role in accentuating the structure’s twisted shape. Views of the tower change from different angles as light reflects and bends off the glass façade.
“At night, the curved façade is reminiscent of dancing ballerinas,” Aedas said in a press release.
“The podium roof extends the coherent statement of the top-to-bottom sliding twist, resonating with the shape of the tower and maintaining a coherent architectural style.”
According to the company, the smooth surfaces are marked by curved silver grid panels or mullioned vertical lines (because of the bright silver PVF2 finish), which ensure that light reflects off the building, giving it a different look and feel. from different angles throughout the day.
“As an open public space, the tower has all the feats of being an icon of the city, especially the big twist on the façade,” said Ken Wai, Global Design Principal at Aedas. added.
Twisted skyscrapers have grown in popularity over the past decade due to advances in construction, engineering, and architectural computer programs.
Built in 2005 in Malmo, Sweden by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the Turning Torso was the first twisted skyscraper to showcase innovative architecture.
Other popular twisted buildings include MAD Architects’ Absolute World Towers in Canada, completed in 2012, and the 306-meter (1,004-foot) tall tower in Dubai, designed and completed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. There is Cayan Tower. in 2013.
