8. Guangzhou

View looking up at the Pearl River tower From street level.

View looking up at the Pearl River tower From street level.

One of 4 vertical axis wind turbines on the Pearl River Tower.

One of 4 vertical axis wind turbines on the Pearl River Tower.

We began our day in Guangzhou at the Pearl River Tower, the first LEED platinum sky scraper in China, designed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merril.  This building not only looked good, but it also performed remarkably well in terms of energy usage and sustainable practices. Some of the key features include a double layer, operable curtain wall, wind turbines built into the building facade, and a 100% fresh air variable air volume system. The double curtain wall creates a layer of air that acts as insulation for the building on both cold and hot days, but the operability allows for ventilation which optimizes user comfort. Another thing designers did to make the building more efficient and cost effective was use space reducing- radiant cooling and floor air that allowed for an overall building height reduction of 21 meters. Unfortunately, I learned that the wind turbines in the facade only account for about 1-2% of the building’s total energy usage, but I don’t think power production was the ultimate goal of this building. This building was meant to be a symbol for others and show that we should be thinking more about how our buildings and energy consumption have an intimate relationship. Although, when I take a step back and think about the building project as a whole, there is one issue that really stands out for me, which is the fact that the building has been unoccupied since its completion. I think it is kind of ridiculous that a LEED platinum building can go unoccupied for it first year of operation. Wouldn’t it have been more sustainable to build nothing if no one is lined up to use the building? I think the Pearl river Tower can serve as a great symbol for sustainable engineering practices, but due to the inability of the wind turbines to generate a significant percent of the building’s energy needs, it is not necessarily a model to replicate.

A beautiful city park sits on top of a subway in between ll of the most modern buildings in Guangzhou.

A beautiful city park sits on top of a subway in between ll of the most modern buildings in Guangzhou.

After the Pearl River Tower we walked through a piece of the city park on our way to the subway, but we ultimately ended up at the Guangzhou Opera House. The Opera House was stunning from a distance but the closer I got, the uglier the building seemed to get. I think the design of the opera house is really quite remarkable, as a piece of art, but as a piece of architecture, it is absurd. The entire façade was a giant puzzle of triangles of various shapes and sizes and I learned that the architect, Zaha Hadid, designed it so that no two triangles were exactly the same.

A view of the Guangzhou Opera House with a beautiful pizza hut and its red carpet posted up out front

A view of the Guangzhou Opera House with a beautiful pizza hut and its red carpet posted up out front

This design made the building extremely difficult to build, because of all of the curves and awkwardly angled walls and windows. Even the most skilled contractors in China would have difficulty constructing this building. I can’t imagine the stack of construction drawings that would be necessary to document each custom joint and connection. It is likely that the project drawings were left some where between detailed design and construction documents, and my guess is that the contractor had to figure it out as he went. The quality of the finishes in the building is extremely low, and I think the architect is the only one to blame. If you are going to design a piece of art as intricate as the Guangzhou Opera House, you have to be willing to stay on the project long enough to ensure it is built to the quality expected by the designers and owner.

 

Look how the ductwork barely stays with the building column lines and seems to randomly crawl around the various spaces.

Look at the way the ductwork (centerline of wall and extending across the ceiling) barely stays with the building column lines and seems to randomly craw around the various spaces.

In my opinion, you should not just draw a pretty picture of a building and then sit back while someone else builds it, and when it is finished, try to take all of the credit for it. One must also evaluate whether the project design was actually worth building in the first place. Aside from the unique appearance of the exterior, I would say that much of the building design is flawed. For example, the handrails were engraved into the wall and they were nearly impossible to hold on to. The roof is made up of so many unique pieces with thousands of joints, it is no wonder it leaks. To complicate maintenance even more, all of the surfaces are white and they collect so much dust and get so dirty, due in part to the poor air quality, that this color choice should have been considered at the outset.The building just looks like it was designed solely for aesthetics, and I think this has become quite apparent through the poor building performance.

 

Canton Tower as it sits in relation to the rest of the new section of Guangzhou on a model of the city.

Canton Tower, as seen on this model of the city, is the focal point of Guangzhou’s most recent urban development.

We ended the day atop Canton Tower, where I was able to get a full 360-degree, panoramic view of the city. It was actually pretty strange to look down and see where I had been walking all day because all of the buildings I visited were 21st century architecture, filled in with lots of green space and public parks. It wasn’t until I got to the top, however, that I realized that only one tiny strip of Guangzhou looked like this. The rest of the city, which extended out farther than I could see through the haze in every direction, was the sea of old office and residential buildings I was used to seeing. Everything I visited today was built in the last ten years, and it was really a pretty beautifully planned out piece of city, but when I got to the top of the tower and looked around it made this piece of city look like one giant exhibition. It did not blend in well with the surrounding blocks of older buildings and it certainly makes the rest of

This view from the top of Canton tower shows just how much this new strip of city stands out form the rest. Nothing else in the city compares with the 21st century sky scrapers lining this city park.

This view from the top of Canton tower shows just how much this new strip of city stands out form the rest. Nothing else in the city measures up to the 21st century sky scrapers lining this city park.

the city look dirty and worn out. That being said, last night I was walking along the riverfront after diner and found the little plazas in a historic section of the city to be quite beautiful.

One concern I have with Guangzhou is the demand for office space. I saw a bunch of new office sky scrapers under construction, but knowing that the Pearl River Tower has been empty since its completion, I think Guangzhou may have a tough time creating a demand to match the abundant supply of office space. The last thing Guangzhou needs is 4 city blocks of empty sky scrapers. The cost of this construction does not seem to be justified, given the lack of demand for office space.

Despite all of my causes for concern and criticisms, I really found Guangzhou to be a beautiful city, both in the old and new sectors. I hope to see the 21st century section of the city expand outward and turn Guangzhou into the futuristic metropolis it aspires to be.

 

 

 

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