Commercial Projects

Sanxiang Bank Mixed Use Development

The Sanxiang Bank Development in Changsha China is a new 106,138-square-meter mixed-use commercial/office complex set on the waterfront of Changsha in the Hunan province of south-central China. The challenge of this design is to put an ambitious program of high demands on a very narrow site with strict limitations and height visibility. Each building is based on a distinctive rooftop, a continuous low podium that weaves through the base of the buildings unifying the entire development and similar yet different curvilinear geometries.

LOCATION: Changsha, Hunan, China

CLIENT: SANY Group

SIZE: 106,138 SQ. M/1,142,260 SQ. FT

STATUS: Expected Completion in 2024

The buildings are to be experienced by their users not only directly on site, but also as a visible as a landmark within the urban scale from far away. The buildings have to be compelling in multi-dimensional scales and perspectives from close up and from across the river. PEI chose to give each building a unique character in contrast to neighboring buildings which are similar rectangular boxes with flat rooftops.

The group of three towers on the south have curving façades that maximize the exposure to the water side. The positioning and shape of the towers not only offer the best views of the riverfront, but their convex façade and pointed top recall the image of sailboats in the wind and pay respect to the site’s location at the riverfront.

To further enhance the similar character of the three main buildings, the connections of podiums and their bases is characterized by façades that open into multi-storied, generous arches that lead the eyes from the ground up into the sky.

The design of the main tower as the headquarters of the Sanxiang Bank is derived from a geometry that represents stability and solidity. It combines a rational, compact, and efficient plan with a rotated, changing façade as the tower rises to its full height as the dominant building at the northern end of the site.