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The traditional Hainan architecture utilizes natural ventilation to cool the buildings by elevating them from ground floor. The Hainan Energy Trading Building incorporates this regional characteristic by raising the main volume and preserving open space on the ground floor, creating a 'floating box' above a green park. Continuing to the interior, the spatial grandeur of the central courtyard leaves visitors in awe upon entering the atrium. The undulating layers of balconies are adorned with long stripes of plants extending over the balustrade, while skylight above flood the space with ample daylight. 'Rigidity' and 'Tenderness' coexist harmoniously in the architecture, just as 'cutting-edge technology' and 'existing site conditions' find a compromise in the emerging city district.
The Hainan Energy Trading Building, a modern logistics and international commodity trading center, is located in the new central business area-Jiangdong New District. The site offers a great view of the Qiongzhou Strait to the north, and facing the Jiangdong Avenue in the south, which is the main traffic artery of Haikou city. The building features sky gardens arranged diagonally across every four floors, connecting to the open ground floor and central atrium for natural ventilation and a comfortable micro climate for the workspace. The green areas, including the balcony plants, sky gardens, and overall landscaping, are almost equivalent to the site area. Additionally, the high energy-efficient double skin façade provides abundant daylight and a magnificent view of the coast.
The courtyard creates a pleasant microclimate through effective shading and a stack ventilation strategy within the 75-meter tall atrium. Abundant daylight permeates through the double skin façade on all four sides, reducing the need for artificial lighting. The electric louvers between the inner and outer glass layers can be automatically adjusted by sensors of the solar tracking system. In conjunction with the intelligent lighting control system, indoor comfort is significantly enhanced, and HVAC load is reduced, resulting in energy-saving. In addition, the slanted roof and the offset facade allow ample sunlight to reach the sky gardens and office spaces, while effectively shading most of the corridor and atrium to prevent overheating in the warm Hainan climate.
The building showcases an energy-efficient double skin façade with high-transparent glass, allowing unobstructed views through the building envelope. Horizontal window openings break the closed form of a typical glass curtain wall, creating a human-scale connection between users and the environment. From the inside, office workers enjoy magnificent views of the coast and the downtown area, while from the outside, the glass proudly exhibits the structure - clean, slender, yet very robust. Not a single column interrupts the spacious sky gardens that rotate at every four levels, leaving the massing of another four levels above cantilevered up to 14 meters. This is achieved through the use of mega bracing that minimizes the lateral deflection of structure, and a feasible solution for strengthening earthquake resistance.
The design also maximizes greenery by incorporating a variety of plants on interior balconies and exterior sky gardens. Externally, the rigid lines of the building are softened by the sky gardens dotted around in an orderly manner, while internally, the striking edge of the curved balconies occasionally peeks out amidst the sprawling greenery. Office workers are constantly surrounded by greenery, immersed in a nature-filled work environment that promotes peace and serenity for their well-being. These design strategies establish the Hainan Energy Trading Building as a modern leading icon in the realm of green architecture.
The client had chosen from the two schemes presented by the team. They were impressed with the project’s transformation and modernization of traditional Chinese cultural elements within the green design. Moreover, the integration of the double skin façade with mega-bracings, which reduces the quantity of steel tonnage, aligns with the corporate’s green energy initiatives.
KRIS YAO | ARTECH is an Asia-based architectural firm with offices in Taipei and Shanghai. Established in 1985 by Kris Yao (Hon. FAIA), the internationally renowned firm is one of the most influential professional practices in Asia. The firm’s portfolio demonstrates years of practice in cultural, corporate, commercial, hospitality, educational, transportation, performing arts centers, residential, and spiritual spaces, among others. The team’s philosophy strives to achieve excellence in design, finding ways to employ innovative yet appropriate technologies, in order to create poetic architectural spaces that integrate cultural significance and a sense of scale and belonging.
