2015 Tall Building Innovation Award Finalist

Tao Chu Yin Yuan

“Tao Chu Yin Yuan is a strong example of how working with, rather than against, the inherent constraints associated with an active seismic zone can lead to innovative solutions that are not only safe but enhance the quality of the local urban core.”

Alastair Macgregor, CTBUH Technical Awards Juror / Vice President, AECOM

Tao Chu Yin Yuan illustrates how to create tall non-conventional forms in a highly active seismic zone. The architectural design of the tower is reminiscent of a tree, with vertical landscaping climbing up the tower, as the tower floors are rotated clockwise at 4.5 degrees in relation to the adjacent floor. While none of the solutions used to create it are unique or new, the noteworthy innovation is in the unique combination of existing solutions. Base Isolation has been around for 30 years as a solution to reduce the lateral loads on buildings. However, for high-rise buildings, the overturning uplift forces on the isolators often made its application untenable. By creating a long span system that is held down by the dead load of the building on the outside via sweeping columns, and a circular core to resist torsion, a unique architectural design was made possible.