We were very happy to work with SWA to create the landscape for the headquarters of real estate developer Centralcom – Shenzhen Chang Cheng Center (SCC).

The purpose of the landscape architecture was to create an experience of continuous nature entering the building and magnifying the height of the tower.

We created a liana-shaped vertical garden that ascends the 30-meter-high entrance atrium, thereby enhancing the sheer verticality of the 300-meter-high tower.

People entering the mixed-use development from the surrounding urban sprawl are surprisingly immersed in a refreshing green oasis of calm. The expansive entrance hall and the lush plant lianas cascading down from the skylight ceiling ensure a modern, elegant application of nature amidst the sleek corporate building, while the natural light passing through the glass ceiling guarantees a beautifully well light space, and the continuous healthy growth of the diverse plant species.

The structures supporting the lianas – engineered by Mingzhu Nerval – are a mere 30 centimetres in diameter while totalling 30 meters in height, and are built to resist the semi-outdoor environment of the tower base levels. They are exposed to strong winds, typhoons, and dramatic temperature fluctuations which are commonplace in South China.

The plant wire foliage is healthy growing, with no use of chemicals or pesticides; butterflies and birds come to settle here, showing how a well-conceived and maintained ecosystem is a bridge between nature and the urban environment.

For us, the presence of the birds is a great source of happiness, considering that our company name, ‘Mingzhu’, means ‘birds singing through architecture’ 😉

The project team was composed of Cinda Gilliland and Chang Chih-Wei of SWA. The building was designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects.

Dedicated to the little bird, and to all the birds that we hope will enjoy our gardens:

À l’hirondelle

Toi qui peux monter solitaire

Au ciel, sans gravir les sommets,

Et dans les vallons de la terre

Descendre sans tomber jamais ;

Toi qui, sans te pencher au fleuve

Où nous ne puisons qu’à genoux,

Peux aller boire, avant qu’il ne pleuve,

Au nuage trop haut pour nous ;

Toi qui pars au déclin des roses

Et reviens au nid printanier,

Fidèle aux deux meilleures choses,

L’indépendance et le foyer ;

Comme toi, mon âme s’élève

Et tout à coup rase le sol,

Et suit avec l’aile du rêve

Les beaux méandres de ton vol.

S’il lui faut aussi des voyages,

Il lui faut son nid chaque jour ;

Elle a tes deux besoins sauvages :

Libre vie, immuable amour.

– Sully Prudhomme

Note: we are not responsible for the maintenance of this project, therefore cannot guarantee its current visual effect/quality.