New York, NY - (December 13, 2006) - Lee Harris Pomeroy Architects, an award-winning firm headquartered in New York City, recently unveiled its design of a new 56-story hotel/condominium tower to be erected in the Tianjin/Beijing Seaport Area and Economic Development Zone.
Concurrently, the architecture firm announced that construction has begun on the second and final phase of its Bin Hai International Exposition Center, located adjacent to the tower site. The firm designed this as part of the overall hotel/condominium/convention center master plan.
This entire Exposition Center complex is designed to serve the rapidly developing new Tianjin Bin Hai Area and Tianjin Economic Development Zone (TEDA), which includes the largest international seaport in Northern China. When completed, the complex will attract tens-of-thousands of visitors from mainland China and international destinations each day via a new high-speed rail system and the new Beijing Airport. Tianjin, a coastal city 2 hours southeast of Beijing, is a major center for shipping, international trade, technology, and finance.
Lee Harris Pomeroy’s tower design encompasses a new 56-story luxury hotel and condominium situated in the center of a lake. The innovative design consists of three intertwined cylindrical components clad in green glass; the glass is overlaid with a diagrid structure of stainless steel, which creates an overall lattice-like visual effect. The three cylinders - small, medium, and large - were inspired by the twisting forms of ancient cypress trees. The tri-part structural form rotates 2 degrees per floor - a subtle torquing that presents a dramatic silhouette that looks different from every angle and variation of light. The design will give residents and guests panoramic views of the surrounding area - which includes a soccer stadium, a Paramount entertainment park, and the new convention center - as well as views of Biohai Bay. The property will contain a five-star, 220-room hotel, and 144 oversized luxury private residences.
While the tower is the final predevelopment stage, Lee Harris Pomeroy’s design of the fan-shaped convention center is moving forward with the final phase breaking ground this month. Comprised of a 323,000-square-foot expansion, the first phase of the 1.2-million-square-foot, award-winning convention center was completed in 2004. Lee Harris Pomeroy’s design was inspired by a traditional Chinese fan in its structure and form. To that end, the facility is a 3-level curved building with a cable suspended, saw-tooth stainless steel roof. The curving façade is both symbolic and functional, creating an interior “boulevard” with glass walls, skylights, and several entrances allowing the center to accommodate simultaneous conferences, each with its own focus and identity.
“We are not only celebrating the success of the first phase of this important development, but are honored to see our fan-shaped center expanded and designs fully realized,” said Lee Harris Pomeroy, a principal of the firm. “At the same time, we are pleased to unveil what TEDA government officials requested: an iconic symbol for their new city and focus on the Bin Hai skyline.”
Lee Harris Pomeroy Architects has collaborated on both projects with, Weidlinger Associates Inc., consulting engineers in New York, and Tianjin Architects & Consulting Engineers (TACE).
The Bin Hai Convention Center is being built by the Tianjin Economic Development Area (TEDA), developer for the hotel is Genercon (Tianjin) Co. Ltd.
About Lee Harris Pomeroy Architects
Lee Harris Pomeroy Associates is an award-winning architectural firm whose creative work embraces new and historic structures in the United States, Shanghai, Tianjin, Bangalore, and other international centers. The firm’s design efforts consistently deal with the balance between the built and natural environment, and exploration of new technology. Projects include public and buildings, hotels, libraries, transportation, and housing. Among its many high-profile clients are Swiss Bank Corporation (UBS), Saks Fifth Avenue, Donald Trump, Extell Corporation, Louis Dreyfus Corporation, Trinity Church, Time Warner, Home Box Office, New Rochelle Public Library, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, City of New York, Metropolitan Transit Authority, and public and private entities in Tianjin, Shanghai and Hyuan China, and Bangalore, India.