Infinitus Plaza

Infinitus Plaza is the new global headquarters of Infinitus China. Incorporating work environments designed to nurture connectivity, creativity and entrepreneurship, the new headquarters also includes the group’s herbal medicine research facilities and safety assessment labs as well as a learning centre for conferences and exhibitions. The 185,643 sq. m Infinitus Plaza defines a gateway to the new Baiyun Central Business District.

Built on the site of the decommissioned Baiyun Airport, the new district links Guangzhou’s city centre with Feixiang Gongyuan Park and the new communities within the former airport’s redevelopment. Located adjacent to Feixiang Park station on Line 2 of the Guangzhou Metro, Infinitus Plaza straddles the metro’s sub-surface tunnel, dividing the headquarters into two buildings that interconnect at multiple levels. Establishing collaborative work spaces that are healthier and more adaptive to new ways of working, Infinitus Plaza is designed over eight storeys as a series of infinite rings that enhance interaction and communication between all departments.

Arranged around central atria and courtyards, echoing the symbol for infinity “∞”, the design creates a variety of shared indoor and outdoor spaces that build the strong sense of community (Si Li Ji Ren) which defines Infinitus’ corporate culture.

The interconnecting bridges house a variety of flexible communal spaces for employees that promote individual and overall wellness including gym and exercise rooms, recreation and relaxation zones as well as restaurant and cafe. The bridges also connect the plaza’s offices with further shopping and dining areas.

Situated within Guangzhou’s humid subtropical monsoon climate, Infinitus Plaza has been designed and constructed to LEED Gold certification and the equivalent 3-Stars of China’s Green Building Program with its life cycle carbon emissions calculated at 15.3% embodied carbon and at 84.7% operational carbon emissions. Optimization of the structure has reduced the amount of concrete required and increased the proportion of recyclable content. 25,088.33 tonnes of recycled materials have been used in the construction of Infinitus Plaza, primarily: steel, copper, glass, aluminium alloy profiles, gypsum products and wood. Annual solar irradiation analysis has determined the width of the outdoor terraces to self-shade the building.

This analysis has also defined the external perforated aluminium shading panels to optimise reductions in solar heat gain. These measures, together with double-insulated low-E glazing provide effective shading and heat insulation that ensures good natural light throughout the building while reducing solar heat gain and energy consumption.

Operated by the building’s smart management system and powered by photovoltaics, a network of sprinklers spray atomised particles of collected rainwater onto the ETFE membrane roof above each atrium to dissipate heat by evaporative cooling. This translucent, double-layered ETFE membrane roof incorporates a 60cm cavity of compressed air. Activated when the membrane’s exterior surface is heated to 35°C by solar radiation, spraying for 3-4 minutes every half an hour will cool its surface temperature by 14°C, effectively lowering interior temperatures by 5°C. The rooftop solar water heating further reduces energy requirements.

The project’s system of rainwater collection, filtration and reuse also supplies micro-irrigation to the surrounding landscaping. The gardens on the roof of the 3rd, 7th and 8th floors grow herbs and plants native to the region and are naturally irrigated. These outdoor communal areas are linked together with the rooftop jogging track and walking paths. Green roofs comprise 49.36% of the project’s total roof area.

Equipped to monitor temperature, carbon dioxide, PM2.5 particulates and other pollutants, the building’s smart management system with fresh air linkage ensures indoor air quality, detecting the level of occupancy and automatically adjusting for optimal comfort with minimal energy consumption while also learning to accurately predict daily occupancy trends for increased efficiencies.

Anchoring Guangzhou’s new Baiyun Central Business District as a national centre for China’s health and wellness industries, Infinitus China’s new headquarters combines innovative design and construction technologies with proven sustainability strategies to create new work environments that unite all departments and enhance communication throughout the group.

Source: Zaha Hadid Architects

Project contributers

Design Principal: Patrik Schumacher

ZHA Project Director: Satoshi Ohashi

ZHA Project Associates: Yang Jingwen, Juan Liu, Martin Pfleger

ZHA Project Architect: Kai-Jui Tsao

ZHA Project Leads: Xuexin Duan, Nan Jiang

ZHA Project Team: Congyue Wang, Eugene Leung, Feifei Fan, Lida Zhang, Lily Liu, Qi Cao, Shu Hashimoto, Xiaoyu Zhang, Ying Xia, Zhe Xing

ZHA Competition Project Directors: Satoshi Ohashi, Paulo Flores

ZHA Competition Associates: Yang Jingwen, Dennis Brezina, Damiano Rizzini

ZHA Competition Team: Anat Stern, Chaoxiong Huang, Harry Spraiter, Julian Lin, Lida Zhang, Marius Cernica, Ovidiu Mihutescu, Shu Hashimoto, Tommaso Casucci, Xuexin Duan

Consultants & Contractors Local Design Institute: GDAD

Structure: RBS

Façade: Buro Happold

Lighting: LIGHTDESIGN, LUMIA, Holy Power

Landscape LDI: Pubang

Signage LDI: Basalt

Project Manager: ARCADIS, BCCI

General Contractor: Guangdong No.1 Construction Engineering

Façade Contractor: Jangho

MEP Contractor: Shijian

Landscape Contractor: Shenzhen Landscape

Signage Contractor: ATG BEYOND

Interiors Interiors Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)

Interiors Design Principal: Patrik Schumacher

ZHA Interiors Project Director: Satoshi Ohashi, Kar Hwa Ho, Yang Jingwen, Melodie Leung

ZHA Interiors Project Associates: Torsten Broeder, Juan Liu

ZHA Interiors Project Lead: Nan Jiang, Kai-Jui Tsao, Feifei Fan, Hanbing Zhao

ZHA Interiors Project Team: Aleksandra Mnich-Spraiter, Amittai Antoine, Che-Hung Chien, Congyue Wang,Dieter Matuschke, Genci Sulo, Iliana Capsali, Jiaxing Lu, Lida Zhang, Magda Smolinska, Mercedes Sarua, Nailu Chen, Philipp Siedler, Qi Cao, Qiao Zhang, Uli Blum, William Colenso, Xiaoyu Zhang, Xinqi Zhuang, Xuexin Duan, Ying Xia, Yuan Feng, Zhe Xing

ZHA Interiors Competition Project Director: Satoshi Ohashi, Kar Hwa Ho, Yang Jingwen, Melodie Leung

ZHA Interiors Competition Team Associate: Torsten Broeder, Juan Liu, Martin Pfleger

ZHA Interiors Competition Team: Aleksandra Mnich-Spraiter, Emily Rohrer, Evgeniya Yatsyuk, Feifei Fan, Iliana Capsali, Kai-Jui Tsao, Mercedes Sarua, Nan Jiang, Olga Yatsyuk, Philipp Siedler, Silviya Barzakova, Soungmin Yu, Uli Blum, Xuexin Duan, Zhe Xing

Interiors Consultants & Contractors Local Design Institute: Huateng

2nd MEP LDI: BIAD

Lighting: LIGHTDESIGN, LUMIA

Signage: Space Agency, Basalt

Project Manager: ARCADIS, BCCI

Interior Tower A Contractor: Gold Mantis

Interior Tower B Contractor: Sundart

Signage Contractor: ATG BEYOND

MEP Contractor: Shijian