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Suzhou Merchant Bank
A 20 Storey Chinese Screen
As one of China’s major manufacturing centres, Suzhou Industrial Park requires a range of financial and banking support services, and the 20-storey building provides over 30,000 sqm of space for these activities. The building presents a distinctive and identifiable form within the precinct. Two slender planes of polished granite appear to support a glazed tower over a podium and frame the principal entry. The regular grid of recessed 1m x 1m windows, many of which open for ventilation, belies the building’s height which is limited to 100 m by the planning controls. Traditional Chinese architecture uses screens to frame views, filter sunlight and importantly, provide a sense of privacy whilst maintaining a strong connection to the outside.
The granite screens of the China Merchant Bank achieve the same effect at both a precinct and human scale, with a sense of permanence and privacy that is so critical for a bank building.
As a major centre of manufacturing industries for both export and domestic markets, Suzhou Industrial Park requires a diverse range of support services, including financial and banking services for businesses and individuals.
The 20-storey Merchant Bank building provides more than 30,000 sqm of space for banking and financial services.
Two slender planes of polished granite appear to support a glazed tower over a horizontal podium. The regular grid of recessed 1 m x 1 m windows, including operable windows, creates an ambiguous sense of scale as a large stone screen.
Screens are used in traditional Chinese architecture to frame views, filter sunlight, and provide a sense of privacy whilst maintaining a strong connection to the outside.
A podium a roof garden enjoys panoramic views along the adjacent canal.
The tower’s western façade is formed by a clear low e-glazed dual wall system incorporating interconnecting stairs and an informal wintergarden meeting space.
