The KK100 development lies between the border of Shenzhen’s business and residential districts in a densely developed area. To facilitate more sustainable development for the fast-growing city, the mixed-use tower was designed to be a hub for transit, provide amenities to the area, and provide an occupant density that would help to reduce urban sprawl and reliance on transportation.

As part of a greater master plan, the site was arranged to include a podium with retail and connections to public transportation, with the tower placed at the southwest end of the site to draw on the views of the city and neighboring Lizhi Park. The site formerly held a residential quarter with poor living conditions. To mitigate the effects of the development on the former residents, a joint initiative was formed which made them stakeholders in the new buildings and maintained the existing community.

The large podium was designed with a response to the site’s foot traffic and context, providing entrances appropriate to the scale and density of the area. A future residential complex will connect to this podium, as well as the tower, to create an integrated development to serve all the needs of its occupants. The main entrance to the tower takes the building skin and pulls it into an inviting curvilinear canopy, funneling in residents and workers.

The tower’s curving form was intended to allude to a fountain of water, symbolizing the wealth and prosperity of the city of Shenzhen. The base of the tower connects to the lower-level programs as well as to the urban fabric at the pedestrian scale. The curved north and south façades are oriented to Hong Kong and the Maipo marshes, while the slender east and west façades taper to the curved apex of the tower, providing less area for morning and evening solar gain.

Levels 4–72 of the building comprise office space, with slightly different floor plates between adjacent levels due to the curve of the tower. The floor-to-floor height is a generous four meters, allowing a maximum of daylight penetration into the work spaces. The layout of the office spaces was generated to provide a great deal of flexibility to meet the needs of various tenants.

Levels 75–95 house the St. Regis Hotel and its own conference and meeting facilities. Hotel visitors arrive at the sky garden lobby on the 94th floor, which opens into a large, open atrium and garden at the top of the building. This level accommodates several fine-dining options as well as panoramic views of the city surrounding the tower. The atrium stretches 16 stories below the sky garden, housing lifts to reach guest rooms and bringing natural light into the core of the hotel section of the tower.

The building aims to be a sustainable example for the city, employing various approaches to create a “green” development. In addition to the building form’s response to the local climate, a free-cooling system was used, as well as a highly developed envelope to improve the performance of the building. Vertical and horizontal fins were employed on the façade to reduce glare and solar gain, increasing the comfort of the inhabitants. Overall, the complex hopes to reduce demands on infrastructure by providing a place where people can work and live, eliminating needs for transit between these uses.