Interior Design Award of Excellence: One Excellence, Shenzhen
Jian Zhao
Operation Deputy Director
CityGroup (CTG) Design, Guangzhou
Tao Jiankun
Vice General Manager
Excellence Real Estate Group Limited, Shenzhen
A Light-Carved Interior Combines Natural and Digital Techniques
Designed to offer a relaxing respite within Shenzhen’s bustling and dense Qianhai industrial zone, the interior of One excegroup Finance Center appears to be carved out by natural light. The aesthetic, drawn from the interplay of sunlight and shadow on trees and natural features, attempts to invigorate public space within the modern office typology, seeking to strike a balance between individualized spaces and typically standard office environments.
The project’s undulating interior was designed using parametric design tools, in response to the tower’s terraces. The lobby’s curved walls and generous ceilings gently diffuse incoming light, bringing the proven stress-relieving effects of nature indoors by mimicking how natural lighting sources behave. This approach extended into the lighting design of the atrium, which sees the frontal wall and ceiling lit with low-contrast illumination that fades from the top and center in a uniform, subtle gradation from light to dark. The glazing provides views to the inner atrium walls, which double as a screen for a changing multi-media display to entertain building users and passersby. The windows also reduce glare in the spring and summer, while increasing heat retention and distribution in autumn and winter.
The walls and ceiling are composed of natural stones in a neutral palette, with a thickness of 1.75 millimeters each. The delicate pieces were then applied to dual-curved honeycomb aluminum plates to form a cohesive surface. Four types of aluminum plates were used, including computer numerical control (CNC)-fabricated stones, two sizes of straight plates, and multiple sizes of curved plates.
