GMP create 258m tower for CITIC Group corporation

Tenderstream member von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) are celebrating the completion of the CITIC International Building in Shenzhen, located in a city district that is undergoing a phase of intense densification. The main user of the new 258m tower is CITIC Group, an international corporation active in finance, industry, and infrastructure, who first issued a pre-tender for the project that was published by Tenderstream here, over ten years ago.

Located on the city’s prominent east-west axis, the tower serves as a landmark within the dense urban fabric. Four slender volumes of differing heights create a distinctive silhouette, with landscaped rooftop terraces adding open spaces to the building and connecting it to its surroundings. At the base, a four-story podium houses public amenities such as restaurants and retail outlets intended to create a vibrant street scene. Vertical recesses in the facade are designed to give the complex a human scale and articulate the structure of the office tower.

Strategically placed four-story loggias subdivide the building’s appearance and open views in all directions. Designed as sky gardens, these planted spaces provide areas for short breaks and informal interactions during the workday. Adjacent open atriums link the gardens to the office areas, connecting indoor and outdoor spaces both visually and functionally. At the same time, they introduce horizontal elements into the vertical structure of the high-rise, strengthening the social fabric among office units and their occupants.

The sky gardens also contribute to the building’s passive climate control: vegetation, shading, and natural ventilation help improve the microclimate. The open office spaces, combined with horizontal, operable window bands, allow for individualized climate regulation. The building has been awarded China’s Green Building Certification (3 Stars) and received the LEED Gold precertification. In 2025, it was also honoured with the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Award of Excellence in the 'Best Tall Building – 200–299 Metres' category.

Lucy Nordberg
Tenderstream Head of Research

This tender was first published by Tenderstream on 21.03.2014 here

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