BIG’s “PRISMA” design won the architectural competition for Shenzhen Qianhai Shenzhen Railway Real Estate. It features a 300-meter tall residential tower and a 250-meter office tower. This landmark project will be a key part of Qianhai Bay’s new development plan, reinforcing Qianhai’s role as an emerging financial and cultural hub within Shenzhen.
Located in the Guiwan District of Qianhai, the Prisma Building sits on either side of Shenzhen Hong Kong Plaza, known as the “Green Corridor” at Guiwan’s entrance. The complex includes office spaces, residential units, and over 20,000 square meters of multi-story public areas. It is conveniently situated just steps from a major regional transportation hub and Qianhai Bay.
The two towers soar skyward with a slender, gradually tapering form that tilts elegantly. This design enhances structural efficiency while creating generous green spaces between the towers and at ground level. Lush balconies offer a striking contrast to the glass curtain walls, which reflect nuanced daylight throughout the day.
Both towers feature a simple prism shape. By “peeling” parts of the structure, the ground level opens up to create more public space. Open facade joints and corner voids extend the greenery vertically, providing outdoor gardens and terraces for residents and workers. With its timeless minimalist aesthetic and inviting openness, this project embodies Shenzhen’s vision of a vertical modern city enriched with green parks. – Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director of BIG
The towers’ ground floors are fully open, creating vibrant, welcoming urban living spaces that connect seamlessly to the “Green Corridor” and nearby shopping centers. A winding, nature-friendly pedestrian overpass functions as a canopy, linking retail podiums, shopping areas, and surrounding neighborhoods while offering shade and shelter.
Inside, layered green terraces ascend from the ground to the rooftop, offering commuters and visitors panoramic 360-degree views of the bay. The tilted office tower incorporates photovoltaic cells on its west and east facade connectors to maximize solar energy efficiency. To adapt to the local climate and improve thermal performance, the most exposed sections use a double-layer cavity curtain wall system (CCF). Residential units feature operable window frames for natural ventilation.
The residential building covers 130,760 square meters and consists of three rectangular volumes arranged radially, forming a flat tripod-like shape. Each volume varies in height, offering diverse city and ocean views while creating attractive living spaces, sky gardens, and rooftop landscapes. The three blocks support each other, with vertical green balconies extending through the gaps between them from ground to roof.
The sloped outer walls create “gaps” that provide outdoor terrace spaces on each floor. The west tower’s outer wall extends upward with a pronounced tilt, connecting the other three walls and adding sculptural elegance to the skyline. The base opens to the ground, enhancing connectivity to transportation, retail, and adjacent developments. A multi-level pedestrian walkway system seamlessly links the towers with surrounding public spaces, forming a network that leads directly to Front Bay Waterfront Park. – Martin Voelkle, BIG Partner
The ground floor’s navigation system draws inspiration from the former bay, represented by a series of ripples guiding visitors into the tower and surrounding areas through multiple entrances. Public amenities include a circular theater, tree-lined social spaces, and a porch bar. To address Shenzhen’s climate, activity areas are situated under canopies, trees, and building overhangs. Rainwater is harvested via inclined curtain walls to irrigate and maintain the building’s public spaces.
Strategically positioned between two intercity railways—Guangzhou-Shenzhen Intercity Railway to the east and the proposed Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western High-Speed Railway to the west—the towers offer direct access to the transportation hub through an underground lobby connected to an adjacent commercial street. Construction on the Prisma Building is expected to begin in 2025, marking BIG’s second Shenzhen project after the Shenzhen Energy Building completed in 2017.
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