London-based Tonkin Liu Architects has unveiled images of its 2016 competition-winning proposal for a site in Zhengzhou, China, with an eye to "celebrate the city's origins as it looks to build its future." Hosting a myriad of functions within a five-tower scheme, the design of the Cradle Towers of Zhengzhou lovingly adopts the geographic characteristics of the area, particularly the Songshan mountainscape. 

Cradle Towers of Zhengzhou, image via Tonkin Liu Architects

Images of the project portray five elongated towers, set to accommodate offices, apartments, and a hotel, erupting out of a podium containing retail and leisure uses. The exact heights of the towers has not yet been made clear — the renderings illustrate a cluster of buildings of varying stature, including a signature tower that will rise above the rest. The towers and the attached podium would form a street wall around the block while sheltering a landscaped green space in the middle.

A bird's eye rendering of the project, image via Tonkin Liu Architects

Solar shading and privacy will be controlled by a responsive skin that also affects the visual rhythm of the building, depending on the viewer's vantage point. When observed from afar, the building's lower levels appear darker and heavier, transitioning into a brighter and lighter vernacular towards the top. Vertical gardens are housed within slices of the building facades and verdant crowns also provide a splash of green in the skyline while serving the practical role of screening the mechanical space within.

Visualizing the proposal's abundant greenery, image via Tonkin Liu Architects

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