a new innovation hub for DJI drone makers
Foster and his partners complete the new Shenzhen headquarters of DJI, the world leader in civilian drones and creative camera technology. After six years of construction, the pair of towers now hosts a innovation hub‘ and adds an exciting new landmark to the horizon of the Chinese city — one of the top ten UNESCO design cities.
Foster and Partners founder Norman Foster comments: ‘Drone technology has changed the way we experience the world around us while pushing the boundaries of aerial possibilities. I have enjoyed using DJI products for over a decade. We are delighted to have partnered with DJI to establish their new headquarters in Shenzhen, which will be the company’s first research and innovation center..’
images by Tian Fangfang, SFAP
Foster and Partners balance lightness and weight
Foster and Partners designed DJI’s Sky City as a “Heart of Innovation” in Shenzhen. the architects note that hundreds of design iterations were proposed before landing on the concept of an asymmetrical suspended steel structure. The two towers rise forty-four and forty stories high and are connected by a delicate walkway. The buildings will soon accommodate up to 8,000 employees with offices, research and development centers, drone test areas and public facilities. With its clustered volumes reaching a height of 213 meters (700 feet), DJI Sky City offers a work of architecture that floats above its urban context.
the suspended volumes of the two towers of shenzhen
The Foster and Partners team organizes the two DJI towers each with a central core, from which the large volumes cantilever. Six glass blocks hang asymmetrically from east and west around the three sides of the cores. The suspended blocks are carried by “mega-trusses” and steel suspension tubes connected to round cross sections at their corners, the maximum cantilever of the blocks reaching 21.5 meters (70.5 ft). The structural system serves both a load-bearing purpose and an exposed aesthetic element, achieving a high degree of unity between space, structure and form.
A suspension bridge spans ninety meters (295 ft) to connect the two towers on the twenty-fourth level, 105 meters (345 ft) above the ground. Thin and light, the skybridge harmonizes with the large block volumes to create an “element of agility”. Young Chiu, the project’s lead architect, comments: ‘Sky City’s volumes and structures are honest and exposed, with a rich expression inside and out. Its beauty is minimal but warm, calm and upright, no frills, simple and simple.’
Frank Wang, Founder and CEO of DJI notes: ‘It took us six years to build the new DJI Headquarters, which is the result of the wisdom and determination of DJI and our valued partners. We see Sky City as a one-of-a-kind product: our true home.
‘At the start of a new era for DJI, we pay great attention to the growth and well-being of each employee. It starts with a work environment that is both practical and enjoyable. I hope Sky City inspires us all to work together and reach new heights of progress, wisdom and possibility to develop solutions that benefit society..’
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