24°26′18″N 118°05′01″E / 24.43833°N 118.08361°E
Shimao Cross-Strait Plaza ( Chinese: 世茂海峡大厦; pinyin: Shìmào Hǎixiá Dàshà), also known as Shimao Straits Tower, Shimao MO Sky Mansion, and Xiamen Shimao Straits Mansion, [1] is a skyscraper complex in Xiagang, Siming District, Xiamen, People's Republic of China. The project was completed in 2015, and the architect was Gensler. [2]
The complex has two towers, Xiamen Shimao Cross-Strait Plaza Tower B and Xiamen Shimao Cross-Strait Plaza Tower A, [2] which are nicknamed the "Twin Towers of Xiamen" ( Chinese: 厦门双子塔; pinyin: Xiàmén Shuāngzǐ Tǎ). [3] [4] [5] The plaza features two sail-like towers, standing at 300 meters each. [6] [7] [8]
The primary use of the towers is for office space. [7] [8] Tower B also includes a hotel, and Tower A has " small office/home office" (SOHO) units. The complex has an observation deck from which the island of Kinmen can be seen. In between the two towers is a shopping center called Emall. [9] [10] [11]
The towers are designed to evoke "two giant sails of a gigantic vessel on the waterfront", as an homage to Xiamen's maritime history. [12] [13] They were also inspired by the bougainvillea, the city flower of Xiamen. [13] [14] [15]
Sources differ on the total number of floors. Emporis says that Tower A has 59 above-ground floors while Tower B has 67. [7] [8] An article in the journal Intelligent City said that Tower A had 66 floors and Tower B had 57, [11] while other sources say the complex has 64 floors. [3] [12] [13] [16] There are three underground levels used for parking and equipment. Total floor space is about 350,000 square meters (270,000 above ground). [10] [11]
Construction started in May 2010. The construction of the complex was funded by Shimao Property, which invested about RMB 5 billion in the project. [17] The development is located on a 30,000-square-meter plot in Xiagang, Siming District. [12] When the complex topped out in 2015, it was the tallest building in Xiamen. [13] [16] [18]
During construction the complex was described as "China's first twin towers". [18]