Renewable Materials (Vanke HQ wing)

Bamboo – This highly renewable material, which is easily available in China, is used for doors, floors, and furniture throughout the Vanke Headquarters instead of using raw materials or exotic woods.

Green Carpet – InterfaceFLOR Carpet tiles are used throughout the open office area. This carpet is a cradle-tocradle product, meaning that it is not only produced from recycled materials, but that the manufacturer agrees to collect any damaged carpet and to recycle it into other carpet or products. This carpet contains a GlasBac® REbacking that has an average of 55% total recycled content with a minimum of 18% post-consumer recycled content. It uses recycled vinyl backing from reclaimed carpet tiles and manufacturing waste.

Non-toxic Paint - All paint finishes, as well as the millwork and adhesives are to be low or free of V.O.C (Volatile Organic Compounds) - like phenols and formaldehyde - which can cause various health and environmental problems.

Greenscreen shading – The Vanke Headquarters uses Greenscreen solar shading fabrics from Nysan - a PVC free product that contains no V.O.C. (Volatile Organic Compounds). Not only does the product not “off-gas” during its lifetime, but also it is also easier and quicker to recycle and divert to landfills.

Sustainable Site

The building is sited on reclaimed/stabilized land that forms part of the municipal storm water management system. The lagoon functions as bio-swale/retention pond connected to several adjacent creaks. Part of the landscape architecture water edge proposal designed by Steven Holl Architects is the redesign the municipal hardscape bulkhead into a soft-edge planted estuary. As a restorative ecology, the Vanke center landscape works to maintain native ecosystems minimize run-off, erosion and environmental damage associated with conventional modes of development.

The project is both a building and a landscape, a delicate intertwining of sophisticated engineering and the natural environment. By raising the building off of the ground plane, an open, publicly accessible park creates new social space in an otherwise closed and privatized community.

The site area is approximately 60000 square meter: of which 45000 square meter is planted. With the addition of the planted roof area of the main building (approximately 15000 square meter) - the total planted area of the project is roughly equal to the site before development.