Qingdao, a major city in China’s eastern Shandong province, is witnessing a high-rise construction boom with the Haitian Center being built on the grounds of the former famed Haitian Hotel. Lerch Bates has been selected by Qingdao Conson Real Estate Co., Ltd. to design the vertical and horizontal transportation systems for the project’s three towers.
Construction of the Haitian Center began in early June with the demolition of Qingdao’s Haitian Hotel. The 600-room five-star hotel had been an essential part of the city’s skyline for more than 27 years but was deemed outdated and was leveled to make room for the new Haitian Center. Situated between Xianggang Xi and Donghai Xi roads, the Haitian Center is a massive mixed-used development designed by Archilier Architecture that will include three high-rise towers with the tallest rising 1,210 feet high with spectacular views of the Yellow Sea. The project will feature a 450-room five-star hotel, 235-room 6-star hotel, Class A office space, business club, high-end residential units, luxury brand retail stores and a vast convention center.
“China is witnessing historic and unparalleled growth in the construction of high-rise structures across the county,” said Jeff Marsh, Lerch Bates’ vice president of business development and marketing. “Lerch Bates is truly thankful to be such an integral part of the region’s explosive development by providing vertical transportation and façade access consulting services for many of China’s most prominent projects. Haitian Center will allow our firm to showcase the latest in elevator, escalator and façade access designs.”
Founded in 1947, Lerch Bates is the oldest and largest elevator and escalator consulting firm in the world and has built a reputation as the premier designer of façade access systems. Lerch Bates has consulted on the vertical transportation and façade access systems, permanent equipment and rigs utilized for servicing exterior façades including window washing and maintenance, of many of the world’s tallest buildings including the 2,717-foot (428-meter) Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 1,667-foot (508-meter) Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan, 1,476-foot (450-meter) Nanjing Greenland Financial Center in Nanjing, China and 1,389-foot (423-meter) Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, Illinois.
Headquartered in New York City, with a satellite office in Shanghai, Archilier Architecture is a dynamic architectural design firm serving a wide range of clients worldwide. The core members of Archilier Architecture together have extensive experience in the various design fields of architecture, master planning, BIM practice and Green Design. Its international team of design experts has a broad range of experience designing and leading projects in the United States and Asia, most notably hotels, resorts, retail centers, office complexes and large scale mixed-use developments. Archilier Architecture strives to design projects that respect the distinct cultural, social and architectural traditions of communities while also reflecting the unique visions of its clients. To learn more, visit archilier.com.
Construction of the Haitian Center is expected to complete in 2017.
China Resources Center
“The China Resources Headquarters tower is one of those magnificent projects that companies in our industry dream about being a part of the design team,” said Jeff Marsh, Lerch Bates’ vice president of business development and marketing. “As China continues to witness tremendous growth in the construction of high-rise structures across the country, Lerch Bates is both eager and prepared to be a part of the teams that design the future tallest buildings in the world.”
Construction of the project began in October 2012.