Infinitus Plaza, the new headquarters of Infinitus – a company that researches, manufactures and promotes traditional Chinese herbal health products – opened late last year in the Baiyun Central Business District of Guangzhou, China.

The eight-story complex incorporates a series of corridors designed in the shape of infinity to encourage interaction and communication between all departments and foster connectivity, creativity and entrepreneurship, according to Zaha Hadid Architects, the firm behind the architect project design.

Spanning an area of ​​185,643 m2, the complex comprises two multi-level interconnecting buildings and includes a learning center with conference and exhibition space, research facilities, security assessment laboratories, office space, gymnasium and exercise rooms, and dining and shopping areas .

Also, the complex is designed as a gateway to the city’s new central business district, which is built on the site of the now decommissioned Baiyun Airport.

Each building is arranged around a central atrium and gardens. Rooftop jogging and walking trails, as well as other fitness areas, promote individual and overall well-being.

The building for “infinity”, made of recycled materials

The complex is located in a humid subtropical monsoon climate and has been designed and built with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification and the equivalent three-star rating of the China Green Building Program. Its life-cycle carbon emissions are estimated at 15.3% with 84.7% operational carbon emissions, according to the architects.

Its construction required more than 25,000 metric tons of recycled materials, including steel, copper, glass, aluminum alloy, plaster and wood. The design team achieved this through structural optimization that reduced the amount of concrete required in the design and increased the use of recycled materials.

According to the architects, the external terraces are designed to provide shading to the building, with their width determined through an annual solar radiation analysis.

Combined with external perforated aluminum shading panels and double-insulated and low-E glazing, natural light can reach the entire building without increasing heat and minimizing energy consumption.

The building includes an intelligent management system powered by photovoltaic panels. As part of this, a network of sprinklers will spray particles of collected rainwater onto a translucent roof with a double layer of ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene membrane that sits above each atrium. This will dissipate heat through the process of evaporative cooling, according to the architects.

More specifically, between the two membranes there is a 60 cm cavity filled with compressed air. When the sun heats the outer surface of the membrane to 35 degrees Celsius, the sprinkler system will engage and spray the surface for 3-4 minutes every half hour until the surface cools by 14 degrees Celsius, which will then reduce the internal temperatures by 5 degrees.

The rainwater collection, filtration and reuse system is also used to provide irrigation throughout the facility, including the green roofs, which cover 49.36% of the complex’s total roof area.