Empire City

By Ole Scheeren © Buro-OS

Nature Bursts into the Sky to Integrate Landscape and City in a High-Rise Ensemble for Vietnam’s New Generation
TYPE
Mixed-use, High-rise, Residential, Office, Hotel, Commercial
STATUS
Concept Design 2017/18
CLIENT
Empire City LLC
LOCATION
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
SITE
Empire City, Area 2B, Thu Thiem New Urban Area, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City
SCALE
Gross Floor Area: 362,900 m2
HEIGHT
333 meters (Empire 88 Tower, MU1, 88 floors above ground)
165 meters (Office Tower MU2, 36 floors above ground)
124 meters (Residential Tower MU3, 34 floors above ground)
PROGRAM
Empire 88 Tower, MU1 174,800 m2 (Residential 71,800 m2, Collaborative Office 10,500 m2, Commercial 32,500 m2, Hotel 35,000 m2,
Service Apartment 25,000 m2)
MU2 109,900 m2 (Office 75,900 m2, Commercial 34,000 m2)
MU3 78,200 m2 (Residential 47,400 m2, Commercial 30,800 m2)

Empire City, a spectacular ensemble of high-rise towers and public spaces, marks Büro Ole Scheeren’s expansion into Vietnam. It is set to become a new focal point of Ho Chi Minh City, sculpting a symbiotic vision of nature and living within the space of the city.

Situated on a central peninsula of the Saigon River, the project will generate an integrative environment that fuses natural landscape with the rapidly growing metropolis. As a result, new qualities of urban living will emerge in this mixed-use environment of work, life, culture, entertainment and public enjoyment.

Three skyscrapers will soar above a mountain-shaped, garden-like podium, with the central Empire 88 Tower reaching a height of 333 meters. Its 88 floors will encompass residences, apartments, a hotel and a public observation deck. Breaking open the shaft of the tower and projecting vertical gardens at towering heights, the expressively undulating platforms of the “Sky Forest” will elevate the podium’s urban landscape into the sky. Hovering terraces will cantilever in manifold directions around the tower’s central axis, reaching out into the urban context and the peninsula’s natural surroundings as a gesture of reconciliation between the city and the countryside.

The “Sky Forest”, with its alluring interplay of interior and exterior, will create a magical journey through Vietnam’s tropical landscape. Densely populated with a variety of local plant species and water features, the multi-level experience will give breathtaking views across Ho Chi Minh City and the Saigon River, accessible to the tower’s residents and the public alike.

At the very top of the landmark tower, the “Cloud Space” will complete the vertical journey and stage a public arena with flexible possibilities for events and recreational activities, celebrating the glistening views of the bustling metropolis.

The podium will echo Vietnam’s mesmerizing landscape, with its poetic soft hills and cultivated terraced rice fields, and will anchor the tower ensemble to the ground. A variety of layered, open spaces will engage the public in a multitude of experiences throughout this grand urban garden. An extensive network of public activities will be threaded throughout the modulated structure, connecting commercial areas with recreational environments. Custom-designed co-working spaces will be integrated into multiple floors of this terraced foundation and engage the collaborative spirit of Ho Chi Minh City’s vibrant startup culture.

In addition to the soaring landmark tower, two accompanying high-rises will comprise more traditional office typologies and residential spaces atop the landscape podium.

The project is developed by Empire City Limited Liability Company, a multi-national joint venture of prominent names in real estate development in Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong – Tien Phuoc Real Estate JSC, Keppel Land Ltd., Gaw Capital Partners and Tran Thai Lands Co., Ltd.

PROJECT CREDITS
DESIGN TEAM
DESIGN ARCHITECT: Buro Ole Scheeren, Beijing
PRINCIPAL / DESIGN: Ole Scheeren
PARTNER: Eric Chang, Dan Cheong
PROJECT LEADER: Jaturon Kingminghae
CONCEPT TEAM: : Michael Cavander, Boonyakorn Chandhanayingyong, Jing Chen, Phittawat Chittapraneerat, Wisitsan Disyawongs, Claudia Hertrich, Marcel Holmberg, Eakapob Huangthahapan, Panitnan Patanayindee, Yanyadech Phornphong, Chen Shao, Aticha Siriphand; with Don Chen, Julian Granados, Henry Han, Lidiia Lukianova, Dan Narita, Praveen Ramachandran, Angie Su, Yefan Zhang, Bruno Zhao, Yurj Zini

CONSULTANTS
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: Arup, Shanghai
VERTICAL TRANSPORTATION: Movveo, London

PROJECT IMAGERY: Buro Ole Scheeren
SAN, Beijing (computer renderings)
Shard Island, Beijing (computer animations)
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