Launched at Times Square, Suzhou IFS to attract global investors
Developed by The Wharf (Holdings) Limited, Suzhou IFS, the tallest building in China’s Jiangsu Province, recently launched itself onto the global stage at New York’s Times Square, the “Crossroads of the World.”
As one of the few top assets available for sale globally, the building has attracted the attention of many international high-net-worth individuals, fully demonstrating its unparalleled brand value.
A new landmark of Suzhou
As the latest landmark of Suzhou, a city boasting a rich history, Suzhou IFS is the second-tallest saleable super high-rise residential building and the tallest building in Jiangsu Province certified by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).
The high-rise contains the Cloudtop Sky Villas, the NICCOLO Luxury Horizon Hotel and Flagship Offices. Offering class A office buildings and other cutting-edge property services meeting world standards, it aims to improve the life quality of urban elites. Situated in the East Lake CBD, Suzhou IFS enjoys a vast transportation network including metro lines, highways, high-speed railways and airport runways. Surrounded by world-class boutique hotels (like the Park Hyatt Hotel and the Intercontinental Hotel), cultural and entertainment facilities (like the Shin Kong Place and the Suzhou Culture and Art Center), a cluster of bank headquarters and Fortune 500 companies, the building stands proudly in the Suzhou Industrial Park and is ready to connect itself with the world.
Together with the expertise of five of the world’s leading super high-rise architectural firms, (including KPF, Wilson, ALT, WAA, and BPI), Suzhou IFS is the crystallization of state-of-the-art technology.
Drawing inspiration from the old Chinese saying of “to achieve the impossible one must be relentless in their efforts,” the design of the building not only resonates with the profound history and culture of Suzhou, but also indicates a more prosperous future. Equipped with a curtain wall made up of 32,000 special glass tiles, it has also received the Global LEED Gold Award for being Jiangsu’s Highest Green Building.
A lure to global investors
In the building of vertical cities, economic and technical costs have to be taken into account. Site selection is the key. In line with its purpose of allowing people to enjoy the convenience brought by a vertical city, a vertical complex has to be located in a prosperous area. In the planning for conventional flat cities, urban life and people’s longing for natural space are difficult to balance. But in vertical cities, such a balance can be achieved.
According to Antony Wood, executive director of CTBUH, Suzhou IFS’s multi-functional advantage and sustainable concept realize the dual values of increasing the density of the city and ensuring a high-quality living environment for a large population. The design and diversified business types of Suzhou IFS can not only satisfy the commercial interests of the owners, but will also lead to the civic value and aesthetic achievements pursued by the architecture itself. At the same time, thanks to the unique geographical advantages of the building, people can live a lifestyle in the context of super high-rise vertical urbanization and enjoy a balance between the city’s history, culture and natural landscape.
As director of Shanghai Institute of Industry Transition and Development noted, Chinese cities in recent years have been undergoing different scales of renewal as a result of limited land resources and the escalation of residents’ demands for a better quality of life. However, urban renewal is not a one-step process. Designers, developers and managers need to have a long-term vision. While taking into account the inheritance of the city’s heritage and the improvement of urban functions, they have to envision the city’s future development. Suzhou IFS is undoubtedly an exemplary urban renewal project that comprehensively considers location, humanity, scale and business functions.
According to Hugh Trumbull, design principal of KPF, because of their height, super high-rise buildings assume the responsibility of being a city’s image or icon. Therefore, when designing a super high-rise building, how to display the culture and image of the region it represents is a tricky problem. The design concept for Suzhou IFS is a perfect integration of Suzhou’s city spirit and cultural elements, which took a lot of time and effort to explore, discover, transform and integrate into the building, which is highly valuable.
According to the person in charge of the Suzhou IFS project, which offers a rare opportunity for global inventors, the Wharf’s IFS landmark series aims to unveil a new era for a city by refreshing its physical height and premier prosperity. Modeled after Hong Kong’s Harbour City, The Wharf goes northwards all the way, with its footprints in Chengdu, Chongqing, Changsha, Wuxi and of course Suzhou. By introducing forward-looking service brands to drive regional upgrade, The Wharf is committed to pushing new vertical limits for Chinese future cities.
The Suzhou IFS is located at 409 East Suzhou Avenue, Suzhou Industrial Park. The 59th to 83rd floors, covering an area of 130-200 square meters (1,400-2,100 square feet) in total, are available for pre-order at a discount.
