The Huijin International Center (HIC), designed by Leo A Daly, has received the Luban Prize, the country's premier award for design and construction. The 30-story, 52,000-square-meter tower, which is located in the coastal city of Xiamen, serves as the headquarters for Septwolves Holding Company, a publicly traded holding company with more than 4,000 fashion stores in China.
The project's scope included the tower core and shell design, custom lobby design, chairman's 30th-floor private apartment and gallery, the full 29th floor fit-out of the investment group's offices, and a two-story VIP board room with views to the South China Sea.
Leo A Daly designed the tower and interiors to express the culture and mission of the Septwolves Company. The tower's soft curves emulate fabric draped on the human figure, and the sinuous bands that form the lobby's ceiling are inspired by traditional Chinese linens rippling in the nearby South China Sea breeze. The company's name, Seven Wolves, is expressed in the stone feature wall of the main lobby, where wolf paw prints are etched.
"The Luban Award is the highest architectural and engineering prize in China," commented Stephen Wright, managing principal of Leo A Daly Washington, D.C. "Winning the award puts Huijin International Center in the company of high-profile projects such as Beijing's Capital Airport Terminal 3 and the Beijing National Stadium known as The Bird's Nest."
Established in 1989 and awarded biennially, the award provides recognition of architectural and engineering firms who illustrate strong quality control and project management skills and produce high-quality projects that stand the test of time.