Tencent Seafront Towers

The HQ of energy and fire performance

High energy savings and safety for a suburban tech campus

Tencent is one of the largest Internet companies in the world, providing a variety of online and digital services including the WeChat app. The company’s new landmark headquarters in Shenzhen consists of two towers of 50 floors and 41 floors respectively, connected by three bridges. 

The ‘vertical campus’ includes advanced sustainability features to maximise passive energy efficiency. For architects NBBJ, employee well-being was a key requirement of the design and they chose ROCKWOOL insulation to further improve energy efficiency and ensure fire safety for this huge project.

Thermalrock was used for general insulation since it offers thermal performance to low U-values and allows Tencent’s building to breathe. This creates a healthy indoor climate for workers, with good air quality all year round, which is an important consideration for the hot and humid climate of southern China.

As well as ensuring positive thermal performance, fire resilience was important too. Rocksafe was therefore used as fire protection for the curtain wall since it is made of stone wool that withstands temperatures above 1000°C. It provides fire compartmentation on each floor of the Tencent building and so prevents the risk of fire spreading. Since Tencent Seafront Towers’ curtain wall incorporates a modular shading system that varies according to the degree of sun exposure, ROCKWOOL’s technical service team provided a highly customised fire insulation solution for the building.

Now, energy consumption and carbon emissions are 40% less than those from a typical office tower and Tencent Seafront Towers has gained LEED NC Gold certification. The use of stone wool, which is 100% recyclable, also complements the sustainability features of this amazing building.

Project Data