by Rebecca Walker — April 6, 2011—Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects will design a new headquarters for Vietnam’s national oil and gas company, creating what is expected to be a landmark development in Hanoi. PetroVietnam Construction Joint Stock Corporation, a subsidiary of PetroVietnam Oil and Gas Group, selected the firm following an international competition. The project is expected to break ground by the end of the year.
In the proposed design, a 79-story tower known as PetroVietnam Tower will contain the company’s headquarters and a luxury hotel. This building will be the centerpiece of the development and the city’s tallest building. To create its distinctive silhouette, the tower will be hexagonal at the base and become triangular at the top. An adjacent 84,000-square-meter podium is composed of curving forms.
A new center for the community, the podium will include a petroleum museum and media center, shops, and a skating rink. At the opposite end of the podium will be a 47-story residential tower with curved facades and a sloping top.
Highlighting PetroVietnam’s interest in sustainable energy, the development will be designed for LEED Gold certification. A glass wall will allow visitors to view some of the building’s high-performance systems in operation. In addition, part of the podium roof will be clad in photovoltaic panels. The building’s use of advanced technology extends to its structural design, which will enable the building to withstand a severe earthquake.
Founded in 1977 and led by Cesar Pelli, Fred Clarke, and Rafael Pelli, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects has designed some of the world’s most recognizable buildings, including the World Financial Center in New York, the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, and the International Finance Centre in Hong Kong. For more information, see the Web site.
