Suzhou has been an important trading center for centuries and is now China's second largest industrial city behind Shanghai. At almost 300 square kilometers, Suzhou Industrial Park is a major logistics hub thanks to its strategic location, excellent transport links and concentration of industries. Efficient customs, quarantine and banking underpin this economic vitality, and the Suzhou Logistics Centre provides more than 55,00m2 of space for these activities.
The tower form, articulated as four sets of stacked boxes marks the logistics zone within the skyline and the stack of red boxes in the south east corner signals the entrance to the precinct. The graphic character of the building is reinforced by the red boxes appearing to be loosely rather than neatly stacked. A naturally ventilated podium wraps around the tower, with a curved glass roof linking the two and the building has achieved the highest possible sustainability rating in China, equivalent to 6 stars in Australia. Suzhou Logistics Centre is operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with a daily turnover of goods in excess of US$200m.