Project Location: Guangzhou, China
Project Type: Super high-rise office and commercial complex
GETO Products: Aluminium formwork system, climbing scaffold (jump lift system), climbing formwork for elevator shafts
Project Overview
The Guangzhou Technology & Finance Center is located in the core plot of Guangzhou Science City. With a total gross floor area of approximately 370,000 m², the project comprises two 200-metre landmark super high-rise buildings and two 150-metre super high-rise buildings, covering premium Grade-A office space and a large-scale commercial complex. It is positioned as a “Financial Industry Headquarters Economy Centre”.
The architectural design is based on the concept of a “Waterfall of Clouds” (Yunpu), featuring curved glass curtain walls and a streamlined exterior that shapes the district’s landmark image. According to public reports, after the main structure reached its full height, the project entered subsequent stages including curtain wall installation, landscaping, and interior finishing. The project is also known as the “Yunxi Twin Towers”, a landmark super high-rise building that combines premium office functions with an iconic urban image.
Project Characteristics & Construction Challenges
1. Complex curved façade with a unique profile on every floor
The most critical construction difficulty of this project arises from its complex curved exterior profile. The design creates a streamlined appearance, with the overall structural outline forming a double-curved surface:
- The east and west façades bulge outward, while the north and south façades curve inward;
- The vertical profile first expands outward and then narrows upward;
- The perimeter line of each floor is different, with a maximum outward expansion of approximately 1.5 metres.
This “changing-every-floor” curved geometry imposes extremely high demands on the external protection system (climbing scaffold). A standard planar scaffold cannot be used; instead, the attachment, cover plates, keels, and edge protection must be adapted floor by floor to match the changing façade profile.
2. Additional technical challenges from curved geometry
The main structure has a curved form, and the façade design, inspired by “flowing clouds”, delivers a distinctive flowing architectural expression. Beyond the scaffold system’s need to adapt to the curved surface, the aluminium formwork system also requires detailed design to accommodate non-standard structural elements. Moreover, as a super high-rise project, limited vertical transport capacity and a tight construction schedule pose significant challenges for the integrated management and coordination of the three systems: aluminium formwork, climbing scaffold, and climbing formwork for elevator shafts.
3. Significant edge gaps
During the early planning stage, the project team recognised that the curved façade would create large edge gaps during structural construction. To address this, the team adopted digital modelling, digital material take-off, and a double-curve‑fitted special-shaped climbing scaffold. This placed higher demands on design accuracy, fabrication quality of non-standard components, and on-site installation fit for both the formwork and protection systems compared to conventional super high-rise projects.
GETO Solution
1. One-stop integrated solution
GETO provided an integrated solution comprising the aluminium formwork system, climbing scaffold (jump lift system), and climbing formwork for elevator shafts, covering detailed design, product manufacturing, on-site construction guidance, and full technical support. Through the coordinated integration of multiple systems, the project reduced coordination difficulties typically caused by multiple suppliers, improved overall construction efficiency, and enhanced on-site management capability.
2. Custom scaffold design for the curved façade
To address the challenges posed by the irregular geometry, GETO carried out a purpose‑designed optimisation of the conventional climbing scaffold, developing a curved climbing scaffold solutionthat perfectly matches the building’s curved form. Key design innovations include:
- Retractable wall attachment brackets – adapting to changing attachment point positions on the curved façade at different floor levels, ensuring stable anchorage;
- Double cover plates (auxiliary turning platforms) – bridging the curved gap between the scaffold and the structure, effectively preventing falling object risks at height;
- Retractable main frames and retractable keels – allowing the scaffold profile to adjust floor by floor as the façade first expands outward and then narrows upward, enabling curved climbing movement.
These innovations significantly improved the safety, stability, and adaptability of the climbing scaffold system during construction, effectively meeting the demands of a super high-rise project with complex building geometry.
3. Coordination of aluminium formwork and elevator shaft climbing formwork
- Aluminium formwork system – custom detailed design was carried out for non-standard floor slabs with curved edges and for the core wall areas, ensuring concrete forming accuracy and surface quality.
- Climbing formwork for elevator shafts – a dedicated climbing system was adopted to enable rapid vertical construction of the super high‑rise elevator shafts, synchronising with the external climbing scaffold and aluminium formwork for a balanced workflow.
4. Multi-system integration to reduce interface coordination difficulties
In this project, GETO provided not a single product but a combined solution covering multiple stages: main structure construction, external protection, and vertical construction of elevator shafts. For a super high‑rise building with a complex curved façade, this multi‑system integration significantly reduces coordination difficulties between multiple suppliers, improves solution consistency, and enhances on‑site execution efficiency.
Project Value
The Guangzhou Technology & Finance Center “Yunpu” Twin Towers project is a representative case of GETO successfully applying integrated multi‑system solutions (aluminium formwork + climbing scaffold + elevator shaft climbing formwork) in a complex curved super high‑rise building.
This project fully demonstrates GETO’s core capabilities:
- Multi‑system integration capability – all three formwork and scaffolding systems are uniformly detailed, delivered, and serviced, reducing coordination costs and ensuring a smooth construction rhythm.
- Curved‑surface adaptive design capability – through key innovations in the climbing scaffold (retractable brackets, retractable keels, curved cover plates, etc.), GETO solved the edge protection challenge posed by the “changing‑every‑floor” curved façade.
- Super high‑rise comprehensive service capability – from digital material take‑off to on‑site technical support, covering the entire main structure construction process of a super high‑rise building.
This case is particularly suitable for demonstrating GETO’s solution capability in the scenario of “non‑standard façade + super high‑rise construction + multi‑system integration”, providing a reusable technical approach for similar curved landmark projects.
Leveraging the strong capabilities and brand influence of a listed company, along with years of experience in global expansion, extensive market coverage, and mature cross-border operational capabilities, GETO has established 12 major production bases worldwide and registered the “GETO®” international trademark in 32 countries and regions. Its products are sold to more than 60 countries and regions, including Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, South America, Australia, Europe, and North America, as well as Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan. The company consistently adheres to its brand philosophy of “Set industry benchmark, create world-renowned brand,” and insists on the high standard of “benchmark demonstration projects” for every project. By delivering “high-quality” products and services, it provides comprehensive “1+N” system solutions for green, new, intelligent buildings, fully creating value for its customers.