# Elevated Exoskeleton Office Towers SOM Hangs ‘Sany IROOTECH Headquarters’ From a Steel Exoskeleton By Adam Harrie | Written with AI assistance | Published 2026-11-05 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/elevated-exoskeleton-office-towers References: [yankodesign](https://www.yankodesign.com/2026/11/03/soms-sany-irootech-headquarters-hangs-its-floors-from-a-giant-steel-exoskeleton)  SOM turned ‘Sany IROOTECH Headquarters’ into an elevated office complex by linking two towers with a podium and hanging the occupied floors from a steel exoskeleton. The move opens a shaded public plaza at ground level while giving the building a [column-free interior](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/steel-house-1) and a stronger street presence. The structure uses a diamond-patterned exterior frame and [floors suspended from perimeter ring beams](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/50-fenchurch-street-project). That setup also allows the project to shift between office, hotel and residential uses, while [inward-leaning curtain walls create terraces](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/baan-oo) at each module. The 65-meter trusses spanning the podium make the ground plane usable as sheltered public space instead of leftover clearance. The 24-hour elevator connection to the district walkway network widens the headquarters’ role beyond office access and turns the base into part of Pazhou’s pedestrian circulation. Image Credit: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.6/10 - Popularity: 41% | Activity: 26% | Freshness: 100% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/design) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Suspended Office Architecture:** Steel exoskeletons and hanging floor plates create column-free interiors that support more flexible workplace, hospitality and residential configurations. - **Shaded Public Plazas:** Elevated building forms convert ground-level space into sheltered civic areas, expanding the social and commercial value of dense urban sites. - **Adaptive Mixed-use Towers:** Modular structural systems allow high-rise buildings to shift between office, hotel and residential functions as market demand changes. ### Where This Applies - **Commercial Real Estate:** Flexible tower layouts and activated public bases introduce new leasing models for premium urban developments. - **Architecture and Engineering:** Exoskeleton-based structural design enables distinctive skylines while solving interior span, circulation and placemaking challenges. - **Urban Planning:** Integrated pedestrian networks and shaded plazas reshape headquarters buildings into connective infrastructure within high-density districts. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Gateway Tower Complexes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/alatau-iconic-complex.md) - [Playful Futuristic Work Campuses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/max-zone.md) - [Terraced Mixed-Use Towers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-hangzhou-prism.md) - [AI-Assisted Convention Centres](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/west-bund-convention-centre.md) - [Metal-Clad Exhibition Pavilions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-chengdu-pavilion.md) - [Pyramidal Mixed-Use Towers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hangzhou-prism.md) - [Concrete Grid-Forward Commercial Towers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/concrete-grid.md) - [Sculptural Office Building Facades](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/extreme-summer-temperatures.md)