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Recently, the "Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) Solution for Supertall Buildings" submitted by FORCITIS stood out in the prestigious 2026 CVU China Awards, successfully winning the Facade Innovation Award  for its outstanding innovative design and low-carbon practices.

Implemented at the Shandong Energy Group Jinan International Trade Industrial Park, this solution successfully balances aesthetic appeal and energy efficiency—a common challenge for supertall buildings striving for "Dual Carbon" goals—injecting green technological momentum into the city's skyline.

The Innovation Award recognizes recent achievements—demonstrated through testing, research, or practical application—that are suitable for implementation in tall buildings[

I. Behind the Honor

Two 172.5-meter-high twin towers stand tall in Jinan's Hanyu Golden Valley. As the designated facade designer for the project, FORCITIS was tasked not only with delivering a total facade design area of 108,000 square meters but also with a critical mission: leveraging BIPV technology to help the development achieve the 3-Star Green Building standard, along with a rigorous target of reducing energy consumption by at least 35% for each tower.

II. Addressing Key Pain Points

Applying BIPV in supertall projects often presents challenges such as "conflicts between power generation targets and architectural aesthetics" as well as "difficulties in component selection and system compatibility." To overcome these hurdles, the project team established a comprehensive, full-process methodology: "Layout – Component Selection – Simulation – Optimization."

• Strategic Layout: The boundaries for PV integration were defined based on human-scale perspective and functional compatibility. The team bypassed visually sensitive refuge floors, opting instead for areas such as the tower crowns, podium canopies, skylights, and exhibition hall facades.

• High-Efficiency Generation: High-efficiency monocrystalline silicon components were deployed in non-visual focal points, such as the tower crowns, to maximize power output.

• Aesthetic Integration: In visually critical areas like the skylights and exhibition hall facades, the team customized cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film PV glass with a 40% light transmittance. This ensured the seamless integration of PV components with the architectural facade, keeping the technology hidden in plain sight.

III. Precision Decision-Making

To ensure that every single photovoltaic panel delivers maximum value, the project team conducted rigorous solar radiation simulations:

• Scientific Selection: Simulations revealed that while the annual solar radiation on the tower crown roof reached as high as 1,335 kWh/m², the protective railings suffered from severe shading, yielding extremely low efficiency.

• Efficiency-First Strategy: The team proactively proposed an "efficiency-first" strategy, removing low-yield areas. Ultimately, with minimal incremental investment, the solution achieved a target annual generation of 540,400 kWh for a single tower.

IV. Meticulous Implementation

The successful implementation of a supertall BIPV solution demands meticulous attention to detail. During the detailed design phase, the project team strictly controlled the specifications of the components, achieving deep integration between the photovoltaic system and the facade system. Notably, in key visual zones, a highly sophisticated double-glazed insulating Low-E, ultra-clear PV glass was utilized, combining soundproofing, thermal insulation, and power generation in one seamless package.

This award is yet another validation of FORCITIS’s technical expertise and accumulation in the field of green building design. We firmly believe that photovoltaics should not be an afterthought added to a finished building, but rather a holistic system integrated from the very inception of design.

Moving forward, FORCITIS will continue to deepen its expertise in BIPV technology, helping more supertall buildings transition from "energy consumers" to "energy producers" and driving the construction industry toward a zero-carbon future.