In a tall office building, cladding has to look right from across the lobby and from close up. From a distance, it sets the tone of the space. Up close, people notice clean joins and how the metal sits beside stone, glass and the ceiling. A curved column is especially demanding because the finish must follow its shape smoothly. This Shenzhen project brought those needs together in one metal honeycomb panel package.

Xinmao Metal supplied custom wall cladding, column covers, elevator finishes and exterior wall cladding for a 50-storey office building in Shenzhen. The package was valued at close to RMB 1 million. It included many panels for different locations and curves, all made to work together. The team checked the parts together at the factory before shipment and planned the installation work in advance. Xinmao also sent engineers to support the work on site.

The project was planned around the practical stages of construction. Curved column covers, wall panels, elevator frames and ceiling finishes all had to be installed in the right order. This preparation helped the completed spaces remain tidy and consistent once the protective film was removed.

One office building, many metal finishes

Office towers bring together entrances, lift lobbies, shared corridors and exterior walls. These places may use different finishes, but they still need to feel like one building. A column cover should belong with the wall beside it. Lift surrounds need to line up with the wall and ceiling. Exterior metal panels have a different job, but they should still suit the same overall look.

Metal honeycomb panels work well for large surfaces because they create clean, broad faces and can also be shaped for a particular location. In this project, the work ranges from flat wall areas to clear curves around building columns. Each cover was made for its wall, column, elevator or exterior wall location rather than taken from a standard range.

This matters in a lobby with tall windows. Daylight follows the curve of the panel and makes any uneven area easy to see. The column cladding has to keep a smooth line while meeting the stone-like wall finish, glass and ceiling around it. Checking the panels together at the factory helped the team prepare for a smoother installation.

Curved column cladding needs to fit the real space

The drawing shows the planned curve, but the finished building is what the panel has to fit. The column cover has to meet the floor and ceiling neatly, sit comfortably beside nearby finishes and keep its joins even when viewed from the lobby. These details decide whether a large curved metal panel feels like part of the building or like an added cover.

Protective film stays in place while the crew fits the panels around the concrete column. This allows the team to check the fit without marking the finished surface. The film also protects the metal while nearby stone and ceiling work continues. Where several shaped sections meet, a smooth curve depends on every vertical join fitting cleanly.

Checking the panels together at the factory gave the team a useful reference before shipment, especially where the column meets the wall and ceiling. The real building still needs careful attention, but the team arrives with a clearer plan. For a project with many metal details, that is far better than treating every panel as a new problem.

Wall and elevator cladding carry the same discipline into circulation areas

Lift lobbies are often the most closely viewed public areas in an office building. People pause there, face the wall and follow the door surrounds with their eyes. The finished elevator area in this project combines broad pale wall surfaces with dark metal perimeter trims and upper panels. The contrast is restrained, but it gives the opening a clear boundary and keeps the wall from reading as one uninterrupted plane.

The important detail is how the metal sits around the lift doors. The frame needs an even border around the opening and has to work with the floor and ceiling. Its side pieces and upper panel need to line up with the wall panels beside them. When the layout is right, the doors sit naturally within the wall. The metal completes the opening without making it look busy.

Dark metal wall panels and entrance-frame details were fitted before the lobby was fully finished. During this stage, the metal faces needed protection while the work continued, and necessary access had to remain available before every surface was closed. Those practical steps lead to a clean finished wall.

The ceiling service zone has to be planned with the visible finish

Metal ceiling work has to be planned with the air ducts, pipes and support rails above it. These elements share the same overhead space. The final ceiling needs to look clean while still allowing the building’s systems to work properly. The metal team therefore needs to understand the space above the finished surface as well as below it.

For this office project, the team planned early which parts would arrive on site first. That helped match the work above the ceiling with the visible metal finish below it. In a tall building, a late change can affect several floors or public areas. Settling this early helps keep the finished lobby clean and avoids awkward last-minute adjustments.

The same care is needed where a ceiling meets a curved column. The top of the cladding has to finish in a clean line. A loose edge is easy to notice under downlights or beside a tall window. Here, the column, wall and ceiling were planned together so they could read as one complete interior.

Factory checking helps installation run smoothly

The project description confirms that every cover was made precisely and checked before it reached the building. This is especially useful where several panels form one continuous curve or meet along a clean line. The factory check lets the team see how the parts sit together and prepare for handling the larger shaped pieces.

It also makes the site work more straightforward. Instead of working out the basic panel layout while several teams are active in the lobby, the crew can concentrate on fitting and aligning the panels in the actual space. Xinmao’s engineers supported this stage, helping bring the prepared metalwork into place while keeping the lines clear.

The visible surface is only part of the job. Protective film, careful handling and work around nearby finishes all affect the final result. A shaped cover must arrive in the right place and stay protected until the area is ready. When the work is well organised, visitors see a calm, finished surface rather than the work that made it possible.

One metal package across interior and exterior edges

The Shenzhen project includes exterior wall cladding as well as interior wall, column and elevator finishes. These areas have different needs, but they can still share one clear look. The metal does not need to look identical everywhere. It needs to suit each location while keeping the same care in its shape, joins and finish.

Inside the building, the focus was on the lobby, lift areas and large columns that people see up close. Outside, custom metal panels were used on the exterior walls. A single supplier was useful because wall cladding, column covers, elevator finishes and exterior cladding could be planned together rather than supplied as separate items.

The quality of office-building metalwork is often decided where two finishes meet. A curved column needs to meet the ceiling neatly. A lift frame needs to sit naturally within the wall. Panels need to arrive ready for safe, careful installation. This 50-storey Shenzhen office building required that care across a substantial metal honeycomb cladding package, from custom making and factory checks through to on-site installation support.

For office owners, designers and contractors, the benefit of this approach is simple: the public areas feel considered from the first step inside the building. Large columns do not interrupt the lobby. Lift doors sit within a clear wall layout. Metal ceiling and wall finishes support the space without competing with it. Each part has its own purpose, while the building keeps one consistent appearance.