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INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
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PRINCE BAY DACHENG PLAZA, CHINA AEDAS
Established in 1979, the site in Beijing, China was originally the Dacheng Flour Factory – one of the most impressive landmarks of the area with an iconic cylindrical silo. Now with preservation of history in mind, Aedas Global design principal Kevin Wang has led his team to propose a design that balances the past and future. The mixed-use project integrates offices, apartments, commerce, cultural and arts, and museum uses while facing “multiple restrictions” like the irregularly-shaped plot caused by the existing structures.
Images © Foster + Partners
A CENTRE FOR HANGZHOU, CHINA FOSTER + PARTNERS
Foster + Partners has won the international competition to design a centre for Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province. The masterplan creates a green and interconnected mixed-use quarter, at the heart of the Yuhang District.
The masterplan creates a 24-hour district, where people can live, work and play with a mix of public amenities – including offices, nurseries, sports facilities and a shopping centre – in close proximity to vibrant, human-scale neighbourhoods.
The masterplan is organised around a 2.5 km central axis that runs the full length of the site, from north to south. The axis intersects with different bodies of water, generating five distinctive zones with unique characteristics.
Extensive landscaping along the central axis guides people through the district. Green space also bookends the site with a new public park to the north, and a new cultural hub that connects with a wetland to the south. Cultural landmarks – such as a public library, an exhibition hall and galleries – are located along the full length of the axis. This allows people across the district to access a rich programme of arts and culture.
A busy urban centre with a “dynamic skyline” has been created. Across the site, public transport responds to the needs of local users and connects seamlessly with the city’s wider infrastructure systems. The project aims to achieve China’s 3-star green rating, as well as LEED and WELL Community Gold certification.
By placing the cultural functions and the museum vertically in one of the tallest buildings within the plot, the design echoes the cylindrical silos while creating a cultural interface for the city. The design follows a pattern of disparate heights as an attempt to connect the old and new buildings with a unified architectural language. The building volume is further slimmed down to create a lively commercial interface. “By horizontally connecting four cubes of different sizes in two layers, they form a zigzag arrangement that eliminates the oppressive feeling usually brought about by inner high-rise residential and office towers,” commented the architects.
The residential towers are placed in the inner part of the plot, allowing the residents to enjoy a quiet environment and panoramic scenery of the sea. The commercial towers are placed along the main roads where it is easily accessible, with a double-height lobby space.
Built with heavy stone materials and glass curtain walls, the podium “resonates with the original historical features of the site while injecting vitality and realising a dialogue between the old and the new,” added the architects. The project will be topped out by the end of the year, and the facade – completed at the exhibition centre – will be open to the public in mid October.
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ADF NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023
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