Foremost aim of this architectural and landscape proposal has been to create an architectural landmark that solves all functional aspects and serves the citizens, strong enough to be an adequate counterpart to the monstrous station building.
A whole string of hybrid buildings is lined up in front of the station, offering a very urban mix of uses and a (semi-)public interior atmosphere along a sequence of functions. Pedestrians can walk through the cluster and pass by shopping-malls and retailers, restaurants, cafés and tea houses, service and cultural facilities, exhibition and show rooms, hotel lobbies and such of business apartments and offices. A system of pedestrian paths is crossing and interconnecting the buildings and the main plaza, making it a permeable connection from the city to the station, equipped with open green spaces for the public and for the users of the buildings.
The overall idea is to form a ‘window to the city’, by the buildings’ architectural shape, by their function and in their façade design. A building volume forming the elements ‘frame and window’ is floating above a two-storey podium with a variety of uses for the public. The ‘windows’ – more or less transparent – will enhance the visibility and interaction between plaza activities and interior universe of each building. Moreover, these ‘windows’ can be used as multimedia screens serving for information, entertainment, and public events. They will indicate significant locations for public urban activities and welcome guests and visitors.
The railway station itself is focus and starting point of future development, with its plazas facing the south-western and north-eastern urban areas as linkage and connection. Both plazas serve as entrance to the city and functional hub for several traffic systems, but with different characters.
The squares will be vitalized by an attractive use of the encompassing buildings, and by their sophisticated landscape. Around the (Western) Main Square a sequence of smaller plazas and landscape features will be implemented to interact with various traffic elements, like subway access, bus terminal, taxi stand, car parking, ‘kiss & ride’, etc. The entity of squares is serving as forum and platform for numerous urban functions and activities, emphasizing the stay qualities along with the function as traffic hub.
The linear structures of the plazas are anchoring the Railway Station as their central element. A water axis is the connecting element between the two plazas. As ‘slow lane’ with rather calm character it is contrasting the ‘fast lane’ for traffic affairs. Tree groves serve as spatial structure and frame setting to create proportionate and human-scale spaces. Finally, a sequence of green spots and pocket parks are implemented as rest areas during the day, supported by an adequate lighting concept at night.
The first design proposal creates a dense and efficient architecture concentrated along an urban axis. The city hall itself is connected to the urban road system through a representative street. The solution allows to give land area back to the city that can be used for parks, cultural centre etc.
A governmental building is created that is linked to Chinese culture, but also expresses Yingkou’s aspirations of being a modern city and reference in China.
Three main elements are symbolizing traditional Chinese culture: Podium and roof reminds of traditional Chinese constructions; a monumental volume emphasizing the middle expresses the representative character of the building. By contrast, the building’s functions are quite contemporary.
Entering the main building though its promising golden gate, the effect of the grand lobby is similar to that of an amethyst geode: rough and strong stone on the outside, marvellous crystals on the inside.
Not much different from the main building, the lateral ‘secondary office building’ and the ‘public affairs building’ are made of white stone towards the outside and glass with different transparencies to the interior courtyards. Both building parts are covered by a fifth façade: a metallic reflective roof that protects against rain and sun.
The second proposal refers to the layout of Beijing’s Forbidden City and gives it a modern interpretation.
The way buildings are designed and arranged in the Forbidden City reflects the world-view of the Chinese: The union of human being and nature based on balance and harmony, as well as a philosophy that reflects on the functions buildings are intended for. This style of architecture expressed in the Imperial Palace has been emulated all over China.
In a contemporary application of the ancient principles, buildings are expanding all over the plot providing a variety of courtyards and intimate plazas. On the one hand those buildings have different functions and sizes; on the other hand they show similarity in the language of their façade. Unifying element is an arcade, which interconnects the building parts and links them to the main building. The arcade’s secondary function is to open the ground floor to the surrounding nature.
The general building arrangement follows Chinese traditional culture: The main office building is the highest and biggest building in the centre of the cluster, with a lower building to the south that acts as reception of the entire complex. Both volumes are linked by a glass roof which incorporates the conference space.
Whereas the left side traditionally means promotion or higher-ranking (hence accommodates the ‘secondary office building’), the right side means demotion or lower-ranking (and is the location of the ‘public affairs building’).
Program spaces on the first 6 floors are: a subterranean parking garage, retail, cinemas, and restaurants. The floors 7-64 are mainly office areas provided for the various companies, separated by green atrium spaces programmed for restaurants, relaxation, conference facilities, etc. A sky-garden with restaurants and shops on the rooftop will be open to the public.
The ecological concept combines: natural ventilation and cooling and passive heating through a double-skin façade and sky gardens, ground cooling and stack ventilation, sun tracking photo voltaic panels embedded within the outer building envelope, electro-chromic glass for sun shading.
The LED multi media façade within the inner office envelope will be the social interface with the public and is intended to show live chats, videos, images, adverts and news.
Metal in a warm charcoal grey is used for windows and secondary cladding elements, e.g. for hidden air conditioning units.
The project includes a 9-level newly constructed office tower, the façade of which follows the same design principles as the refurbished buildings, making it an inseparable part of the whole development.
A mix of human scale and green technology forms the corporate image and the chance to give the company a thriving, prosperous impetus. The headquarter tow¬er emerges vertically as image and landmark of the whole plot. It resembles a jet turbine: generated by a radial plan, narrower at the base, widening on the floors above before tapering to its top, giving a distinctive outline on the masterplan.
The building is curved vertically and horizontally. Without sharp edges it is hard to catch the real scale of the building, giving it a sense of lightness compared with the surrounding high-rises. The tower appears more slender than a rectangular block of equivalent size. Moreover, the aerodynamic form – like wings of an airplane – is minimizing wind loads on the structure and cladding. The shape allows much of the area to be landscaped, providing a valuable outdoor area in the heart of the masterplan. The base of the building is a circle, surrounded by a sunken plaza.
The distinctive tower has been designed as a ‘green building’ that resolves walls and roof in a continuous skin. A fully glazed double-façade – highly insulated and with integrated sun-protection – is opening up the building to light and views. Atriums between the radiating fingers of each floor are linked vertically in a spiral. In this way a series of informal spaces – as refreshment points or meeting areas equipped with cascading greenery as winter gardens – are created inside the building.
The tower is naturally ventilated, as fresh and filtered air is drawn up through the double-façade and the spiraling light wells (functioning as the building’s “lungs”), reducing the need for air-conditioning and central heating. Light wells and building shape maximize the amount of natural light throughout.
The exterior cladding is made of glass panels of various transparencies. The office areas are equipped with a double skin with central ventilated cavity containing solar-control blinds.
Last not least, the tower generates a strong night-time image thanks to its ‘vibrating’ façade.
Four buildings line up in alternation with inner courtyards around a fifth building, the central middle wing.
The structure of the five coupled blocks is arranged so to provide a high level of flexibility. Each floor can either be used separately, i.e. by up to five office tenanci
As another welcome gesture, the gradually rising surface of one of the buildings, allegorizing a ‘stairway to heaven’, is forming a sculptural event in a cautious, yet fascinating way. It will be memorable to everyone perceiving it, even to people accidentally passing by. The building will not impose itself; it will rather attract people by making them curious about what might follow next.
It is actually the initial image of a diversified, sophisticated sequence of spaces which lead to a beautiful park, flanking the south-west side of the building complex.
The richness of urban space is beneficial to the adjacent projects, such as hotel and governmental buildings.
The specific organization of buildings and open spaces allows a great variety of layouts with representative entrances. The position of entrances as well as the floor plans can be changed and adapted in many ways, in order to offer a great variety of business and commercial spaces.
In addition, main functions will include diverse commercial services, mixed retail and shopping mall, an international hospital as well as apartments. Brief: a new commercial centre will be developed within the booming Binhai New Development Zone.
In peak hours, the motor flow rate passing in and out Binhai Station will be about 2,600 pcu per hour. Dealing with the heavy vehicle-bound traffic and the massive passenger flows between the different public transportation modes was one of the key issues of the urban planning which could be solved in an efficient, logical and elegant way.
Impetus for the architectural design on the other hand was to create a distinctive building as initialization for the rapidly growing urban surrounding. This building should convey a strong yet calm gesture to serve as durable and timeless centre within the upcoming environment. An urban axis has been created focussing on the centre of the building and strengthening its raised middle part. Furthermore the building is closely connected to the vast open public squares on both sides of the railway line, to emphasize the comfortable pedestrian exchange between all the means of private and public transport: kiss-and-ride, taxi, 3 subway and LRT lines crossing the station underneath, city buses, long-distance coaches, etc.
Despite the sometimes exaggerated requirements for the size of public spaces in China, human scale and priority to pedestrians have been the leading design ideas. The facade is one important element to strengthen this strategy: Approaching the station, the innovative structure of the facade will create various blurring impressions, making passengers and visitors curious to come closer.
Whereas the functional layout of the station is rather simple and economic, the façade is the outstanding element which – by simple means: irregularly twisted metal stripes – creates a memorable building for the public.
In this building traditional and contemporary elements are combined: A three-partite, symmetrical volume in classical proportions gives the impression of importance, durability and solidity, all of which are essential for setting the building off from an (expected) heterogeneous urban surrounding. The red metal curtain emphasizes this effect: It can be seen and read like the curtain in a theatre, where the station serves as stage for human interaction. The dominating red colour is one of the traditional colours of Tianjin and ties the building to its location.
The design is mediating between a conventional station building and a symbol for the needs of the future, which are rather represented in a platform for different traffic modes than in a traditional railway station.
Seen from outside, the identity of the building cluster is created by focusing architecture, landscape and traffic upon the main and tallest – 100 meters high – office tower housing AVIC’s headquarters.
A mix of human scale and green technology forms the corporate image and prospective business strength, and by that the chance to give the company a thriving, prosperous impetus. Location, project requirements and character of the enterprise are generating a pioneer function for the whole area, in which the center is the protagonist regarding function and public space.
The entire ensemble will be experienced as a sequence of interconnected yet distinct volumes of towers. The very group of buildings encircling the main tower conveys the park its characteristic profile when seen from different directions.
The integrated spatial framework of the development unfolds in line with its two perpendicular main axes, spanning the park horizontally like two gigantic dragons, from which the headquarter tower is emerging vertically as image and landmark of the whole plot.
The core area comprises research and laboratory centres, public services like hotel as well as supporting business and office buildings. A communication and training center is located right at the starting point of the North-South axis. In the sequence, major office buildings, small-sized innovative businesses as well as an exhibition center are lined up.
The architectural language follows the uses, with abstract and rhythmic facades combining 3 different materials: Dark metal panels are conveying elegance, solidity and presence to the AVIC buildings. Light grey is used for the small offices, reflecting a more dynamic, juvenile character; finally glass for the public conference building and the main towers, generating at the same time a strong night-time image.
The combination of open courtyards inside the buildings and a unique landscape concept integrating large green roofs as fifth façade does not only meet the requirements of advanced office concepts. The open space concept also shapes an unmistakable atmosphere for corporate culture, for a rather casual working style and a climate of interaction and communication, all of which are necessary for fostering innovation and progress.
