• International Urban Planning Competition 1st Prize
  • MIPIM Asia Awards’ Bronze winner in the Category ‘Best Urban Regeneration Project’ 2013
  • International ‘ICONIC Awards’, Winner in the Category ‘Best Urban Planning Concept’, awarded by German Design Council 2013

The complex task was no less than creating the new Cultural Centre of Tianjin, a 13 million city neighbouring Beijing and main motor of the 3rd biggest economic region of China. By its unique location in the heart of the metropolis, opposite of the City Hall, the area is not only front yard of the city government, but moreover name card and living room of the city as a whole. 

Location
Tianjin / China
Client
Tianjin City Planning Bureau
Gross Floor Area
850,000 m² (new buildings, only TCP)
Land area
4.65 km²
Design
2008
Construction
2010-2012
Beside overall Urban and Traffic Planning, the commissioned services included Landscape & Open Space Design of the entire Culture Park, integration of subterranean traffic and retail areas, Water Management and guidelines for Lighting Design. The project is core, focal point and “heart and soul” of the entire city. The area comprises Opera House & Chinese …

Beside overall Urban and Traffic Planning, the commissioned services included Landscape & Open Space Design of the entire Culture Park, integration of subterranean traffic and retail areas, Water Management and guidelines for Lighting Design.
The project is core, focal point and “heart and soul” of the entire city. The area comprises Opera House & Chinese Theatre, 5 museums, Library, Youth Centre and a vast shopping mall, with totally 1 million m²GFA (85% newly constructed).

A core area of about 400x1200m forms a generous open space, able to accommodate a variety of large-scale public open air events. A dynamic set of cultural spaces are interconnected and unified through the artful use of water as core design element.

A large, 10ha lake is iconic feature, main attraction and ecological anchor for the site. Furthermore, it is essential element of the sustainable water-management concept, unique in China in the realized dimension.

A surrounding pedestrian promenade connects all buildings in a smooth, convenient, winding movement. The northern arc-shaped boulevard is embracing the Town Hall into the overall composition.

In the East the Opera House is closing the frame of the park as focus and most dramatic viewing point along the lakeshore. Right opposite, as a counterpart, an ‘Ecological Peninsula’ with natural beaches, groves and meadows, rocks and creek provide relaxation and an experience of nature in the heart of the city.

Within the large green structure of the park, diverse typologies of green spaces provide opportunities to meet, recreate, show in public or meditate in the quiet and serenity of intimate spaces. Gardens, arenas, promenades, plazas, and elevated terraces are surrounding the lake.

According to the adjacent uses, the lake has either a clear architectural edge or soft, naturally contoured shorelines wherever nature takes centre stage.

The design is seeking to humanize the city scale, also giving space to the simple pleasures of sport and recreation within the dense city. The entire area is a secluded pedestrian district, easily accessible by the carefully integrated public transportation hub.

Commissioned Services:

  • Overall Urban Concept (4.65km²) 
  • Superposed Traffic Concept
  • Deepened Urban Framework Planning
  • Integration of existing theatre and museums
  • Planning of landmarks 
  • Conceptual Building Design as basis and guideline for the subsequent tendering of individual architectural competitions (Grand Theatre, 2 new museums, library, Youth Centre, above ground & subterranean shopping malls, public transportation hub)
  • Integration of existing theatre and museums
  • Planning of landmarks 
  • Landscape & Open Space Planning of the entire Culture Park (90ha)
  • Water Management
  • Guidelines for Lighting Design
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Design Team
RhineScheme GmbH (Schaller/Theodor, S. Schmitz, Wolf Loebel Architects, 3Pass) with Atelier Dreiseitl