Zhongshan Huafa Plaza
Zhongshan, China
As the first large modern development in Zhongshan, China, the scale of Zhongshan Huafa Plaza will have a significant impact on the urban condition. The development consists primarily of residential towers located over a retail podium. The retail spaces are interwoven with gathering spaces encouraging people to linger and enjoy the space, thus creating a series of living rooms for the city. The top of the podium is a large open garden area shared by the retail and residential towers above.
The design concept is inspired the fluidity and growth pattern of crystals. As the first large modern development in the city, the scale of this project will have a big impact on the urban condition. The development consists primarily of residential towers located over a retail podium. The retail spaces are interwoven with gathering spaces encouraging people to linger and enjoy the space, thus creating a series of living rooms for the city. The top of the podium is a large open garden area shared by the retail and residential towers above. This lush roof oasis is covered in green areas and larger plant species to encourage biodiversity and catch stronger breezes than are available at ground level.
The towers are paired at each edge of the site to allow for an ample amount of open sky in-between the towers. The crystal is the driving conceptual metaphor as the towers will appear to grow out of the podium base. Visually the architectural composition will look like a unified whole, growing up out of the city fabric. The geometry of the towers bifurcates as they hit the podium breaking down the scale and adding texture at pedestrian level. These more articulated areas of the stone podium are clad in glass to help blur the edges of the mass using light and shadow into the surrounding context. The manner in which crystalline structures absorb and then re-emit light was also a source of inspiration for the design. The entrances are surrounded by led screens embedded into the glass walls, all with varying angles and sizes. These undulating glass surfaces will create a variety of ever changing reflections during the day and the led screens will continue these light blooms into the night.
The upper facades of the towers are smooth and clean as in the vertical walls of a crystal. The main articulation is at the ground level and at the tower tops. Clean balconies help define the tower geometry and further articulate the faceted cut lines of the massing.
Our design was inspired by a crystal's constant growth in rock, water, or even vapor. This crystallisation and growth metaphor speaks to the progress of the growing city of Zhongshan.
Our design was inspired by a crystal's constant growth in rock, water, or even vapor. This crystallisation and growth metaphor speaks to the progress of the growing city of Zhongshan.
team
Design Partner - Ted Givens
Project Partner - Miriam Auyeung (Chief Operating Officer)
Architectural Team
Sonja Stoffels, Kenton Sin, Yan Liu, Xuan He, Ray Lam, Wang Yang, Ruizhao Zhang
CGI Team
Peter Alsterholm, Yasser Salomon, Laura Simonsen, Serhii Zvaholskyi
