Image Credit : He Wai Photography
Project Overview
The project is adjacent to Chongqing West Railway Station—the largest comprehensive railway transportation hub in Southwest China and an important part of China’s railway network, and is backed by Huayan Temple, an old famous Buddhist temple on the east side.
Situated in a city that features the fusion of modernity and traditions, technology and humanity and embraces new development opportunities supported by high-speed railway economy and the "Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle" national initiative, the exhibition center tries to portray an ideal blueprint for the city. It explores the balance between modern civilization and city memories, breaks the boundary between architectural space and nature, so as to create a poetic dwelling space that coexists with natural surroundings.
Project Commissioner
Greenland (Chongqing Subsidiary)
Project Creator
Architectural design: Shanghai TIANHUA Architecture Planning & Engineering Ltd. Landscape
Team
Architectural design: Shanghai TIANHUA Architecture Planning & Engineering Ltd.
Landscape design: LISM Design
Interior design: SIGNYAN DESIGN
Project Brief
The building features a pure and simplistic appearance. The architectural form takes inspiration from the linear relationships of high-speed railways to create an iconic urban surface that activates the city. Besides, the design also draws on Zen culture of Huayan Temple and incorporates the eight scenic spots of the temple in a modern and abstract manner. The minimalist design languages endow the building with an inclusive character. Through juxtaposition and interpenetration of simple forms via pure languages, the design perfectly combines artistic sensibility with design logic, thereby creating architectural expressions full of linear tension. The interior space and landscape follow the architectural concept, so that the interior and exterior of the building are highly unified and integrated.
Project Innovation/Need
The area where the project locates is less developed, and the neighborhood lacks public activity space. This project produced a dramatic building form via modern approaches, unified architecture, landscape and interiors, and connected the square with the riverbank park, thereby creating a vigorous 15,000-square-meter urban square, a 1,500m2 exhibition center and pleasant metasequoia groves and paths. In this way, it provides the citizens with a public urban garden where they can enjoy scenery, relax and socialize.
Design Challenge
The building adopted an overhanging steel roof. It meet the requirements of building assembly construction, enabled rapid prefabrication, enhanced construction efficiency, and meanwhile realized a large, column-free and 9-meter-high interior space.
The challenge lay in the curtain walls, which utilized tri-fold reflective cellular stainless steel panels and were difficult in construction. The mirror-like panels were hoisted and installed after several times of attempts on site, and finally achieved ethereal curtain walls that reflect a fascinating picture of clouds, pool and tree shadows.
Sustainability
The landscape interface utilized stone-like bricks to create a natural feeling, and the interior space adopted monochrome textured paint, which not only realized low carbon and economy but also rendered a plain, tranquil space infused with Oriental Zen atmosphere.
Architecture - Mixed Use - International
This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow.
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