Design Challenge
The project site is located in the Yuhang ‘Future Science and Technology City’. Five years ago, during the first site visit, Yuhang District was considered the fringes of Hangzhou that still lined with villages and farmlands. The grand-scale development which would remodel Yuhang into a new economic center awaited commencement, and all its sites were poised for transformation. Therefore, the fundamental challenge was to envisage a design solution that could respond to inevitable changes, and to think in the near future, how could our project take a clear position along a rapidly shaping skyline?

The project and its neighbors, including Alibaba’s Xixi Campus, are part of the expanding Central Business District development in this area. As such, it is anticipated that neighboring sites will grow into high-density communities populated with high-rise towers.

In high-density developments, it is not uncommon for the arrangement of vertical volumes to produce residual, undefined spaces on the lower levels. This relationship, of looming towers contrasting with an open ground plane, creates a sensation of disconnect and uneasiness. Thus the design challenge was to eliminate the under-used spaces and curate a more integrated sense of place. By introducing communal and functional spaces throughout the entirety of the development, it activates the lower levels and offers users an additional focal point aside from the monumental towers. The ultimate result is a more integrated design offering a holistic user experience.