Urban Symbiosis Torres de Uso Misto by Xiyao Wang

Urban Symbiosis Torres de Uso Misto by Xiyao Wang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award de Ouro in Design de Arquitetura, Edifícios e Estruturas Competition Category.

OuroArquitetura· 2025

Urban Symbiosis Torres de Uso Misto

by Xiyao Wang

Client: Extended Play Lab

A' Design Award de Ouro Winner in Arquitetura Category

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The Design

About Urban Symbiosis Torres de Uso Misto

Urban Symbiosis é um empreendimento superelevado de uso misto acima da estação 7 Train em Nova York, integrando condomínios, apartamentos com serviços e escritórios. Celebrando o grandioso subterrâneo, a entrada do metrô é posicionada no centro, oferecendo luz natural e acesso público 24/7. O design otimiza as cargas energéticas ao combinar programas de escritórios e residenciais, reduzindo a pressão sobre a rede. Diferentemente do empilhamento vertical tradicional, uma divisão horizontal forma duas torres, criando espaços públicos compartilhados com comodidades como restaurantes, áreas de coworking e academias para interação constante.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Ouro

Urban Symbiosis Torres de Uso Misto conquistou o A' Design Award de Ouro, um reconhecimento imensamente prestigiado atribuído a designs de primeira linha, maravilhosos e notáveis. Os vencedores do Ouro são criações extremamente inovadoras, visionárias e glamorosamente deslumbrantes, que refletem o prodígio, a sabedoria e a proeza dos seus designers. Espera-se que Urban Symbiosis Torres de Uso Misto seja uma invenção muito elogiada, pioneira e monumental, que oferece um valor sem precedentes. Este design vencedor do A' Design Award de Ouro é um projeto espetacular e respeitado, que beneficia muito e faz avançar as fronteiras da arte, da ciência, do design e da tecnologia. Urban Symbiosis Torres de Uso Misto cria sentimentos intensos de desejo, evoca paixão, incentiva a criatividade e fascina-nos.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Urban Symbiosis reimagines the traditional tower by horizontally splitting residential and office spaces, forming two interconnected towers. This innovative layout smooths energy demand by balancing daytime and nighttime usage, reducing grid pressure. A central subway entrance celebrates public access, while extensive shared amenities foster community interaction. The sunken garden at street level enhances urban experience, creating seamless connections with the High Line.
Dimensions & Packaging: The tower is 237m or 777 ft tall, consists of 56 residential floors, and 43 office floors, with retail at the ground and underground levels.
Tags: highrise building, mix use, residential, office, mass timber, public transit
Production Technology: The design employed a mix of urban planning and architectural analysis. Advanced parametric tools were used to study the relationship between public access, energy efficiency, and user flow. Vertical stacking was replaced with a horizontal division of programs, creating integrated spaces. High-performance materials and all-electric systems were chosen to ensure sustainability, while shared amenities were carefully planned to enhance social interaction and community-building.
Design Challenge: The greatest challenge was achieving a balance between urban connectivity and energy efficiency. Ensuring 24-hour public access while maintaining the privacy of residential spaces required a complex design process. The horizontal split of programs presented structural and logistical difficulties, as did integrating shared public amenities without disrupting the functional core. Balancing public engagement with sustainability and energy performance was a key obstacle.
Research: Research focused on balancing mixed-use program demands in high-density areas. Data was collected on energy consumption patterns and spatial usage in residential and office towers. Parametric modeling tools informed the horizontal split design, optimizing building efficiency and interaction. The resulting insights revealed that the design could improve energy loads, reduce grid pressure, and enhance public-private space integration, contributing to a sustainable and socially engaged urban development.
Inspiration: The inspiration for the project stemmed from the symbiosis between residential and office programs, aiming to optimize energy usage by aligning their differing time demands. Drawing from urban connectivity principles, the project integrates public spaces with private development, influenced by the dynamic interaction between work and home life. Research on mixed-use high-rise buildings shaped its energy efficiency and public access approach.
Project Duration: The ideal was first conceived in 2017, and carried out in 2024
Operation Flow: Urban Symbiosis optimizes energy use by balancing day-and-night occupancy of residential and office spaces, reducing strain on the power grid. The design's split tower layout creates more public interaction zones, like shared amenities, between residential and office functions. The central subway entrance and sunken garden promote 24-hour accessibility. This blend of private and public space boosts community engagement, making it perform better than conventional vertical designs.
Image Credits: Xiyao Wang