Gold Architecture, Building and Structure Design · 2021
Pingjiang Times Mixed Use
by Jun Ding and Michael Strohmer
- A' Design Award 2021 Gold Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: Hangzhou Cbd Investment Group
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 23,182
- Verification code ADF1F54E9C · Verify this award
About Pingjiang Times Mixed Use
Pingjiang Times is a mixed-use urban complex that combines a hotel, a retail center, serviced apartments and office space. The design is inspired by the movement and flow of water. Overlapping curves shape the building form and the facade system, and the same circular geometry continues through the landscape platforms across the site. The building functions are arranged in a layered X shape, so hotel rooms face the lake, while an internal retail street runs below the tower. A landscape platform above an existing pump station links the site to the waterfront.
This architectural visualization presents a compelling example of contemporary parametric design thinking applied to large-scale mixed-use development, wherein the designer appears to have sought a synthesis between organic formal languages and the functional requirements of commercial architecture. The distinctive undulating façade, executed as a perforated screen wrapped around conventional floor plates, demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how repetitive geometric elements can generate complex visual effects through subtle modulation of scale, density, and surface curvature. The parametric lattice may reference traditions of mashrabiya screens and perforated architectural membranes found across various cultural contexts, here translated through computational design methodologies into a contemporary expression that balances environmental performance with sculptural ambition. The composition successfully integrates multiple programmatic elements including what appears to be retail podium, commercial tower, and public amenity spaces organized around the cascading water feature that introduces natural dynamism to the otherwise geometric ensemble. The material palette, emphasizing luminous white surfaces against reflective glass, suggests aspirations toward lightness and transparency despite the substantial scale of the development. Technical accomplishment is evident in the seamless transition between the curved parametric shell and the orthogonal tower volume, a junction that might have appeared awkward but here reads as purposeful dialogue between formal languages. The rendering captures a moment of atmospheric clarity that enhances the architecture's sculptural qualities while the inclusion of landscape elements and human activity suggests sensitivity to the experiential dimension of architectural space. Viewers are invited to consider how computational design tools enable new possibilities for architectural expression that would have been impossible to conceive or construct in previous generations.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The Pingjiang Times Project is an urban complex integrating a high-end hotel, retail shopping mall, serviced apartments, and office space. Inspired by the movement and flow of water, the building shape and façade system are created by curves that overlap and continued. Through the landscape design of the project, the project seamlessly interfaces with the surrounding context along the river, making the project an important link connecting the inland and waterfront landscapes of the city.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The gross area of the whole project is 80,705 sqm. Building height limit is 80 meters. It includes a 250-room hotel, a 14,000 sqm commercial center and a 34,397 sqm service apartment. And the site includes an existing pump station.
- Tags
- Mixed Use, Water Front, Hotel Façade, Curved Building
- Production Technology
- This mixed-use project is aimed not only elevate the condition inside the site by active commercial street and rich landscape platform, but also bring life to surrounding area. By proposing a tunnel for the main road between the site and river, it creates a separation of pedestrian and vehicles as well as series green platform and trails for people to engage with the environment.
- Design Challenge
- Building façade is inspired by water waves and scripted by grasshopper. The ratio of the window and solid have been studied carefully to give a comfortable sense from hotel interior. Another change is how to utilize and active the narrow site cut by existing pump station and create extensive connection to the lake front. The design separates vehicle and pedestrian loop and create a big landscape platform on top of existing pump station which extend to the lake to encourage social interaction of local citizen and traveler and benefit local environment.
- Project Duration
- The project is located in the Jiangwan area of Hangzhou. Hangzhou has benefited from the convenience of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the trade port, as well as its own developed silk and grain industries. Historically, it was an important commercial distribution center. Qiantang River is the base of the Jiangwan area, and has benefit people and community in the region for thousands of years. Transforming its functions, carrying the dream of "developing across rives" to "supporting the development of rivers" is important.
- Operation Flow
- To better utilize the narrow site and great view of the lake, building function are placed in a layered X shape, where hotel is in the front and has a single loaded corridor to give all the room a lake view. An internal retail street was arranged under the X shape tower to truly active the whole site.
- Research
- Since the project site is quiet small and narrow compare to the mixed use program given, we looked into the different strategy of the masterplan and studied the street scale on the lower commercial center. What we find out is that different from multi-towers and big black box for commercial center on the podium levels, it is a nice experience that open up a street under towers and create a pedestrian-friendly retail street that people could easily shopping and walk through from the east to the west of the site. It makes all the area on the site being active day and night.
- Inspiration
- Our design strategy was inspired by the movement and flow of water. Just as the rain droplets collide with the smooth surface of water, forming a series of concentric circles that combine and overlap one another, the programmatic building elements are expressed as arching legs that combine and overlap each other. The concentric circular geometry continues through the landscape forms that extend throughout the site and tie it to the significant role that water plays in this region of China.
Colors of Pingjiang Times Mixed Use
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