Capitaland’s new raffles city is a sustainable urban center for living, working, and recreation situated in hangzhou, one of China’s most gorgeous towns. It was designed by ben van berkel / unstudio. Hangzhou is a metropolis that is constantly evolving. The first premise that the architects worked on for this mixed-use development was, “how can we utilize a dense, mixed programme as part of a transit-oriented development to stimulate sustainable living and improve quality of life?” This mixed-use development is steeped in tradition while also looking to the future. The project is being developed to create sustainable cities that are healthy and offer a high quality of life, while addressing the future needs for greater efficiency and density in cities during times of rapid urbanization and growth. With strong future ambitions, particularly concerning sustainability, the economy, and livability, the project is being developed. It is planned to be a dynamic vertical neighborhood and transportation center, and it will have a total area of 400,000 square meters and be comprised of two streamlined buildings that will be situated above a platform and landscaped plaza. These towers will include breathtaking views of the river and west lake districts. The sixty-story, 250-meter-tall highrises include residential apartments, grade A offices, the Conrad Hotel, and a rooftop helipad. In contrast, the eleven6,000 square meter, six-story podium has shops, restaurants, recreational facilities, and parking and has a direct subterranean link to the metro. The building is planned with a variety of well studied programs, similar to those that may be found in a decent city, that are intended to bring together a diverse group of tenants. People may not only work and live in Raffles City, but they can also stay at the hotel, buy groceries, have a meal, engage in physical activity, watch a movie, and even get married there—all of these activities can be done within the same interconnected environment. The design created by unstudio celebrates raffles city’s signature ‘city inside a city’ idea while also establishing a distinct brand for the municipality. The design of the tower has a wave-like motion, which is meant to mirror the flow of the river. The activity level of these concentric waves increases as they go upward and outward along the vertical axis, beginning quietly at the center and becoming more frenetic as they move outward. These formal statements link the great diversity of programs located throughout the building into a continuous flow to create a coherent whole. The layout makes a contribution to the landscape personality of this urban green space. The design of the two towers combines these two settings into a single gesture by angling the urban face of the structure towards the landscape, while simultaneously drawing attention to the urban setting from the perspective of the landscape aspect of the building. The towers are not the same but rather complementing, as if they were having a conversation with one another. The design is laid out in the form of two figure-of-eight diagrams that are diagonal to one another and intersect. Each tower is comprised of a vertically articulated “urban facade” that surrounds the urban corner of the site and a horizontally articulated “landscape facade” that falls into the inner courtyards at podium level. These towers are positioned on opposing corners of the property. When seen from the city park or the civic center, the primary entry to the building from the south looks to be a conspicuous gateway. The towers are oriented east to west, which helps to reduce the amount of overshadowing while maximizing the amount of sunshine that reaches the residents and workplaces. The tower and podium facade designs both make use of contrasting materials in interesting ways. The podium facades reflect the building’s activities and the surrounding environment to provide fragmented viewpoints. These facades are covered in a shimmering scale-like covering made of aluminum tiles. An outer layer of rotatable, vertical sun shading fins are put above the curtain wall system on each of the buildings. In addition to drawing attention to the distinctive twist of the tower, they frame views of the inside. The lines of panels on the exterior lend a dazzling aspect to the building by capturing the light at different times of the day. At night, the curvilinear silhouette is lighted; this not only highlights the prominence of the structure but also reduces the amount of light pollution caused by the building since just the outline is lit up. A magnificent atrium serves as the organizational and visual emphasis of the interior of the podium, and it is located in the exact middle of the retail spine. The atrium is laid out in the shape of a spiral with overlapping levels; this design produces seamless connection and vast sightlines between the various rooms. The towers are always visible from the main atrium while looking up through the skylights; nevertheless, their appearance varies depending on where in the atrium one is standing. A seamless spatial experience is produced as a consequence of the size of the flowing shapes transitioning from the architecture to the streamlined interior and twisting railings. This gives the impression that the inside and the outside are becoming one. The design philosophy of unstudio places a strong emphasis on taking a holistic approach to environmental responsibility. The use of natural ventilation, solar gain, and daylighting principles that are customized to the local environment, together with an efficient structure, and the manner in which materials are applied, all work in concordia with one another to minimize the energy and material needs of the building. Raffles City Hangzhou is the first shopping center in China to get gold LEED certification. It is also the first shopping center in the world to employ natural ventilation on a big scale. A dynamic, continuous cycle of activity that fosters public involvement and engagement has been created by the programming mix with social sustainability in mind. This cycle runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Please visit www.indiaartndesign.com for visual representations.
I love myBlogd
