In the Chinese city of Zhuhai, the architectural firm Aedas designed four towers of different heights and different functional purposes as part of the Hengqin CRCC Plaza complex with an area of more than 200,000 square meters, and then combined them with a multi-level sky bridge.
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- Комплекс Hengqin CRCC Plaza
The designed bridge serves to improve integration, connectivity and communication, thus creating a dynamic ecosystem between buildings and workplaces. The bridge serves as a link between the four high-rises, taking the form of a loop, offering space for offices, retail outlets and recreation areas, as well as outdoor terraces. The four towers are divided as follows: one is intended for the headquarters office, and the other three are for rented office space. The location of the buildings takes full advantage of the site and its surroundings. Two taller Class A office towers occupy the southeast and northeast corners of the site, standing at the intersections of roads with the best land value and views.
Aedas is the world’s only local and global architecture and design practice based on a global exchange of research, local knowledge and international practice. The company creates world-class design solutions worldwide with a deep social and cultural understanding of communities. Aedas have extensive experience in creating multifunctional complexes like Hengqin CRCC Plaza, and currently have a large architectural footprint in China.
Based on the culture of the customer – the Chinese Railway Construction Corporation and the City (CRCC) – Aedas sought to create a design that would pay more attention to the relationship between people and nature. Similar to a rainy cloud, the sky bridge displays the weather pattern of Zhuhai, which flies through the site and, skirting the towers, is connected to each of them, providing more connections between buildings at the sky lobby levels.
A curved bridge with vertical landscaping and open terraces contrasts with rectangular glass towers. The visual effect based on differences in volumes and textures enhances the dynamics of seemingly simple structures. The Central Business District is the epicenter of large-scale landscaping, illustrated by a landscaped square and roof gardens that create a three-dimensional vertical landscape of the future.
The bridge itself manages to implement several functions and solve some of the initial design problems faced by Aedas. Thus, recreation areas, retail, large-scale food court and exhibition areas are located in the bridge or air loop, providing close interoffice communication.
Iconic in its form, the project creates a special, positive identity for the plan, which will play a significant role in moving the city forward. Since the establishment of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in 1980, Zhuhai has transformed from a border town dominated by agriculture and fishing to a central city in the Pearl River Delta, which has been promoted by comprehensive economic and social development. After 40 years of rapid development, Zhuhai has become a pioneer of reforms and innovations, cooperation with Macau, ecological civilization and quality of life in general.
“Zhuhai has chosen a path of growth that presupposes harmony between people and nature, as well as coordinated economic and social development,” comments Guo Yonghang, secretary of the Zhuhai City Committee, “This will further contribute to the overall development, reforms and openness of China.”
For this project, Aedas were rewarded with the prestigious A’ Design Awards 2019 as the “Golden Winner in the field of architecture, design of buildings and structures”, and also received awards in the field of real estate in the Asia-Pacific region 2019.
The author of the article is Varvara Sergeevna Kartushina
