Firm： Shenzhen Huazhu Architectural & Engineering Design Co., Ltd

Type： Commercial › Exhibition Center Office Cultural › Cultural Center Gallery Educational › Auditorium Library Government + Health › Community Center Landscape + Planning › Urban Green Space Transport + Infrastructure › Bus

STATUS： Concept

SIZE： 500,000 sqft - 1,000,000 sqft

Cities across the globe are facing densification as one of the most urgent and vital challenges. Since Shenzhen is one of the fastest-growing cities globally, densification gets the most significant challenge and asks for more radical approaches behind the standards and conventions. Architects need to seek new solutions to follow cities' demands, fast-changing, and development and not compromise the city's functionality, sustainability, and quality of living. That means sometimes we need to consider possibilities more radically and look for a new typology.

URBAN STACKING BLOCKS

We created Contextual Hybrid like Wooden Blocks stacking sculpture; instead of wood, it is made from the city substance, from the city content, from both outdoor and indoor city facilities. We stacked spaces vertically and increased density by keeping the variety of features within the micro blocks. For example, we stack the whole composites of "Facility + Plaza + Garden" and lift them vertically, one on top of the other.

By Contextual Hybrid, we mean, both formally and functionally, we are using context as an input, augmenting it, and intensifying it to achieve higher density and at the same time underline the character and the identity of the surrounding urban structure.

We created a central public space, an Urban Portal, and spread open public places and small urban plazas vertically. Our Cultural Center is extending till the eighth floor. By packing urban spaces one on top of the other, we enhanced the idea of city verticality. We use the stacking boxes' logic to mimic more literary increases of density and the existing urban structure around the site. We created a bold image of the determined and uncompromising growth and development of Shenzhen.