The initial visit to the construction site has shown that the unfinished Wanyu Tower, situated at a road intersection, has become a scar of the city. As a product of rapid urban expansion 10 years ago, it is characterized by single internal space design and monotonous facade. With time limited, only one and a half years for construction, architects need to figure out ways to reestablish Wanyu Tower’s presence in the city. The architectural structure of twin towers will remain unchanged and simply designed, while design elements such as open gardens, flower beds, sky-high platforms and vertical spaces are incorporated into the design to maximize their great value by exploring the relationship between these design strategies as well as the necessity of making changes.
Global Future Design Awards 2022: Discounted Entries Open Now! Save $50
Super Early Discount – 20th October 2021 to 30th December 2021 – $199 = $149
🏆 Third Award
Global Future Design Awards 2021
Renovation of Hangzhou Wanyu Tower
Office Building Concept
Firm
DO Design Group
Architect/Designer
DO Design Group
Design Team
SUN Shuli, LI Yi, ZHOU Sheng, FENG Yuanyuan, YE Xin, WU Zijing, CHEN Shuyan, CHEN Die
Location
Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China
Country
China
Photographer/Copyright
©DO Design Group
Design concept
Architects aim to maintain the beauty of the original curved structure and extend it from a bird’s-eye view to a street view. The podium roof is designed as an open garden to connect the architecture, green plants and public landscape, thus creating a green refuge in the bustling city and bringing users a unique spatial experience.
The towers were monotonous, enclosed building detached from the city. In the new design, we allow people to fully embrace the beauty of three sky gardens of the building from the outside or enjoy a panoramic view of the surroundings from the gardens.
The sky gardens add vitality and diversity to the internal structure of the building and provide easy access to nature amidst tall buildings. These open spaces built at different heights will bring more possibilities for leisure, entertainment and social interactions.
Vertical greening
The original equipment platforms of twin towers were functionally isolated from the entire architecture and exposed to the city. To solve this problem, our architects cover part of the interior and exterior spaces with flower beds, which enables users to stay away from the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy the tranquility of nature. The garden at the entrance also presents a different way of urban life.
Renovate commercial podiums
The new facade, made from modern aluminum panels and glass curtain walls, takes the shape of gentle arcs to produce a simple yet powerful outline. Carefully selected materials and thoughtful consideration of the proportional relationship of building blocks show rich texture of the building and highlight the difference between the virtual and the real parts of the facade.
Floor plan reconstruction
We reshape the building plane and restructure the original core traffic systems by arranging elevators, toilets and shared spaces. A layered terrace is also built in the core area to deepen the interaction between nature and architecture as well as time and space. Natural landscape in public spaces has created conditions and opportunities for social interactions, leisure fun and entertainment activities, thus satisfying the demand of modern city dwellers for sharing spaces and other public needs.
Registrations open… Don’t miss the opportunity to win with your visionary projects.