China Showcases High Tech During Spring Festival Gala

Chinese New Year also known as Lunar New Year is celebrated in most parts of the world by Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and overseas Chinese. Nowhere else on earth is this festival celebrated in a big way than China itself. Traditionally during Chinese New Year Eve, major television stations across China will host events to countdown for the arrival of the new year. This year, state-of-the-art technology is incorporated to show off to the world what China is capable of in putting up a world class performance on stage. They invited renowned celebrities such as Andy Lau, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen and Jacky Wu to perform in this spectacular annual event.

Instreet Beijing

 

Text description provided by the architects. Building on a solid reputation for urban regeneration and renewal, Kokaistudios recently breathed new life into an overlooked and underused Beijing street. Drawing on design interventions including a network of canopies and increased seating, the project overhauls a neglected district to set a new benchmark for China’s public spaces.

Kokaistudios was recently commissioned by property developer CR Land to redesign Galleria-Instreet (Hereinafter referred to as “Instreet”) in central Beijing. Calling for interventions both large and small, the extensive urban renewal project has transformed what was previously an underused, sparse space by injecting all-important human scale to invite public participation. The result is a clear flow to this formerly disjointed thoroughfare, as well as community-focused lifestyle elements to cater to both residents and visitors.

Located in Chaoyang District in the northeast of Beijing, Instreet is now representative of a hybridized public space prototype that is becoming increasingly popular in Chinese cities. Comprising commercial functions as well as residential, and typically pedestrian, they feature lifestyle elements aimed squarely at communities. In the case of Instreet, these include children’s play areas, a network of canopies to provide welcome shade, plentiful public seating, and flexible spaces for markets, concerts, and outdoor events of all kinds.

Despite several core landmarks - namely, a main entrance to both Phoenix Mall plus Sanyuanqiao subway station, as well as a long-redundant concrete bridge - the street lacked visual unity, its various elements disparate and unconnected. An absence of public seating contributed to not only the street’s empty feel, but also its non-human scale.

Kokaistudios’ first action was to demolish the concrete bridge that once connected the two ends of Instreet. An unnecessary feature along an already pedestrianized route, and disliked by locals, it was largely unused. Furthermore, it brought the negative effect of obstructing the line of sight from one end of the street to the other. Its razing opened up the space significantly, further highlighting the street’s distinct lack of character. At the same time, the bridge’s demolition presented multiple opportunities for design interventions.

A total re-landscaping of the area saw the introduction of instruments aimed at encouraging public interaction and use. In particular, a network of canopies running the length of the street visually interrupt the otherwise empty space. Not only does the string of shelters provide welcome shade, come nightfall they light up in a way that is not only atmospheric, but also brings safety and security. Resembling an archipelago, they are designed as oases of various activities. These include a children’s play area; clusters of green planters; as well as plentiful benches. At the centre is a versatile open-air platform for events of all kinds, further opening Instreet for future actions and possibilities.

Smaller interventions also play a part in Instreet’s redesign. For example, an intricate rain collection system and custom-made elements such as steel tree root guard meshes are representative of the project’s close attention to detail, and elevation in quality on what was previously in place.

Frontages of existing commercial tenants, as well as future ones, have also been given an overhaul. That includes a new louvered facade to a multipurpose facility comprising a gym, restaurant, and private club for residents. Now more visually and thematically linked, a mainstay of F&B outlets feature extended terraces, surrounded by planters. The smart wooden decks, combined with rough stone elements, as well as additional trees all make for a pocket of nature in the heart of Beijing. The overall effect is welcoming, comfortable and in keeping with Instreet’s refined lifestyle focus.

Completed in 2020, Instreet’s shift from underused, disjointed and bare, to a space that invites interaction through attractive, useful, and flexible facilities has been transformative both for residents, as well as the area’s economy. Now attracting higher-end businesses, as well as community initiatives by way of its multipurpose, open-air events platforms, the urban renewal project sets a benchmark for public space design in China.

Source: ArchDaily

The Starfish Airport

Beijing Daxing International Airport is Beijing's second international airport. It has been nicknamed "starfish" thanks to its unique shape. With an area of more than 1,000,000 m2 (11,000,000 sq ft); the terminal building is the largest single-structure airport terminal in the world, It was completed on 30/6/2019. The opening ceremony for the airport was held on 25/9/2019 with the airport opened to the public on 26/9/2019 (my birthday!:).

The airport is 65 kilometres South of Beijing Capital International Airport, and is planned to serve the catchment area of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei.

After almost five years of construction, the US$ 11.4 billion facility features a 700,000 m2 (7,500,000 sq ft) terminal and sits on 47 km2 of land, making it the world's second-largest single-building airport terminal after Istanbul Airport's main terminal.

Building of this magnitude requires a team of professionals to turn dream into reality. The airport's master plan was drafted by NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants) and features a ground transportation centre providing the airport with public transportation links to high-speed rail, metro, expressways, Beijing Airport Bus routes, local buses and inter-airport transportation system. The terminal building was designed by the late British star architect Zaha Hadid Architects (who also designed many iconic buildings in China and all over the world) and French planners ADPI, and executed by the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (BIAD). It consists of a central hub with six curved spokes. The façade was designed by XinShan Curtainwall and Beijing Institute of Architectural Design. Arup was subcontracted by Beijing Institute of Architectural Design as the fire engineering consultant, while China IPPR International Engineering was responsible for security system and baggage system designs. BuroHappold Engineering, as part of the consortium, worked with the architects to integrate engineering solutions into the design of the airport.

Hong Kong design studio Lead 8 was appointed as lead designer of the integrated service building (the 6th pier) in 2018. The terminal, according to Lead 8, will encompass "a purposeful design of work spaces, with integrated retail, dining, and entertainment options for the large number of passengers expected," with plans to incorporate interactive pet hotels, a child care and nursery, hybrid online retail and dining, and a showroom for companies.

The gracious curve lines evident throughout the building are the signature architectural feature that was favoured by Zaha Hadid. The seamless curves elevate the building and make it feels as if it is ready to take off. What a clever way to make a big building perceived to be light and airy. Other notable buildings by Zaha Hadid in China include the Wangjing SOHO in Beijing and the Guangzhou Opera House.

New Bird Nest Of China

Phoenix International Media Center locates in the southwest corner of Chaoyang Park; the site area is 1.8 hectares. The total floor area of the building is 65,000m2 with a height of 55m. Apart from the media office, the broadcasting studios and the production offices, the building provides abundant of open spaces for the public to get interactive experiences, which expresses the unique operation concept of Phoenix Media. The logic of the design concept is to create an ecological environment shell embraces the Individual functional spaces as a building-in-building concept. The two independent office towers under the shell generate many shared public spaces. In the east and west parts of the shared spaces, there are continuous steps, landscape platforms, sky ramps and crossing escalators which fill the building of energetic and dynamic spaces. Furthermore, the building’s sculptural shape originates from the “Mobius Strip”. The sculptural shape provides the building a harmony relationship with the irregular direction of the existing streets, the sitting corner of the site, and the Chaoyang Park.

The continuous integrity and the smooth surface of the building express the topological corporate culture of the Phoenix Media. The elevation difference between the southern and northern internal spaces are able to provide quality of sunlight, ventilation and landscape view to the office towers, meanwhile avoiding glare and noises for the broadcasting room. In addition, the elevation difference also avoids blocking the sunshine to the residential building at the northern direction.

In addition, energy-saving and low-carbon concepts are also applied in the building design. Instead of setting drain pipe on the smooth surface, the rainwater will be collected by dropping naturally along the structural ribs into the collection tank which locates at the bottom of the building. After being filtered, the rain water will be recycled to water the artistic waterscape and irrigation for landscape. Other than the aesthetic value of the architectural shape, during Beijing’s windy winter time, the smooth surface and round shape also mitigate the severe street wind effects from high-rise buildings. Meanwhile, the shell also provides a climate buffer space for the functional spaces as an “Green Coat”.

The double layer exterior of the building can improve the comfort in the functional areas, and reduce the consumption of energy. Digital technology is applied to tailor the physical space of the exterior shell and the inside volume precisely in order to ensure the exact matches between seams. The cone-shaped shared space, which is 30 meters high, generates the chimney effect, which provides natural air ventilation to save energy during transitional seasons.

Source: Archdaily

Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum

In China, the country’s largest public contemporary art space has opened inside a renovated electronics factory dating from the 1980s. designed by Studio Pei Zhu, the Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum exists in contrast to standardized ‘white cube’ galleries, configured as a diverse series of exhibition spaces. In reusing an existing building, the design team sought to incorporate the rough industrial characteristics of the former factory with exposed textures and surfaces.

Internally, gallery typologies include spaces of different sizes and dimensions, classified as: big box, middle box, small box, classic space, courtyard exhibition space, and black box (multi-function performance, convention, exhibition spaces). Each area is organized as an organic extension of a welcoming double-height reception foyer, which includes staircase seating.

Staircases have double functions - circulation @ seating areas.

The reflective metal cladding give the Minsheng Contemporary Art Museum its futuristic look.

 

Various spatial volumes create interesting gallery spaces.

Source: designboom

A City-Sized Museum

Imagine a museum as big as a city floating above an impressive public plaza. Such is the bold proposal by MAD Architects, a firm well known for their unorthodox architecture. 

MAD Architect's submission to the National Museum of China Competition proposes an iconic building with an inhuman scale. An elevated public square with a huge floating building above is proposed which will be located along the central axis of the 2008 Olympic site.

Such a mind boggling building is only possible ever since China's opening up to the world in the 1970s. The booming creative scene in Beijing has propelled many outstanding artists to the global stage. As such more investment and recognition are being given to Chinese artists.

Connected by a bridge to the Olympic Park, the proposed museum intertwines nature with functions to blur the distinction between indoors and outdoors. The impressive exhibition space will have open views towards the city.

Beijing New South Railway Station

Beijing Bohai Innovation City

Architect: Skidmore Owing & Merrill LLP (SOM)

Location: Beijing, China