Architectural Design
TOD, Office, Hotel, Retail, Mixed-use
Confidential
A significant challenge of the proposal is that an elevated metro line flanks the main façade obstructing the views toward Guangming Park, hence reducing the value of the longest façade. Another challenge was to enhance the connection between the two plots.
The overall space planning of the mall adopts the concept of‘Tourbillion’. This dials back to the heritage of Guangming district, where watch manufacturing has been a primary industry. The individual mechanical parts of a tourbillion are interpreted as massing elements, using circles and gear-shaped profiles to form various shop units. Benoy aspires to express the rhythm of‘Minutes and Seconds’ in the spandrel and balustrade design on the façade, conveying a sense of rhythm and pace to the shopping experience. The assembly of the gears, dials, and watch face forms an architectural timepiece while celebrating the history and future of Guangming district.
Our architectural response was to lift the main attractions and experiences onto the fourth and fifth floors, where the entire park is visible beyond the train station. This naturally produces a multi-ground experience, giving a secondary ground floor level with the bridges from the metro station.
Benoy proposed privatization of the road in-between, producing a vibrant and‘Instagrammable’ moment for an open-space plaza. Building on the idea of‘Tourbillion’, the central plaza features a kinetic water platform in the middle, having cars driving around the plaza. When the user looks up, three layers of bridges span every retail mall level. Furthermore, the feature bridge is constructed out of colorful cylindrical glass tubes suspended by a Vierendeel truss structure.
