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Architects: Greyspace Architects
- Area: 333 m²
- Year: 2023
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Photographs:Yang Chen
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Lead Architects: Moyan LIU, Peng SU
Text description provided by the architects. Chang'an Citizen Plaza is located in Chang'an Street, Huishan District, Wuxi City. It is surrounded by Chunhui Road, Yingxin Road, Changning Road, and Huiji Road. It is the core place serving the residents in the surrounding communities. Residents rest, walk, or play chess during the day, dance, or chat at night. The service station project originated from the overall renovation and upgrading project of the square that began in 2022, to provide convenient services such as public toilets and rest areas for the renovated and upgraded square.
Design strategies. Dialogue with the site. The design site is facing the core sunken square, and many well-growing camphor trees are preserved near the site. The service station combines landscape features, with two trees on the left and right as boundaries, and relies on the canopy shape to enrich the building volume.
The continuously undulating roof. A complete and continuous roof is formed on the upper part of the functional space volume. The outer eaves are overhanging to form a flexible transition space similar to a pavilion or corridor to protect from wind, rain, and scorching sun, providing temporary outdoor shelter for people in the square.
Capture the sunlight on the internal and external spaces. The core area of the entire building is a quiet and comfortable place where you can interact with light. Natural light and artificial light are integrated here, forming a spatial node indoors where you can stop and think briefly. During the day, sunlight enters from the top of the tower, leaving mottled traces of time on the walls and ground; at night, the tower shoots out light making the service station more perceptible and interesting. At night, the resting place is illuminated through the emission and transmission of artificial light sources. The urban living room faces the sunken square, and the facade is made of translucent white glass, which facilitates the penetration of space, sight lines, and light. There are air conditioners and wash basins indoors for citizens to cool down and rest.
The design places the functional volume in the environment in a complete form. The overall form adjustment is based on the surrounding tree shapes and follows the direction of the tree crown. After the shape plan was determined, we continued to refine the internal functions: we placed the entrance side facing the internal square to facilitate use inside the square. The urban living room and bathroom areas are separated by an atrium so that they do not interfere with each other; leisure seats are arranged in the atrium area. , to meet the needs of people temporarily staying and waiting; the living room faces the center of the square, echoing the landscape's raised terraces and sunken lawns. It is equipped with a rest space, automatic vending, direct drinking water, charging devices, rest seats, etc.; the bathroom area is divided into The men's and women's bathrooms, and the third bathroom is arranged side by side, close to the entrance area, making it easy to find. The third bathroom is arranged on the north side with independent access to ensure the privacy and security of users.
The processing of the architectural appearance is based on the consideration of the existing trees so that both have a dialogue relationship with light, shadow, and sight due to the undulating space. The outer eaves of the station roof are overhanging at different heights and lengths, providing a variety of semi-outdoor space.
