Recently awarded first prize, Woods Bagot’s vision for the Shijiazhuang International Exhibition and Convention Center will be manifested in a sleek faceted glass tower that rises from smaller geometric exhibition halls. The master plan is designed to uplift the city’s coastal area, which is currently underdeveloped, by attracting tourists and locals to the entire complex for different programmatic activities.
More images and more about the master plan after the break.
The most eye-catching element of the design is the tower’s glass façade, a filed pattern reminiscent of traditional Chinese ’broken ice’ screens. Yet, that geometry is not only present as the tower’s surface condition, but rather the geometry extends into the entire development, shaping the smaller venues of the master plan.
Plus, the broken ice pattern is a strategy to tie the entire 190,000 m2 project (100,000 m2 exhibition space, 60,000 m2 convention facilities, and 30,000 m2 auxiliary spaces) together by giving the complex a similar cohesive aesthetic. The seemingly fragmented style will be reflected on in the interior spaces, with sharp angles and peaks.
The tower will include sustainable strategies to serve as a model for future developments in the area.
As seen on Designboom
High, but not nice.
the city’s coastal area? must be an interesting site, last time I visited Shijiazhuang was 400km from the coast
reminds me of an old chipperfield scheme… shame they never built it…. can’t find the rendering of it, it was very nice indeed.
http://flickriver.com/photos/iqbalaalam/4132503123/
the last rendering looks a bit like an index finger.
Poor container interiors, and Coop Himme[l]blau did it better with their Buthan Cinema (about the ceiling). Solitary shape, and not so well studied. Chipperfield did it better, Thank’s Berlin for sharing that picture.
I.M. Pei’s shadow hangs LONG
As a native,I hope it will never be built…