Designed by Chengdu Urban Design Research Center, the “Southern Island of Creativity” is the start-up phase land of the Eastern New Town which endeavors to develop creative industry and is one of the 13 strategic function zones of future Chengdu, China. The Eastern New Town consists of three “Islands” based on their varied topography. The southern one is located in hallow hills, which stands adjacent to the art village which came into being spontaneously. The design team for this project consisted of architects Liu Gang, Zhang Yang, Yu Jia, Lan Mi, and Xu Xin. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The topography is a strong identity of this district especially in the plain city of Chengdu. It directly leads to the design outcome: the huge fall of space density between the inner part and surroundings emphasizes the morphology of an “urban island”; the topography identity is also regarded as the carrier for diverse functions (mall, retail, museum, workshop, office, hotel, residence etc.) and diverse activities such as shopping, exhibition, salon and leisure. Based on these concepts the design focuses on the following key points:
