Photographer: Yong Zhang | ArchDaily

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Student Service Center / TJAD/Zeng Qun Architecture Design Studio

Valeria Silva — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Under the contemporary educational philosophy that places "student-centeredness" as a core principle in universities, the student center has emerged as a significant new building type on campuses in recent years. This particular project sits at the edge of the campus. Originally not part of the university's initial master plan, it had to be accommodated on a site chosen as opportunities allowed—long and narrow, running north to south. To the west, it already brushes against the campus boundary, backing onto a busy urban expressway; to the east, it neighbors a scenic lake with lush, water-close greenery. Unlike the ample, orderly land reserved for academic and research functions, this site carries an inherent quality of being at the "edge." How to respond to the character of this marginal zone and unlock its hidden potential became the key to the design.

Hangzhou Riverfront Public Space - the Yinxing Station & the Daqiao Station / TJAD Original Design Studio

July Shao — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 02:00:00 +0000

The Yinxing Station and the Daqiao Station are located on the south bank of the Qiantang River. It's a part of the 12-kilometer waterfront public space renovation project in Binjiang District of Hangzhou, undertaken by the Original Design Studio of TJAD.

The Jianshi Station & the Tingyun Station / TJAD Original Design Studio

Andreas Luco — Tue, 26 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The Jianshi Station and the Tingyun Station are located on the south bank of the Qiantang River, on the north side of Wentao Road and on the northeast side of Fuxing Bridge. It’s part of the 12-kilometer waterfront public space renovation project in the Binjiang District of Hangzhou, undertaken by the Original Design Studio of TJAD. The Jianshi Station was renovated from the Holiday Garden restaurant. Based on the investigation of the site, we found that the roof truss and the facade of the building were dilapidated, and structural columns covered with stone appeared so thick. On the north side of the site located a garden with overgrown plants that concealed the rockery and even the main building. When we reached the top of the building, there was a wide view around us, and we wanted to share this unique perspective with more people.

926 Craftsman Museum / TJAD Original Design Studio

Andreas Luco — Mon, 25 Dec 2023 10:00:00 +0000

926 Craftsman Museum - The 926 Craftsman Museum and the 926 Park are located on the southeast side of the Qiantang River Bridge. They are adjacent to Wentao Road, where you can easily see the bridge and the river. It is a part of the 12-kilometer waterfront public space renovation project in the Binjiang District of Hangzhou, undertaken by the Original Design Studio of TJAD. The Qiantang River Bridge was completed and put into use on September 26, 1937. It is the first double-decker truss girder bridge across the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, a milestone in the history of Chinese bridges. It was presided over the design and construction by Mr. Mao Yisheng, a Chinese bridge expert and a founder of China's modern bridge industry. The Craftsman Spirit Attributes - To commemorate the completion day of the Qiantang River Bridge, September 26th was established as "926 Craftsmen's Day" in Hangzhou. So far, more than a hundred talents with superb skills have been recognized as "Hangzhou Craftsmen."

Library and School Gate of CAUC / TJAD Original Design Studio

Andreas Luco — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The New Library of CAUC (Civil Aviation University of China) is located in Ninghe District, Tianjin. It is the core building of the first phase of the new campus project, which is 23.7 meters high with a total construction area of 40000 square meters (including 26000 square meters above ground and 14000 square meters underground). The south gate of the campus adopts a concrete thin shell structure, forming a simple and clear image of the main entrance.

Hangzhou Riverfront Public Space -the Silk Bridge / TJAD Original Design Studio

Pilar Caballero — Sun, 24 Sep 2023 23:00:00 +0000

The Silk Bridge is located on the south bank of the Qiantang River in Hangzhou's Binjiang District. It is a part of the 12-kilometer waterfront public space renovation project in Binjiang District of Hangzhou, undertaken by the Original Design Studio of TJAD. Due to the Xiaoshan Shiplock, pedestrians and motor vehicles mixed in the narrow passage. It was a breakpoint in the waterfront space. The design of the silk bridge achieves the continuity of the sports track. The route originally needed to bypass the ship lock has now become a passage with a frontline view of the Qiantang River. Hence, the largest urban breakpoint in the waterfront public space of Binjiang District has been connected. It provides convenient transportation for citizens and serves as a platform for walking and sightseeing, enhancing the viewing and diversity of the landscape along the way.

The Youxiong Hotel in Chaozhou Heritage City / Leeko Studio

Andreas Luco — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Traditional garden and scenery borrowing
Chaozhou Heritage City, Chun Garden next to Rao family’s residence and Youxiong Hotel are all characterized by their amazing layout of traditional Chinese garden. Adjacent to Chun Garden and embodying the essential artistic layout of Chinese garden, Chaozhou Youxiong Hotel is composed of a centralized guest house named Free House (a renovated 1980’s ramshackle building), 301 two-courtyard guest house (i.e. named Not arrogant and Not boring), 303 Tonghua Book House (Check-in, a Chaozhou-style building), two 278 courtyard guest house (named Refreshing and Open-minded), and a three-story house (used for restaurant, bar and tea house). With different ages, sizes and styles of architecture, all these five buildings along with the wall of Rao family’s residence and Chun Garden as well as other neighboring old buildings in the heritage city form a long narrow space.

China Yellow Sea Wetlands Museum / DuShe Architectural Design

Collin Chen — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The Origin of Renovation - From Railway Station to Museum. From a typological point of view, the space of the traffic building and the exhibition building has a natural commonality. The tall waiting room and platform space of the railway station are suitable for transformation into exhibition space. The transformation of abandoned train stations into other functions has long been an international precedent. The Musée d'Orsay in Paris is the most successful example.

How Can Architectural Spaces Be for Everyone?

Xiaohang Hou — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 04:00:00 +0000

Democracy’s essence is the people's self-government and autonomy based on their own rights, and its characteristics are demonstrated through equality and participation. If democracy means a more equitable way of public life in architecture, then, this way of life is dependent on the homogenization of the building's spatial structure, with open, transparent, and functionally diverse public spaces. It is also possible to argue that the birth, maintenance, and demise of democracy all occurred in public space.

Atour Village Public Restroom / GN Architects

Collin Chen — Thu, 19 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000

In Atour Village town square, the sight is captured by three themed buildings, leaving no independent space for the public restroom. Initially, the owner just wanted this feature, and it could appear inside any building, or be incorporated with the garage overhead. The starting point of most constructions is efficiency, to distinguish the majority and minority, the protagonist and the background, and then allocate the cost and design workforce, which was also a problem we were worried about. Because of the maintenance cost and site itself, most of the scenic bathrooms lack a bright and clean experience. However, we found in the survey data of some scenic spots that tourists' complaints about restrooms are second only to the cost-effectiveness of tickets. The construction and management of public restrooms is a neglected bug in cities and cultural tourism scenic spots. We hope to solve this problem here.

20 Times Architecture Sheltered Animals, Not Humans

AAA — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 06:00:00 +0000

Architecture may have its roots in sheltering humans from the elements, but that is not to say that architecture is for humans alone. Around the world, there are numerous examples of buildings and shelters designed by architects for other species. Some of these can be whimsical, such as the Dogchitecture exhibit by 10 Mexican architecture firms back in 2013, or the series of BowWow Haus kennels designed by over 80 architects back in 2017, including Zaha Hadid Architects. But others are designed for a more direct impact.

Yihuang 1st High School Complex / Leeko Studio

Yu Xin Li — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 22:00:00 +0000

Since the well-known Dom-Ino prototype was proposed by Le Corbusier in 1914, it has been widely applicable to modern architectures mostly characterized by the interaction between horizontal floor slabs and vertical column grids. Even in the original open floor plan modular prototype, Le Corbusier left room for the interactive possibilities between the horizontal structure and vertical structure in construction details. While the vertical columns are required to be poured on-site, the horizontal floor slabs can be broken down into building blocks, which can be prefabricated in the factory and assembled on the construction site. This minimal, easy-to-build, and cost-effective space model not only makes it possible for mass production of space driven by the capital in the industry of architecture in the 20th century but also provides architects with a foundational frame for space design, paving the way for them to explore the infinite possibilities of space between grids and planes under appropriately confined conditions. Yihuang 1st High School Complex, a project recently completed by Leeko Studio, is designed based on Le Corbusier’s Dom-Ino prototype. Architect Leeko created an interlaced complex on campus with floor slabs overlapped on the 4500 square meters space. The complex responded to both the surroundings of the city and the campus with grid shifting and pivoting on the horizontal level, and it also fulfilled the different space spans requirements through overlapping and transferred structures at the vertical level. Ultimately, a competitive interaction between horizontal slabs and vertical column grids is formed to create an open and multi-functional complex on the campus.

SVW Technical Center / HPP Architects

Collin Chen — Fri, 15 Oct 2021 22:00:00 +0000

Shanghai SVW Technical Center designed by HPP is officially open in August, pioneering the development of Anting International Automobile City in Jiading New Town into a global automobile manufacturing area. In 2018, HPP won the competition to design SVW Technical Center, one of the most significant projects in Anting International Automobile City. To match the image of SVW as one of the leading automobile companies in China, HPP uses the design concept of “Enterprise Gate” for SVW Technical Center. The architecture is comprised of two towers, connecting each other at the top and sitting on the south and north sides respectively. One side of each tower is rotated to maximize the view, embodying a sense of uniqueness to the shape of this office building.

Qixian XiafangQiao City Library / Leeko Studio

Collin Chen — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 23:00:00 +0000

Water Street is located in XiafangQiao District, Qixian, Shaoxing. It extends 800 meters from old steamer wharf in the east to the river bank of Longwang Bridge in the west, available for the trade and social life of local residents during the years the land transportation remained underdeveloped. In the era of the rapid urbanization, the water street is no longer as popular and important as it used to be, while more and more local population gets relocated. The water street has started to be hollowed out. During the preliminary investigation, we found that the architectural style from the 1980s is well preserved in the water street, but the surrounding traffic conditions are not well organized and there is no adequate public functional space. Driven by the policy for "building beautiful villages and towns", the Qixian Government advocates the initiatives to preserve the specific historical features and expects to renovate the old water street. With satisfactory facilities and clean environment, the local government hopes to improve living and working environment for urban residents in an effort to gradually realize the local urban revival.

Haoxiang Lake Park / eLandscript Studio

Yu Xin Li — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 20:00:00 +0000

The 13-hectare Haoxiang Lake Park, designed by eLandscript, is located in Bao'an District, Shenzhen. It is connected to four urban rivers including Pailao River, Xinqiao River, Wanfeng River and Tantou River. As an important stormwater retention pond, it has played an important role in local flood control and pollution interception. However, due to the deteriorating water quality and the occupation of industrial plants around the lake, it has been gradually forgotten by the surrounding residents.

Shanghai Binjiang Avenue: Revitalizing the Historic Riverfront with a Human Centered Design Approach

Scarlett Miao — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Fred Kent, the founder of the nonprofit organization Project for Public Spaces, once stated that “If you plan cities for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people and places, you get people and places." It may sound obvious, nevertheless, our cities today are indeed undergoing a rapid transformation from a car-oriented society to a pedestrian-friendly community.

Næra Hotel, Chicken Coop / Leeko Studio

Collin Chen — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Background
With the ever-increasing popularity of mobile grocery shopping apps and the gradual decline of the food market, fewer and fewer children brought up in the metropolis can identify different kinds of grains, let alone knowing how chickens and ducks, etc. came from rural area to the food market in downtown and then served on our tables.

Copyright Cloud Headquarter / HDD

罗靖琳 - Jinglin Luo — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000

Site overview. The Chinese Culture (Publishing and Broadcasting) Data Industry (CCDI) project is the first national-level data center in China's news, publishing, and broadcasting industry. It is located in Guizhou Shuanglong Airport Economic Zone in Guiyang City. Upon completion, it will become the country's largest platform for copyright trading, as well as the largest hub for innovative broadcasting and television networks clusters. Reaping the benefits of Guizhou Province’s geography, climate, and natural resources, the park is driven by industrial policies, oriented towards big data and cloud computing industries, and strategized to drive the development of the national economy. Its goal is to create a dynamic, complex, open, and ecological big data platform.