RIBA
ISSUE 01 | 2019
EFFICIENCY FUELS GROWTH
www.supergeometryarchitects.com
ISSUE 01 | 2019
CONTENTS 04 INTRODUCTION 05 - 06
FINANCIAL NORTH TOWN
07 - 09
GUIYANG HOLIDAY ARK
10 - 17
CHONGQING BISHAN FINANCIAL STREET
18 - 27
GUIYANG IFC TWIN TOWERS
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28 - 33
SHENZHEN LONGGANG TIANAN CYBER PARK
34 - 39
RENMIN BOULEVARD
40 - 41
ZHUCHENG PLAZA BRIDGE
42 - 45
BEIJING TIANAN CYBER PARK
46 - 48
SUMMARY
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We understand that every client and developer is concerned with efficiency and this is demonstrated by various elements of the projects in our portfolio.
HIGH EFFICIENCY REFLECTED IN ARCHITECTURE, CONSTRUCTION, USE AND ENVIRONMENT Walter Wang, founding director of Super Geometry Architects (SGA), sees architecture as a unique combination of science and art. At the heart of SGA is a spirit that takes this ethos to a new level. Founded in November 2015, SGA’s focus on simplicity and efficiency is apparent in an impressive portfolio of mixed-use developments. For Wang, these factors lie at the heart of a design philosophy that is true not only to floor size but also responsive to the environmental and sustainable elements of the site in terms of orientation, climate, space and cost.
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FINANCIAL NORTH TOWN Currently under construction with completion expected in 2023, the Guizhou Financial North Town Project is set on a site area of 139,000 square metres. SGA are the architects of this mixed-use development from concept through to the end of the construction period. Featuring office, hotel, retail and residential, the building height is close to 350m.
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Set on six parcels of land, the project is an extension of the Guiyang International Financial Twin Towers. With the concept design complete, SGA are now moving into schematic design. The development has a floor area of 1.2 million square metres, with the retail aspect featuring an interconnecting courtyard and plaza, inspired by souk and traditional market place. With two differing height massing located within the courtyard, and specialised cantilevered massing for
experimental and social interaction, the buildings are a metaphor for synthesised ideas. Wang describes the project as being ‘full of dreams’. Architectural hierarchies and language include a row of evenly spaced columns supporting a roof, an entablature, or arches. With the colonnades being a major feature covering the entire boulevard, for Wang the message is clear: “When it’s raining you don’t wet your shoes; when there is sunshine there is shade. Any opportunity to bring a human scale to design in a vernacular and modern way, away from the glitz and the glamour, is something for the people.”
MANAGEMENT TEAM AND CLIENT From Left to Right: David Gormley, Lei Chang, Walter Wang
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HOLIDAY ARK MASTERPLAN Half Mountain, Half Water
Set in the city of Guiyang in Guizhou Province, SGA’s scope of service for the Holiday Ark includes the concept masterplan. Currently under construction and due for completion in 2022, the site area is an impressive 596 hectares, with a ground floor area of 5.4 million square metres. The original brief by the client, Zhongtian Urban Development Group Co., Ltd. was to create a masterplan for an ecological mountain site, based on the Chinese concept of ‘Half Mountain, Half Town.’ Inspired by the Chinese character for SGA designed the development so as the wind would be allowed to flow around the valley to accommodate the need for open spaces to surround high rise.
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Split into cityscape tourist and living environment, the masterplan includes the creation of a 56-hectare lake and nine islands with shape green viewing corridors varying in width from 30 – 50 metres, which together provide a wind tunnel along the topography of the basin. “This is an incredibly romantic project and one that we are proud to be a part of. Other architects had worked on the project before and it had been put on hold by the developers, so to a certain extent at the beginning we found ourselves as firefighters,” explains Wang. However, the concept remained unchanged. “The stepping lake creates a huge urban sponge and provides unprecedented facilities for the public, including 38 hectares of woodland hiking space, a 4km riverfront walkway, green boulevards, 21 hectares of parkland and 40km of mountain hiking tracks. Four lakes are stacked across a height of 12m, large enough to collect rainwater and to create a self-contained, ecologically recycled lake,” he adds. Working closely alongside a specialist Shenzhen water and sustainability company, SGA were able to determine the species of fish best suited to be placed across the different layers of the ponds. At just 2.5m at its deepest point, based on the
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MASTERPLANNING
Modelworkshop on a large scale model
calculated average rainfall of the area needs to be filled only once to remain self-sustainable. The lake also contains nine islands, each measuring around a hectare, while the lake’s 8km surround features traditional style courtyard housing. “We are not known for our residential projects, but the Holiday Ark is 90% residential. It was a fantastic opportunity for us to look at traditional courtyard houses, and courtyards within courtyards, where your daughter’s family lives within a courtyard and you live within another courtyard which is inside a bigger courtyard,” adds Wang. With three rings of development to account for the various topographies, the first consists of low-density modern courtyard houses surrounding the lake. The second ring is made up of terraced housing above the hill, all lower than 27m in height, while the third is made up of residential towers within the commercial zones. Also within the commercial zones are two hospitals, two hotels, five schools and a retail mall to the south of the lake.
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CHONGQING BISHAN FINANCIAL STREET With a population of close to one million, the district of Bishan is known as the back garden of the city of Chongqing. Set on a site covering 56.6 hectares and a GFA of 921,500 m², with a masterplan designed by SOM and inspired by New York’s Wall Street, Bishan Financial Street was fully completed in June 2018. Situated some two hours drive from the city of Chongqing, the site is set around a canal with rich topography and to the east of the new local government HQ. A new light rail also passes the site from Chongqing City Centre. Standing less than 60m, the development is made up of nine financial office towers, as well as retail and parking amenities and what has become known as Innovation Boulevard. “In China, every party secretary of a district wants to make his mark and this is what this project did for Bishan,” explains Wang. “I was involved in the early masterplan when I was still at SOM and our aim back then was to create a local CBD for Bishan District.” The nine blocks range in height from 37m to 55m and form the Shuangxing Avenue and Jianshan Avenue street front. Two rows of stonemasonry blocks are separated by a 24m wide Las Ramblas Avenue (Financial Street) which creates the effect of a double street front. A canopy between the second and third towers provide office and parking entrances, while the offices in blocks 1 and 4 and 9 have increased retail space from the linking canopies. Complex topography was a significant challenge, with the first rows of blocks facing the street at zero.
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“We decided not to cut into the hill, and to stay true to the original SOM masterplan while making best use of the topography. The second blocks sit on top with a 5.1m difference in level. The car park basement is set under the hill beneath the front rows of the headquarters of financial institutions and banks,” adds Wang. SGA references the City of London’s Broadgate and Liverpool Street’s stone and glass street frontage as the basic building images. The regular urban grid
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forms four tall buildings at the front row facing the main avenue, while another four lower buildings stand at the back facing Financial Street. In an effort to increase building efficiency, SGA included a side core for the two front row central blocks, which are then linked by a central communication pavilion that provides access to the lower and upper deck entrances, as well as direct access to the car park. Two entrance pavilions also connect the backrow blocks to create conference and meeting facilities at the buildings’ entrances.
Glass pavilion to link two buildings from a side entrance for the office and public space
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Reminiscent of Barcelona’s Las Ramblas, SGA created a pedestrian precinct between the two rows of buildings, which includes several pavilions leading to the riverside. A green plaza in the centre is the focus of a boulevard dedicated to science and innovation, while the sandstone-cladded Block 9 tower is occupied by a government department. “We followed this project very closely with great attention to detail in our drawings. We always provide very detailed drawings and are conscious of selecting the correct material while reviewing the mockups until we are happy with the result. This is a group of buildings all with their own characters, and once again it is a project with a focus on the efficiency and simplicity that we try to bring to every project.
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GUIYANG INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTER TWIN TOWERS SGA’s involvement in Guiyang’s International Financial Centre Twin Towers stretches from architectural concept through to design development and construction administration service. Currently under construction and due for completion in 2020, the two towers will stand 271m and 401m high, with a ground floor area of 260,000m². Total area is 367,530m². Aimed at providing office space for banking and financial institutional tenants, the development will also include a hotel and ballroom and a 2,500m² wedding plaza due for completion this year. Tower One, the largest of the two towers features is 79 stories and includes offices and a JW Marriot Hotel from L58. With layers on all four corners, from a distance the primary visual is a large stainless-steel arch, which is framed by the surrounding C channel. When it frames the full facades lean smaller towards the top to display the technical aspects of the tower; the second layer is made of unitised glazing that incorporates detailed framed edge trims, while the third forms a mast which is divided into panels. Standing straight from the ground floor through to L54 there is a contour through to L72 and a further arch from L74 through to the crown.
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Workers installing the corner stainless steel edge in the sky
From a design perspective, this avoids a double curve façade while at the same time creating a modelling curtain wall to 1.6m per unit from the centre point. All four corners are guarded by a ‘V’ shape to increase corner views, as the façade starts to taper when climbing up to increase the verticality of the tower. With office floor to floor height set at 4.5m with a column grid of 9.6m, the tower curves slightly from the corner to the centre to create a smooth faceted façade.
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“Guiyang is a superb place for high-rise design with low wind and seismic loading. We presented six options, some complex, some more simple. The client selected the most efficient. The project has involved the work of a number of architects, including China Southern LDI who were responsible for the structure. To make it super-efficient they used pure concrete rather than composite structures. The result was a perma-column structure that allow for a concrete foundation on a post frame building, to combine the economy of post frame construction with the durability of a concrete foundation,” explains Wang. “With tubes containing 30mm and 50mm thick steel plates, concrete was then poured in and chrome column tops installed to hold the dramatically small 1.8m diameter columns in place at ground floor level. At the start of Level 58, the start of the JW Marriot hotel, we then use shear walls. The benefit is that from the hotel rooms guests are not subjected to large columns. It is currently the tallest transfer in the world from column transfer to shear wall and from a distance looks like an arrow reflected across the sky. We have also recently been contacted by the Chicago Highrise Museum to put this building under construction into the museum – so that really is some achievement.” he adds.
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Meeting at the outdoor Terance Walter Wang & David Gormley
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Boasting high efficiency and beautiful views across the city the hotel also boasts a ballroom, situated to the north of Tower One across four stories with junior and grand ballrooms and conference meeting rooms. Designed in the form of a jewelry box, stainless steel frames match the main tower language wraps around the corner of the box. The Wedding Plaza, situated north of Tower Two with a floor plate of 2,500m² and a height of 12m is due for completion this year. Designed as 36 planter boxes which
are joined together across a walkable glass floor, the boxes are supported by a fair face concrete arch to form a stunning and dramatic vaulted public space below the Wedding Plaza. Lit by natural light via the glass walkway throughout the day and LED lighting during the night, the space provides space for office workers to enjoy lunch, and public gatherings and events such as weekend markets. At the top of the Wedding Plaza is a private function space that connects to the Grand Ballroom via a bridge.
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SHENZHEN LONGGANG TIANAN CYBER PARK PHASE IV COMMERCIAL PARCEL During his time at SOM Wang was part of the design team of the masterplan of The Shenzhen Longgang Tianan Cyber Park Phase IV. Construction began in 2014 and was to include one 200m tower, a 100m hotel, a 50,000m² retail mall and 28,000m² HQ Pavilions. However, just one year later the client called a halt to the retail development due to marketing positioning and investment inefficiency. The client decided to run a competition to transform the commercial parcel into luxury apartments and street retail. SGA were invited to participate and were awarded the project. “It is certainly an interesting project as the shopping mall basement levels had already been built. In line with our philosophy for simplicity and efficiency our proposal was based firstly on re-using the column grids that had already been built for the mall, so there would be no need to demolish what had already been built - this is inherently more sustainable than starting again. Secondly – despite that the loading of a retail development is
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Cloud pavilion to identify the front plaza
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always higher than the standard for residential – we proposed using a steel construction system. We felt this would be both faster and safer given the basement had already been built and to some degree had settled into the land. The result was the first pure steel structures to be used in Shenzhen for a residential development - and it was built fast and to high quality in both tolerances and architectural expression,” explains Wang.
INTERNAL WORKSHOP Left to Right: Walter, Sam, Yurii, Hayes and Alberto
The site is narrow so this naturally led to long building forms owing to area required by the brief. As mentioned before there was height restriction due to previous construction activity. By sliding two narrow masses past one another and peaking the higher parts of the building in a location where they avoid overlooking one another Longgang gets its mountain form. Careful study of the existing foundation conditions accurately determined where the highest loads could be built – and
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Steel structure
these worked perfectly for the mountain forms – and SGA took full advantage. So very few of the units have overlooking issues and the architecture – despite the narrow site – is allowed to breathe. SGA developed a shallow unit with an 8.5m wide window to the west of each plate. This allows the plate widths to be controlled within 16m. “Based on that criteria we came up with a very successful and unique luxury apartment design. We were also able to incorporate several efficient layouts, including an 8.5m x 5.5m deep duplex-type unit. When these were put on the market, they sold out within one week” he notes. “This demonstrates how we like to define ourselves in the market and why we are able to achieve the best value for the client. Not only is the building itself a piece of art but it also demonstrates the science of how we best evaluate the buildability and the construction methods manufactured in China as well.”
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Internal future corridor
One challenge created by the site was the need for a long building form – particularly given the site had height restrictions. Together, both blocks form a length of just over 120M. A central retail avenue sits between both blocks and this is accessed by a number of gateways and portals aimed at increasing permeability throughout the site to mitigate the length of the development. A sense of placemaking brings human scale to the development whilst also empowering the retail offer creating a lively, dynamic piece of the city. A place for people. The development retained much of the original masterplan idea of the Longgang Village, and includes an IMAX cinema. Rather than enclosing the land in traditional mall, Longgang Village opens the land up for residents of the district. This demonstrates how SGA brings its theory and methodology to reality.
Ghssmockap
“Of course, different architects have different ways to bring their ideas to life. Our aim is that our methodologies are be embedded into all of our designs.�
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RENMIN BOULEVARD MASTERPLAN
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Set on a total site area of 1160 hectares, the Renmin Boulevard was commissioned in the centre of Guiyang City in Guizhou Province by the Guiyang Government. SGA were appointed to provide masterplan services to the core business district of this 1000-year-old city centre above the new metro line. Currently under construction, the program involves the design of the 40m wide Renmin Boulevard and surrounding parcels. “We took our inspiration from a 17th century painting by French artists of the old walled city and gates surrounded
by mountains, where the majority of the population of Guiyang still live. Living conditions are bad and the roads so narrow. There is close to no infrastructure or fire protection and people are living in 8m² of space, compared to the China standard of 36m² and international standards of 40m². We believe the Party Secretary made the right decision to create a space for the people at the same time as the metro was being built and certain buildings were being demolished. The result is the 40m wide Renmin Boulevard which lies on top of the metro and cuts from the north of the city through to the south within the second rim of the city,” explains Wang.
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The masterplan for the city centre was developed based on a 2.8 demolition ratio, where when one square metre is demolished, 2.8 square metres are built. The result is a people’s boulevard that is around 8km long, crosses the river twice and provides around 12 million square metres of space whilst preserving the historical aspects of the city such as the museum, library, memorial, cemeteries and churches. The design is centred around the skyline and the city’s transportation system that links seven metro stations and creates a compulsory 2km retail route. The development also includes a 350m tower at the metro station and a collection of 200m towers, in line with the 2.8 demolition ratio and independent economic and marketing analysis and research of population findings to 2030. From Beijing Road in the north to Guiyang railway station in the south, the renovation masterplan involves a total of 29 parcels of land between the districts of Yunyan and Nanming.
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The masterplan is centred around key ideas which include the following: to return the city back to its cultural centre; to connect the north and south; to improve traffic flow and public transportation whilst integrating the new metro system; to connect heritage and cultural landmarks; and to promote sustainability and resilience throughout the city through methods including filtering rain water to clean the Nanming River through the setup of a streetside sponge city bio retention offline planter system. Further, SGA’s guidelines for the development of the city centre include specification of the width of the boulevard, as well as vehicle and pedestrian circulation, protection and refinement of existing buildings and colonnades for street frontage, as well as compulsory below grade and podium and tower setbacks and culture-specific paving material using local stones. “A project like this is endless. We have just completed the lighting guidelines, which show the effect of the light on the sky. Factors such as this and sustainability issues are essential to talk about as they effect the whole of the city,� Wang adds.
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Sector elevation view the future Renmin Boulevard.
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ZHUCHENG PLAZA BRIDGE
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SGA’s appointment by the government for the Renmin Boulevard Masterplan included the design of the Zhucheng Plaza Bridge – a double decked vehicle bridge crossing the Nanming River. The challenge for any designer would be to minimise the impact to the river, its surroundings and metro line. Of the six options put forward, the government chose one of the most complex with two arches hanging over the bridge. SGA worked closely with Arup, who have over 40 years of experience in Greater China and a portfolio that includes many of the region’s most iconic structures, including the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube in Beijing, Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong and Taipai’s Performing Arts Centre. Arup are also responsible for significant crossboundary facilities, including the Hong KongZhuahi-Macau Bridge and the GuangzhouShenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link.
The result is one of the world’s most unique bridges, double-decked and 237.6m long, featuring four lanes on each deck and a pedestrian side walk on both sides. Each arch is around 70m tall with a 150m span, where a main beam is used to modify a warren truss system that had been reduced to just 750mm. “Our major challenge was to create what can be seen as the equivalent of the Golden Gate Bridge in such a short time. With Arup’s technical expertise we were able to hire a contractor that could ensure the safety of the pier relationship to the metro line as well as the arch landing to the existing buildings without affecting the loading factor of the welding,” notes Wang.
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BEIJIN G TIANA N C YBER PAR K Currently in the government planning stages the Beijing Tianan Cyber Park is located in Tongzhou country, and is a crucial asset for an area destined to become the future deputy centre for Beijing City. Its aim is to provide a platform for sharing and innovation and is an example of the integration of high-tech industry and green city based on the transformation and development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Heibei area. As a model of lifestyle and sustainability the development marks the future standard for integrated incubator development in China. Designed to international standards it is set to provide a modern, well-planned and efficient space to grow companies, attract talent and develop ideas in a holistic and connected environment. SGA’s masterplanning principles lie at the heat of this 203-hectare development with a 250 square metre central park. “As with many of our projects we set out to create a low impact development and green asset that will provide a shared public facility designed to encourage community. Much of the park will be created using recycled construction waste and link to two main axes providing green streets and boulevards,” explains Wang.
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The development also includes improvement of an existing waterway and extension of the wetlands area to add commercial value whilst creating a thriving eco-system that absorbs rainwater and re-uses it as a valuable natural asset. The masterplan has been organised into four main areas featuring distinct districts dedicated to innovation, science and education; commerce; financial headquarters; and eco-energy. Each area is unique and provides diversity while supporting each of the other areas, where for example finance supports innovation while innovation supports commerce. It is a truly sustainable model within an eco-system of ideas and innovation, finance and commerce. It is this integrated eco-system that will allow Tongzhou to become a centre
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for sharing and innovation and a destination for people with big ideas, a development where creativity and success are encouraged, jobs are created and wealth is grown. A mixture of culture, hotels, retail, exhibition space supported by high-end residential development will ensure that the development is alive beyond typical office hours. Tian An Cyber Park is a community that lives beyond working hours to create and integrate work and lifestyle choice. It has a 24-hour lifecycle that runs seven days a week, 365 days a year. “A key driver of the success of the development will undoubtedly be the creation of thriving districts planned on rational urban grids that allow future development to seamlessly extend beyond the original proposed urban layout. We have created a future-proofed masterplan with human scale and diversity at its heart,� concludes Wang.
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EFFICIENCY, QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY
With around 20 architects from Hong Kong to Spain, Italy to Canada and Switzerland to Scotland, SGA is a growing firm that prides itself on efficiency, quality and sustainability. For design director David Gormley it’s about letting the buildings speak for themselves. As one of the three original architects who joined the practice in 2016, teamwork and a combination of talents is paramount.
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“I have a lot of experience in retail. I think the interesting thing about how Walter and I work together as architects is that I’m very much about the horizontal. Having spent most of his career working on high rise projects Walter is very must about the vertical. And while most architects might be defensive about the two the combination is important. That said, architecture is architecture whether it’s vertical or horizontal and
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being able to collaborate and demystify the red line between the two and understand the commercial scope is important.” SGA’s portfolio of work in China is impressive, and brings a human scale to massive projects in a vernacular and modern way. With the government slowly moving towards this principle and away from the glitz and the glamour of yesteryear, SGA are contributing to a new China that is a lesson learned from the Beijing experience of roads that are too wide and setbacks that are too far away.
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“People are starting to understand the premise that a people’s boulevard guarded by colonades, set eight metres back from a podium and 15 metres back from the towers is going to enrich the environment,” notes Wang. Gormley agrees: “When you think of climate change and buildings that radiate heat, when you shade part of the pavement and multiply the cost of aircon across the city you can translate this to stages of green moving from light to dark. In terms of sustainable architecture it is clear progress that moves far beyond a simple transition straight to dark green.”
ABOUT RIBA The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a charitable organization established in 1837 under the Royal Charter in the United Kingdom. The RIBA is a global professional membership body driving excellence in architecture, with more than 42,000 members worldwide. The objectives of the RIBA are the advancement of architecture and the promotion of the acquiring of knowledge of the arts and sciences connected therewith. Its mission is to advance architecture by demonstrating public benefit and promoting excellence in the profession. The RIBA Hong Kong Chapter (RIBA HK) was launched in 2012 and currently has over 800 members in Hong Kong. RIBA HK provides members and local practitioners with a dedicated platform to meet and exchange ideas through networking opportunities and a forum for local activities and debate. RIBA HK also contributes to public outreach and education activities strengthening professional skills and knowledge both locally and regionally. ‘Through RIBAZINE the RIBA HK Chapter is providing a promotional platform for local Architects who have an association with the RIBA. This is the first in a series of regular issues and features Super Geometry Architects, a new dyamnic young practice working principally in China. We would like to thank ROF Media….. for putting together RIBAZINE’.
John Campbell Founding Chair RIBA HK Chapter