Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) has officially broken ground on West Lake 66 in Hangzhou, China. The project will form a new elevated green pedestrian link between West Lake and the Grand Canal, two of Hangzhou’s essential landmarks.
The 194,000-sm project includes five office towers with space suited to technology startups and young professionals, a boutique hotel, public parks, and an active, mixed-use podium. KPF parametrically linked shadow impacts, visibility from streets, unobstructed views, maximized daylight, and other key factors in an algorithm that organized optimal massing along the greenway to determine the position of the buildings and the overall site organization.
Plomp for KPF.
See Also: A series of glass ‘igloos’ create the world’s northernmost hotel
The buildings’ facades optimize daylight while the overall project was designed with a modular, fluid porosity that reflects the material heritage of the city and its craftspeople using local materials like terracotta, stone, and wood.
Plomp for KPF.
The podium is designed in sinuous bands of rectangular cells, each one responding to the program within, that tie the site together. The cells can be updated over the lifespan of the building. The podium also stacks a mix of uses to form a layered program that ensures future flexibility. Office space opens to a green roof that spans the length of the podium to create a public sky park.
Plomp for KPF.
Plomp for KPF.
Plomp for KPF.
Jim Keen for KPF.
Related Stories
Retail Centers | Jul 20, 2017
L.A.’s Promenade at Howard Hughes Center receives a new name and a $30 million cash injection
Laurus Corporation and The Jerde Partnership will team up to rebrand the center as a family-friendly dining and entertainment destination.
Office Buildings | Jul 12, 2017
CetraRuddy unveils seven-story office building design for Staten Island’s Corporate Park
Corporate Commons Three is expected to break ground later this summer.
Mixed-Use | Jul 7, 2017
ZHA’s Mandarin Oriental hotel and residences employs ‘stacked vases’ design approach
The mixed-use tower will rise 185 meters and be located in Melbourne's Central Business District.
Office Buildings | Jun 27, 2017
Bloomberg’s European headquarters wants to become a natural extension of London
Foster + Partners’ design rises 10 stories and is composed of two connected buildings.
Multifamily Housing | May 25, 2017
Luxury residential tower is newest planned addition to The Star in Frisco
The building will be within walking distance to the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters.
Mixed-Use | May 24, 2017
Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects will develop mixed-use project on former site of Carlsberg Brewery
The 36,000-sm project will cover a city block and include a residential tower.
Mixed-Use | May 23, 2017
45-story tower planned for Miami Worldcenter
Pickard Chilton Architects will design the 600,000-sf 110 10th Street.
Mixed-Use | May 17, 2017
The Lincoln Common development has begun construction in Chicago’s Lincoln Park
The mixed-use project will provide new apartments, condos, a senior living facility, and retail space.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Apr 27, 2017
One of the last abandoned high-rises in Detroit’s downtown core moves one step closer to renovation
Kraemer Design has been selected as the architect of record and historic consultant on the Detroit Free Press building renovations.
Mixed-Use | Apr 25, 2017
Dutch building incorporates 22 emojis into its façade
The emoji building is part of a larger mixed-use development built around a 150-year-old oak tree.
