After an international design competition, RMJM Shanghai was selected to design the Xiangjiang Gate in Hengyang, China. The project will be built at the confluence of the Xiang, Zheng, and Lishui rivers.
The mixed-use project will serve as a tourist information center and a monument with a panoramic viewing platform. The goal of the design was to step away from the traditional vision of a gate and move toward a more contemporary depiction.
See Also: Snøhetta’s 550 Madison Garden gains approval from NYC Planning Commission
The 580-foot-tall tower’s design is also deeply rooted in the history of the city. From above, the central, twisting towers look like a narrow stream of water passing through two pieces of land, paying tribute to the geographical location of the city and to its “convergent spirit.” When viewed upside down, the building resembles a goose flying through the sky, an homage to ancient Chinese poetry that described Hengyang as a winter refuge for wild geese, earning the city the nickname “Wild Goose City.”
Hengyang is Hunan’s second largest city and has a fast-evolving tech hub. As such, the structural system of the Gate will reflect the highest level of contemporary structural engineering technology. The design embraces the local environment and forms an interaction between technology, climate, building materials, and human behavior. The glass curtain wall will use LED technology to illuminate it at night. The facade will also be used as a “window to the Xiangjiang culture,” radiating the lights, colors, and shadows of the seasons.
Related Stories
Mixed-Use | Feb 22, 2021
Mixed-use development will occupy former manufacturing industrial site near the Chicopee River
Paul A. Castrucci Architects is designing the project.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Feb 18, 2021
Connecticut’s Swift Gold Leaf Factory becomes a community job incubator
Bruner/Cott Architects designed the project.
Mixed-Use | Jan 21, 2021
3XN and IttenBrechbühl to design a wooden tower in Switzerland
The project will be located in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Mixed-Use | Jan 20, 2021
Union Square’s first ground-up development in two decades completes
MBH Architects, in collaboration with Page & Turnbull, designed the project.
Reconstruction Awards | Dec 29, 2020
The reenvisioned Sazerac House: A delectable cocktail that's just perfect for the Big Easy
The 51,987-sf Sazerac House is an interactive cocktail museum, active distillery, corporate headquarters, and event venue, all under one roof, next to the historic French Quarter of New Orleans.
Mixed-Use | Dec 28, 2020
BIG designs new mixed-use development in Harlem
The project, dubbed The Smile, has recently completed construction.
Urban Planning | Dec 6, 2020
Ford lays out plans for mobility innovation district in Detroit
Its centerpiece is an abandoned train depot whose architecture and decay reflect two sides of this city’s past.
Mixed-Use | Oct 19, 2020
Commonwealth Pier revitalization project begins construction in Boston’s Seaport
CBT, in collaboration with Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects designed the project.
Mixed-Use | Oct 2, 2020
Zaha Hadid Architects unveils 2 Murray Road in Hong Kong
The project reinterprets the structural forms and layering of a Bauhinia bud about to blossom.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Sep 30, 2020
SOM reimagines former Cook County Hospital into mixed-use destination
The project is the first phase of a proposed $1 billion redevelopment plan for the area in Chicago.