Internationally-recognized architectural firm JDS Architects has won first place at the Hangzhou Gateway Competition for the high-rise design in Gongshu District of China. The district is a part of an industrial area needing to be reintegrated into the urban fabric. The aim of the project is to create a new urban landmark as well as to offer housing capacities. The fifteen story high tower is designed to be an icon for the urban transformation of the city.
The volume of the building responds to two major requirements: the wide arcade passage provides space for the plaza while the top portion of the volume features a similarly carved out profile which creates a multi-tiered green terrace on the roof. The shape of the roof provides optimal natural lighting conditions for housing units, as well as unobstructed sight lines towards the city. On the ground level the sunken plaza created as a public resting area with access to commercial facilities of the tower, including the dominant shopping center. The design is conceived so it is fully integrated into the city by avoiding the appearance of a physical and visual barrier. It is a penetrable structure connecting the two city parts and introducing a pleasant intermission in the urban layout.