Year of Design: 2016Status: IdeaGFA : 96,000sq.m

 

Wenzhou Time Centre is a super-highrise residential development with residential apartments, home offices and loft apartments. The site is right on the river bank of Au Jiang, with extensive views to the river and the mountain range beyond. The design fuses urbanism, natural landscape and architecture into an entity. The concept embraces 4 themes:

Crescent by the River
A porous crescent defines the intersection of the city and the river, creating a pause and a place in the otherwise banal linear urban landscape of self-centre individual tower along the river front. The crescent is facing the river to the north with the lower floors swing open and extend to the south bisecting the site into spacious inner garden to the south and a courtyard linking to the local park to the east. The garden is slightly raise from the road creating an open terrace overlooking the park and the river with a new perspective for the residents, and yet providing a certain degree of privacy and sense of security without fence wall. The grand opening of the crescent opens up like a gate to the city and allows light, view and ventilation into the garden terrace.

Green Jade on the Axis
The riverside elevation of the crescent is fully animated with double storey windows for the living areas, openable glass louvre for the conservatories and intimate windows for the bedrooms. The various degree of transparency and translucency reflect and refract light almost like a piece of jade stone. To the south side, plantings on the balconies, entry patio, decks and the vertical green wall create a full palate of different shades of green changing with the seasons. The southern façade intercept the city green axis from the national park to the south across the city to the river in a traditional manner ie compartmentation rather than thoroughfare.

Villa in the Air
Apartment units are carefully designed similar to villa on ground with dedicated lift for each unit; double height entry patio (forecourt) and living rooms, bedrooms on second floor… so that every apartment will have both aspect and prospect to the south and to the north with uninterrupted views. Cross ventilation and crossover section (double volume space alternate with the single height areas) of the building ensure maximum environmental comfort and privacy.

Green at Heart
Physically and metaphysically, the scheme embraces green architecture. The crescent, the terrace and the courtyard provide an interactive spaces for the city and the residents. The decks, patio and balconies are integrated with the apartment units for individuals and their family. Passive environmental design is the core of the scheme. Sunlight, ventilation, orientation, stepped building height from south to north, noise mitigation, shading devices, green roof and photovoltaic panels are integral parts of the building. It is a sustainable and healthy home for the 21st century.

Unique urban composition, recognizable skyline, diverse spatial organization, uninterrupted landscape experience and pragmatic sustainable features attempt to give true identity to the otherwise yet another super-highrise in a historical city.