Oma has designed a new 50,000-square-metre mixed-use building in China, called Xinhu Hangzhou Prism. The project has been commissioned by local holding company Zhejiang Xinhu Haichuang Group in the city’s new technology central business district, which is home to some of China’s largest technology companies.
OMA’s proposal includes a hotel, retail space, apartments and a plant-filled atrium.
The creators’ design resembles “a pinnacle reaching into the sky” and it’s modelled on the ancient Chinese proverb “above, there is heaven; below, there is Suzhou and Hangzhou”. The Prism is complemented by an adjacent 35,000 m2 residential tower, reflecting the geometry of a prism in its façade.
The building is shaped by two radical oblique cuts through the building envelope, creating cubic lofts with generous scenic views. A large void cuts through the flat facades to create a garden with water features and playgrounds at ground level.
“The design enables flexible programming and a broad repertoire of communal outdoor spaces, while maintaining a strong visual identity, striking in its form, archetypical yet contemporary.”
The construction has recently begun and is expected to be completed in 2020.
https://www.designboom.com/architecture/oma-xinhu-hangzhou-prism-breaks-ground-03-11-2019/