Hangzhou Prism in China by OMA

Article source: OMA

The city of Hangzhou is historically described as a heaven on earth. This project attempt to deliver the users with luxurious and high standard life experience, enhancing what Hangzhou is traditionally known for: Good Life!
The project is located in the heart of the new Central Business District, in close proximity to the beautiful Xixi wetlands. It is comprised of two iconic volumes that adds richness to the skyline of Hangzhou.

Image Courtesy © Bloomimages

• Architects: OMA
• Project: Hangzhou Prism
• Location: Hangzhou, China
• Photography: Bloomimages

Image Courtesy © Bloomimages

The Pyramid stands as a symbol over Hangzhou’s beautiful landscape. It is an abstraction and symbolic representation of the ground that reaches the heavenly sky. It acts as a pinnacle for Hangzhou Region and its surrounding landscape. The design of the Pyramid is generated by a radical and decisive oblique cut along its volume. The cut part exposes a significant amount of outdoor terraces that provides natural daylight for the building.

In addition to that, the generous design gesture of the interior void offers the building an open air central garden which consists of water pool, green land and recreational space for people.
As another element of the same landscape, the tower reaches even higher into the clouds. The façade elements enhances the verticality of the project, the different densities of the vertical elements correspond to different functions in the building and provides sun shading for the interior space. The layout of the tower is uniquely designed to be a dynamic shape, emphasizing the idea that the project is a new landmark to the place.

Image Courtesy © Bloomimages

The masterplan attempts to maximize the building orientation benefit. All the surfaces and spaces are rationally oriented towards south for the maximum exposure of direct sunlight. The northern side of both buildings are utilized to host mechanical and technical space, making way for the southern oriented façade to be transparent and open.
The volumetric inversion between the void spaces in the pyramid and the solidity of the tower creates an enigmatic and harmonious relationship between the two buildings. The project becomes a spectacular new scene for Hangzhou.

The relationship between the two buildings lies in their ability to abstractly express their own qualities and in the identical materiality of their components. As for the former the pyramid expresses its own grandiose tempered with pixelated surfaces that brings it down to human scale. As for the tower it’s about exaggerating its verticality through the use of vertical louvers of different densities responding to different privacy requirements. In summary they are similar in their conceptual content and differs in their physical expression.

Image Courtesy © OMA

Tags: China, Hangzhou

Categories: Hotel, Offices, Residential

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