Launch: Galaxy SOHO, Beijing

© Photography courtesy of Iwan Baan

Zaha Hadid joined Soho China's Zhang Xin and Pan Shiyi, with 15,000 guests from China and around the world, to celebrate the completion of Galaxy Soho, Beijing.

"Working on Galaxy for Soho China was very exciting. The design responds to the varied contextual relationships and dynamic conditions of Beijing. We have created a variety of public spaces that directly engage with the city; reinterpreting the traditional urban fabric and contemporary living patterns into a seamless urban landscape inspired by nature," explains Hadid. "The natural rhythms and flows of the city, of the environment and of the people have been integrated within the design to define its formal composition."

Located in Chaoyangmen, central Beijing, Galaxy Soho is an ensemble of 4 building volumes which coalesce and fuse, pull apart and connect, via bridges and plateaus; creating a world of fluidity and movement within. The 330,000 m2 mixed-use development over 18 floors (15 floors above ground, 3 floors below), provides retail units around the central 'canyon' and courtyards on its four lower levels, with office units occupying levels 4-15. Access, circulation and sun-path movements have informed the design, allowing natural light to penetrate deep into the site and surrounding neighbourhoods.

With its inclusive, organic design incorporating innovative public spaces, all available units in Galaxy Soho were sold in 2011. Zaha Hadid Architects continue to develop the Wangjing (Beijing) and Sky (Shanghai) projects for Soho China.