LAVA's masterplan for hangzhou includes twin zhejiang gate towers

LAVA’s masterplan for hangzhou includes twin zhejiang gate towers

in 2014, LAVA was commissioned by shimao property group to masterplan a mixed-use development in hangzhou, consisting of five buildings that contain offices, residences, and retail outlets. the centerpiece of this masterplan is the zhejiang gate towers, two 280 meter structures whose design is based on the chinese characters for ‘gate’. featuring a shimmering façade, the development will serve as a landmark entrance to the city.

the two 280 meter-tall towers form the focal point of the masterplan

LAVA articulated the façade as two groups of long vertical fins that wrap around the structure. fluid lines create specified zones within the elevations, while different colors of glass and varying depths generate refracted light effects, in turn animating the façade. the buildings also include copper-colored elements with a gradient towards the top of both towers. designed to meet LEED gold certification standards, the self-shading aluminum fins and high-performance glass both reduce glare and solar heat gain. together with the structural engineers, the towers use eight ‘super-columns’, which reduce the structural system by about 30% in comparison with traditional schemes.

the development consists of five buildings that contain offices, residences, and retail outlets

‘the high-rise towers are an interpretation of the chinese characters meaning ‘gate’ or entrance to a city,’ explains tobias wallisser, director of LAVA. ‘the development is located at a major interchange into the city so we wanted to create an iconic gateway to hangzhou. utilizing our extensive view studies we positioned the tower ensemble so it is recognizable as a twin structure, a gate, from both near and far. the towers combine fluid, curvaceous shapes with hard edges. the simple outer shape and the special articulation across both towers, the fluid lines, create different appearances from alternative perspectives.’

long vertical fins wrap around the structure

a 90 meter-tall building and two pavilions are placed around a centrally positioned public square. the volume of the third tower has been designed for office or residential use. a large roof garden is oriented in the direction of a future development to the south of the towers, while a canopy connects the two towers at their base. a fluid landscape connects all five buildings, allowing fluid pedestrian movement. at ground level, all structures offer retail space, with the roofs of the pavilions articulated as a continuation of the landscaped areas. construction of the pavilions started last year, while work on the twin towers — the tallest structures in hangzhou — will commence in 2017.

the development will serve as a landmark entrance to hangzhou

the buildings include copper-colored elements with a gradient towards the top

construction of the pavilions started in 2015

work on the twin towers — the tallest structures in hangzhou — will commence in 2017

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project info:

project: zhejiang gate towers
client: shimao property group
location: hangzhou, zhejiang province, china
status: construction started in 2015, the towers will commence in 2017, completion due 2019
size: two towers 280 m high, each 125,000 sqm; total area: 370,000 sqm

LAVA: tobias wallisser, chris bosse, alexander rieck
project team: christian tschersich (PL), tommy joo, elvira perfetto, jan kozerski, jing xi zhang, nicola schunter, güleyalagöz, mikolay scibisz, yu chun tsai, melanie quessel

partners:
architectural design: SOL
executive architect: ZIAD (zhejiang architecture design institute)
structure: LERA
landscape: pubangpela
façade consultant: schmidlin façade consultancy
image credits: LAVA

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