AECOM: vanke sales house models sustainability in china

AECOM: vanke sales house models sustainability in china 
image © sergio marquez
all images courtesy of AECOM

the san francisco and shanghai offices of AECOM have teamed up to create a spiral that rises from the ground for the ‘vanke dreamtown sales house’ in xiamen, china. the idea of cut-fill is manifested throughout the project, with a large underground parking left a great deal of excavated land that was transformed into rolling hills throughout the 19-hectare site. a circular path weaves in and out of these forms, connecting buildings and groundscape. the central show room is itself a spiral through which one circulates, ascending through the display space and cafe, reaching an occupiable green roof where one can look out over the undulating field. in the center, a pond and tree are encircled by the primary stair which connects in and outdoors. the dialogue between architecture and landscape continues as the project develops. the second phase of the development will erase the temporary earthen mounds to make room for residences on the site, at which point the commercial center will become a clubhouse.

the undulating fields are the product of sustainable excavation practices
image © sergio marquez

 
sales house seen from the landscape
image © xiaoyang zhao

spiraling circulation defines the form of the sales house
image © sergio marquez

the elevated display rooms above leave ample lounge space at the ground level
image © sergio marquez

a central pool and tree occupy the center of the sales house, which will become a community center in phase II
image © xiaoyang zhao

(left): dreamtown entry foyer
(right): the spiraling stair encircles the central pond and tree
image © sergio marquez

the ceiling finish emphasizes the flow required by the program
image © sergio marquez

the linear program has been rolled into an ascending spiral
image © sergio marquez

the green roof will continually serve the community
image © sergio marquez

the landscape as seen from the roof
image © sergio marquez

vanke is the largest real-estate developer in china
image © sergio marquez

1/20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

project info:

completion date: october 2012
location: xiamen, china
company: AECOM
architect in charge: aki omi
architecture:
project director: hiroyuki shinohara
project manager: yi-chieh su
team: sergio marquez, jie edence zhao, yi-ting alice chiu, po wei lai, chao wei-hsiang
landscape team:
aki omi, taku suzuki, xiaoyang zhao, joseph claghorn, garren owens