MAD unveils design for jiaxing civic center and its undulating ceramic roofscape

MAD architects unveils its design for the jiaxing civic center, the studio’s most recent major public project in the chinese city after the unveiling of the jiaxing train station earlier this year. led by ma yansong, the team orients the massive project to take advantage of the river views and lush vegetation along the city’s central axis. the site is significant with its adjacency to the south lake, a historic lake in the south of jiaxing, and the central park, the largest park in the city. spanning around 130,000 square meters, the site contains three venues — the science and technology museum, the women and children activity center, and the youth activity center.

images courtesy of MAD architects

MAD architects envisions its jiaxing civic center as an artistic entity on an urban scale. here, architectural forms and landscapes fuse together. with a large circular lawn as the centerpiece, the project is one where both people and buildings can interact and share; forming a more open, intimate, dynamic new urban space. the center’s three venues are linked together ‘hand in hand,’ enclosed by a circular roof to form a single entity. the organic flow of the lines throughout the project echoes the softness and grace of the ancient canal towns lining the southern banks of the yangtze river in eastern china. the central circular lawn that anchors the buildings allows for the large architectural volumes to dissipate and dissolve into the landscape.

adjacent to the south lake, MAD architects’ waterfront jiaxing civic center sits within the central park, covered with locally produced white ceramic panels. the panels respond to the traditional barrel tile roofs of the local village, while also enhancing the scheme’s economic and energy efficiency. meanwhile, the project’s floating roof forms a continuous skyline, like a tarp blown by the wind, bringing a soft sense of wrapping to the form. whether you are on the central lawn, outside the park, or on the building’s links and pathways, the scenery seems to change with your movement.

to maintain the cohesiveness of a single entity, the three venues serving exhibition, education, and amenity functions are all coherently arranged under the undulating roof. this naturally forms an interdependent group with a flowing line of movement. the spaces for exhibition, theater, education, activity, entertainment, and other uses are organically weaved together to complement one another. by avoiding the wasteful duplication of service spaces, the design offers more space for people and nature, and enhances the building’s energy-saving attributes.

the original trees on the site that have grown to an impressive age are preserved as much as possible, informing the design of the landscape to form a new natural park. in the middle of the green forest are winding paths and passages through the enclosed buildings, where one can walk through the trees and enjoy the riverfront view. a cascading terrace, facing the central lawn in the interior of the building, acts in a dialogue with the white curved roof. the elements interlock and overlap into multiple semi-outdoor spaces, separated by minimalist floor-to-ceiling glass, blurring the interior and exterior. this is an urban public space for citizens to gather — a fresh, pure land for people to wash away the city’s complex clutter.

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project info:

project title: jiaxing civic center

architecture: MAD architects

location: jiaxing city, china

principal partners: ma yansong, dang qun, yosuke hayano

associate partners: kin li, fu changrui, liu huiying

design team: yin jianfeng, alessandro fisalli, fu xiaoyi, chen-hsiang chao, he yiming, thoufeeq ahmed, chen hao, he xiaowen, zhang yaohui, guo xuan, edgar navarrete, claudia hertrich, deng wei, zhang xiaomei, chen nianhai, li cunhao, sun feifei, punnin sukkasem, manchi yeung, li yingzhou

client: jiaxing highway investment co., ltd.

executive architects: east china architectural design & research institute, shanghai municipal engineering design institute (group) co., ltd.

façade consultant: RFR shanghai

landscape consultant: earthasia design group, yong-high landscape design consulting co.ltd

interior design consultant: shanghai xian dai architectural decoration & landscape design research institute co., ltd

signage consultant: nippon design center, inc.

lighting consultant: beijing sign lighting industry group

traffic consultant: shanghai municipal engineering design institute (group) co., ltd.

completion: expected 2023