{"id":773018,"date":"2025-02-04T09:52:59","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T09:52:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=773018"},"modified":"2025-02-04T12:45:26","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T12:45:26","slug":"heatherwick-studio-creates-ceramic-clad-culture-business-district-in-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/buildings\/heatherwick-studio-creates-ceramic-clad-culture-business-district-in-china","title":{"rendered":"Heatherwick Studio creates ceramic-clad culture business district in China"},"content":{"rendered":"

Located south of the city\u2019s historic centre between the ruins of the Temple of Heaven and the prominent Shaanxi TV tower, the Xi\u2019an Centre Culture Business District (CCBD) is designed to honour the city\u2019s history of ceramic craftsmanship, which includes the famous Terracotta Army.<\/p>\n

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The buildings\u2019 fa\u00e7ades, columns and curving beams are clad in more than 100,000 ceramic tiles fabricated by local makers and produced with a unique glaze.<\/p>\n

The district\u2019s outdoor streets converge at a central plaza where a vertical park, the Xi\u2019an Tree, rises over 57m and offers views across the city from its 56 elevated \u2018petals\u2019 \u2013 a series of roofs, terraces and streets at differing levels combined with a sequence of cascading gardens.<\/p>\n

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The district has been designed to offer visual complexity from the scale of the city \u2013 with a skyline inspired by the roofs of Xi\u2019an\u2019s historic temples \u2013 to the scale of the doorway: with ceramic planters and stone paving patterns offer a sensory, textural experience.<\/p>\n

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Architect\u2019s view<\/h2>\n

Here in Xi\u2019an, we were excited to create a commercial district that gives the city an extraordinary new piece of public space. Instead of simply making different buildings, and paving and planting the spaces between them, there was the opportunity to craft an unexpected three-dimensional urban landscape on many levels, where citizens of the city can promenade and meet each other. Pursuing our interest in people\u2019s human scale experience of places, we also had the chance to integrate many special constructional details, to help make the project as engaging as possible for people to walk around. The goal of the whole project was to find a joyful and contemporary way to respond to the history of Xi\u2019an, and bring people together.
\nThomas Heatherwick, founder and design director, Heatherwick Studio<\/em><\/p>\n

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Super large-scale developments are being built all over the world to satisfy rapidly urbanising populations. By their very nature, they are often overbearing, singular and devoid of character \u2013 they do nothing for people they are meant to serve. As a counterpoint, we wanted to infuse our project in Xi\u2019an with the spirit, variety and texture that happens naturally in cities over time. The district pays homage to the city\u2019s tradition of making and its historic connection to ceramics. It is a place that invites you to reach out and touch it \u2013 with glazed lift buttons and door handles to hand-carved timber handrails and seats. We hope it will be a place that feels immediately a part of the city and where visitors will want to spend time in the decades to come.
\nMat Cash, partner and group leader, Heatherwick studio<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Project data<\/h2>\n

Start on site<\/strong>\u00a0April 2022
\nCompletion date<\/strong>\u00a0December 2024
\nGross internal floor area<\/strong> 560,128m2<\/sup> (total) \u2013 commercial podium: 155,000m2<\/sup>; hotel (tower B): 35,000m2<\/sup>; office (towers A & B): 87,760m2<\/sup>; service apartments (towers C & D): 110,000m2<\/sup>; basement without commercial: 172,368m2<\/sup>
\nGross (internal + external) floor area<\/strong> 615,292m2<\/sup> (internal: 560,128m2<\/sup>; external: 55,164m2<\/sup>)
\nForm of contract or procurement route<\/strong> Competition \/ public tender
\nConstruction cost<\/strong> Undisclosed
\n<\/em>Construction cost per m2<\/sup><\/strong>\u00a0Undisclosed
\n<\/em>Client<\/strong>\u00a0CRL (China Resources Land)
\nArchitect <\/strong>Heatherwick studio; towers A&B: Goettsch Partners; towers C&D: Lacime
\nStructural engineer<\/strong> RBS,
\nFa\u00e7ade engineer<\/strong> Arup
\nMEP engineer<\/strong> WSP
\nTree structural engineer<\/strong> KTP
\nTree fa\u00e7ade engineer<\/strong> CFT
\nExecutive landscape architect<\/strong> WTD
\nSpecialist lighting<\/strong> Speirs+Major
\nVisualisation<\/strong> MIR, Devisual, Slashcube
\nTree 3D design coordination<\/strong> Robotics Plus
\nRetail planning<\/strong> 10 Design
\nHotel interior designer<\/strong> Andre Fu
\nStudio tree projection<\/strong> & AV<\/strong> Design Territory Studio
\nLocal design institutes<\/strong> JZFZ (overall), KTF (fa\u00e7ade), Sky Design (interior), Green (landscape), HDA (lighting).
\nCeramic manufacturers <\/strong>HEDE (north podium), TOB (south podium), Yi Design (lift buttons).
\nQuantity surveyor<\/strong>\u00a0\u5229\u6bd4
\nCDM coordinator<\/strong> CRL (China Resources Land)
\nApproved building inspector<\/strong> \u8d5b\u8fea\u76d1\u7406\u516c\u53f8
\nMain contractors<\/strong> CCSD and Jangho
\nCAD software used<\/strong>\u00a0BIM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Located south of the city\u2019s historic centre between the ruins of the Temple of Heaven and the prominent Shaanxi TV tower, the Xi\u2019an Centre Culture Business District (CCBD) is designed to honour the city\u2019s history of ceramic craftsmanship, which includes the famous Terracotta Army. \u00a0 The buildings\u2019 fa\u00e7ades, columns and curving beams are clad in …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32845,"featured_media":773020,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"ep_exclude_from_search":false},"categories":[706],"tags":[3753,1626,1270,101486],"yoast_head":"\nHeatherwick Studio creates ceramic-clad culture business district in China<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The new 155,000m\u00b2 neighbourhood in Xi\u2019an combines a retail podium, offices, apartments and green spaces with a vertical park\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, 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