Zhongxun Times
On the banks of the Yangtze River, this mixed use office and retail development is centrally located in the new Danzishi Central Business District in Chongqing.
The brief was to create an interactive retail environment that would reflect the rich topography of Chongqing. The site presented many challenges, including a level difference of some 10m across a relatively narrow site, while still allowing for multiple level pedestrian access points from elevated walkways interconnecting with adjacent developments.
The sensuous form of the podium is driven by the specific analysis of pedestrian flow through the site. The layered external shells direct pedestrian traffic through the external skin of the façade or into the central retail atria. Rather than the traditional “black box” retail podium, the undulating shells accommodate either LED screens, planting or elevated retail walkways thereby activating the façade.
With the triangular form of the tower derived by maximising the view corridors leading to the river through the adjacent towers, the simple form of the tower contrasts with the rich groundscape.
