Aedas, China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute Win Tiantou Intelligent Harbour Concept Design Competition

Western (Chengdu) Science City is perched in the heart of Chengdu Tianfu New Area, designed as a forward-looking world-class innovation center in China. It is an ideal spot for a business park given its excellent ecological conditions near the famous Xinglong Lake. Aedas and China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute jointly created a conceptual design plan for an intelligent hub in this prime location.

"We hope to make full use of the natural resources and favorable geographical position to create a place that presents the warmth and openness of Sichuan, attracting talents from near and far; through seamless integration of green ecology and industrial park, creating a high-quality scientific and technological innovation space,” said Aedas Executive Director Yaochun Wen.

The project covers two plots in the north and south respectively. Inspired by the mountains and valleys in Chengdu, the design creates a multi-dimensional valley layout to echo its local natural environment. It arranges high-rise office tower in the north, the multi-storey office blocks around a public central spine, and commercial space the first floor and underground level. The diverse functions operate independently but are interconnected through the central spine to promote communication and build a "work-life" integrated environment.

The design creates flexible spaces of different scales amongst the office towers and multi-storey office groups to meet the needs of start-ups as well as large-scale enterprises. The towers with different elevations are connected through a shared platform in the middle, ensuring privacy while providing interaction opportunities. The single-family office towers close to the central spine are placed in a scattered fashion to prevent blocking and maximise landscape view. A garden-style environment and a vivid work space is cultivated through the design layout and green public space, imbuing a pleasant atmosphere around a functional, high-quality scientific and technological innovation space.

The vertical lines on the façade are designed to approximate Chengdu’s forest landscape, whereas the similarly vertical lines on the office towers mirror the silhouette of bamboos. The retreated office blocks are shaped based on the image of tumbling water over rocks.

The design focuses on greening and the creation of public spaces. A bridge on the spine is comprised of floating platforms, cultural and exhibition spaces as photo-taking spots. The lakeside sunken plaza with curved metal roofs provides a rich and spacious interactive public area for citizens. The central spine, together with the green roofs and public terraces in offices, form a multi-dimensional green landscape.

"Surrounded by nature elements, the mixed-use elements are designed to function independently in an interconnected space vitalized by greening. We hope to create a comfortable office space by integrating the architecture and the landscape resources. The pleasant office atmosphere is created to render Chengdu Tiantou Intelligent Harbour an exemplar of business parks.” — Aedas Executive Director Yaochun Wen.