Fengbei TOD Commercial Complex: Riding the Tide
P&T Group’s shortlisted proposal for the Fengbei TOD Commercial Complex in Hangzhou reimagines a transport interchange as a connected vertical district for work, living, hospitality, retail and public life.
Located in the core of Qianjiang Century City, the proposal draws on the force and layered movement of the Qiantang River tide. Four staggered towers create a skyline with the rhythm of overlapping waves, while the stepped massing responds to the height of the surrounding city and opens views, ventilation and daylight through the site.
The project translates the tidal concept into a series of terraces. These stepped forms recall the river’s tidal wall, but also have a practical role: each becomes a sky garden that reduces the scale of the towers along the internal streets and creates places for residents, workers and visitors to pause above the city.
At its base, the project is planned as a three-dimensional mobility hub. Underground connections link directly to Fengbei Station and Metro Lines 6, 11 and 15, alongside facilities for airport and high-speed rail passengers, taxis and ride-hailing. At ground level, commercial streets, a sunken plaza and bus facilities prioritise pedestrian movement, while aerial walkways extend connections across the wider district. The proposal also reserves space for future eVTOL and logistics-drone infrastructure.
This transport network supports a mixed-use programme designed to operate throughout the day. Flexible workplaces, youth and talent apartments, experiential retail, a hotel, conference facilities and a skyline banquet hall are brought together as a compact urban ecosystem. Rather than separating these uses, the proposal uses shared routes, gardens and public spaces to allow them to support one another.
The façade continues the idea of moving water. Blue glass, vertical fins and horizontal bands form a layered grid inspired by the Qiantang River’s matrix tide. The commercial base uses a more fluid, patterned surface, while the entrances to the apartments and offices give each part of the development a distinct character.
Conceived as a future-oriented TOD destination, Fengbei TOD Commercial Complex uses mobility, landscape and mixed-use density to create a more connected model of urban life in Hangzhou.
Project details:
Location: Qianjiang Century City, Hangzhou, China
Project status: Shortlisted competition proposal
Type: Offices, apartments, retail, hotel, conference and event facilities
Transit connection: Fengbei Station, Metro Lines 6, 11 and 15
Architecture and design: P&T Group