Led by UUA Design Partner Yongzheng Li and Managing Partner Qizhi Li, Nine Flow Riverside Art Mall was completed in September 2023 following five years of design and construction. The project is located on the bank of the Jiuliudu River in Jinghu New District, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, Mainland China. Already becoming an iconic landmark that sees architecture and landscape adopt a fluid form in response to the meandering urban texture of this popular water town in southeastern China.
1.0 Project Background
The project is located in the core of Shaoxing Jinghu New District, adjacent to the financial office area, with the city’s administrative center and the library positioned opposite across the river. In response, the project emphasizes low density, low height and landscaping in terms of building scale, being positioned as a medium-to-high-end commercial supporting facility.
2.0 Resonance: Geographical Features and Cultural Symbols
“As our second project in this area, this project provides us with a unique opportunity to examine design from an urban perspective: how to embed into the urban fabric, how to stitch together with the surrounding blocks, and finally how to resonate with public sentiment through an urban setting?”
Yongzheng Li, Project Director
Overlooking the Jinghu New District, the meandering water network and rugged land-forms combine together to form a typical water town texture. UUA adopts a landscape design strategy to create a flowing counterpoint of architectural podium and landscape, while introducing five "Orchid Pavilions" to echo the geographical features of Shaoxing's water town and the cultural tradition of cultivating orchids.
3.0 Dialogue with Surrounding Buildings
Bordered by a multitude of different functional buildings, this project should achieve a complex transitional role by effectively stitching the surrounding blocks together. The north side of the site is arranged in a low-density, low-rise configuration to reduce visual interference with the administrative center. With the adjacent Suning Plaza Shopping Center, the south side of the site enhances its commercial density to attract shopping crowds. On the west side sits The Exo Towers, therefore an axis square is set up on the site, aligned with the main entrance of The Exo Towers. The project adopts the same white colour and smooth lines as the Shaoxing Library positioned on the opposite side of the river, echoing its architectural language.
4.0 The Creation of Waterfront Space
In order to increase the vitality of the waterfront space, UUA adjusted the original straight riverbank to create a more dynamic form, and set up a slow walkway along the river. By forming an additional two squares and one passageway between the urban roads and river, UUA established a more inclusive and water-friendly urban space.
5.0 Geometric Control and Facade Details
As geometric control can be considered a technical response to architectural form, the approach taken by UUA is to draw the outline of the above ground building using straight lines and tangent arcs based on the grid of the underground garage, creating a seemingly random, yet rational geometric control.
The external louvers of the "Orchid Pavilion" are grouped in 1/6 circles, or 60 degrees, forming a continuous pattern of change. Through repeated mirroring of the groups, the undulating form of the "Orchid Pavilion" is achieved.
6.0 Summary and Prospect
UUA considers emotional resonance as the starting point of design, providing the concept of "temperature" to the building. A "precision" in architecture is achieved using an integrated design based on geometry as a method to develop the design in both overall and detailed aspects . With the accumulation of time coupled with growing interest and popularity, Nine Flow Riverside Art Mall is sure to become an iconic new urban landmark in Shaoxing.
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