Atelier Ping Jiang | EID Arch has been working on the sequel in the existing blocks, trying to respond to the upgrading context, while creating a new meaningful space with more diversity. The project consists 70,000 m2 of three office buildings, 27,000 m2 of boutique style center – CR8, and 4,000 m2 of outdoor garden-style social gathering space. The project aims to create an innovative business park with extraordinary community experience, that generates a new urban three-dimensional area connecting nature and humanity, business and leisure.
The original Times E-PARK is developed in two phases; phase I of the business office park was completed in 2017. With the rapid development of the changing demands, EID Arch reconfigured Phase II based on the original planning framework of Times E-PARK. The design aims to create an urban hybrid that integrating office, commercial, cultural, and other diversified programs. With the optimizing functions, the urban public space is reshaped into an extraordinary innovative community. Under the circumstances of the transformation of old urban village in city Guangzhou, the design also takes consideration of how to recall the traditional city memory, while meeting the upgrading functional requirements.
The main office space is composed of three business buildings with staggered layout. The lower portion of this project is an urban open plaza that serves for publicity, exhibition, and commerce. On the façade, those elegant vertical movements are intertwined with horizontal motions to create vivid rhythms. The eye-catching large steps serve as the main entrance, conveying people directly to the upper level. The boutique fashion retail, luxury flagship store, fashion play pop-up, top vehicle brand show room, Times Cloud Theater as well as other functions are connected with precise gap on the facade, which constantly enrich the commercial interface, and vividly deduce the traditional space characteristics of Guangzhou arcade-house.
The office adopts eccentric core layout to maximize the open space and natural light. Through outdoor market, shared terrace and other elements, nature and social interactions are truly immerged together for leisure consumption and social gathering.
EID Arch actively explored a new paradigm of urban mixed-use and inserts a boutique commercial space on the basis of Phase II business park, that aims to create a "New Gathering Place for Art". As the infrastructure of urban activities, this project combines elements from nature, art, and fashion, that eventually reshapes urban lifestyle. To respond to the openness of the Lingnan culture, designers practiced flowing indoor and outdoor spaces by creating salient terraces on the lower podium part, which also works to promote the human-nature relationship due to the abundant greenness on the terraces.
In Times Guangzhou E-PARK Phase II renewal, the spirit of local culture has been fully reflected. The design takes the Lingnan culture as theme, that combines the hybrid function, the sense of rhythm, as well as the local commercial culture together successfully to form a plug-in of the city. It reflects the rapid integration and transformation of old urban village in Guangzhou for the past few years, as well as the process of urban development with diversity and vitality. Moreover, Times Guangzhou E-PARK Phase II has established a new benchmark for civic public space.