Architecture with a vision always brings out a sense of inspiration for all those who see it. Creating newer ideas of spaces and structures with imagination and technological advancements has always been what ZHA has been known for.
Recently, the firm won an international competition with their design for the Jinghe New City Culture & Art Centre, in China. It puts forth a very strong vision for this community space which would make it a landmark location for the city.
About the design
The new Jinghe New City Arts and Culture Center is located in the emerging Jinghe City Bay Science and Technology Academic Innovation District. The area has rapidly growing institutes for scientific research, Jinghe New City is growing as a science and technology hub. The competition aimed to create a central cultural zone for this increasing influx of people coming here. As per the program put forth by the organizers, the building required a library, culture & art centre, cinema, music, dancing, traditional drama performance, modern drama, calligraphy and painting art exhibition and other leisure, catering and recreational supporting facilities. Along with that, the design was also required to provide conceptual proposals for landscaping the cross-street overpass of Jinghe Avenue.
With environmental concerns looming around the district and the world, it was important that the project was energy efficient and encouraged environmental sustainability. As per ZHA, the city is soon developing into a centre for industries which primarily research new energy sources and materials, aerospace, and artificial intelligence. the design by ZHA reflects this vision and is a passive building, which integrates technologies for on-site power generation.
Structure and spaces
The proposal incorporates a striking meandering form which lies snugly among the crossroads between Jinghe and Wiehe, in the Shaanxi Province of Northern China. This form aptly represents the character of designs by ZHA and echoes the path of the river Jinghe which flows in close vicinity to the art centre. A series of pathways, terraces and varying volumes fluidly spans through the two plots by bridging over the eight-lane motorway.
“Organized as a series of flowing volumes, layers and surfaces interconnecting with courtyards and landscapes, the design defines a sequence of interior and exterior cultural and recreational spaces for its community.” – ZHA
The spaces are designed by categorizing the specific functions among the two zones. The southern zone has recreational spaces like performing arts theater, multi-function halls, studios and exhibition galleries, while the other has a library, study room, augmented duality, workshop areas, etc. designed to accommodate up to 450 people, the performing arts theater is the central space surrounded by the other studios and exhibition areas to provide interconnectivity between disciplines and better accessibility. The multimedia library will provide a variety of reading zones, with conventional as well as advanced virtual reality features. It is characterized by stepped terraces that overlook its full-height atrium with diffusing skylights.
The cultural center merges with the existing urban infrastructure and facilities, providing a platform for community growth together with the waterfront greenland, surrounding Jinghe green belt, academician valley core area, as well as the upcoming metro station. The bridging area would provide direct access to the metro station by sloping pedestrian pathways, thereby promoting walkability with public spaces around the same.
Sustainability
The architecture of the future has to have an aspect of sustainability for the world to develop resilience for the future. The design for the cultural and art centre at Jinghe by ZHA was also designed to achieve a 3-star certification in China’s Green Building program. According to the architects, the centre uses natural ventilation and other passive design techniques by responsive site planning and analysis of the climate of Jinghe New City. the building also aims to minimize the use of conventional energy sources by creating self-generated power using on-site photovoltaic panels, as well as rainwater collection. The construction will also use locally manufactured materials along with recycled content, contributing to its sustainability factor.
Project Competition Team
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
ZHA Principal: Patrik Schumacher
ZHA Commercial Director: Charles Walker
ZHA Project Director: Satoshi Ohashi
ZHA Associate Director: Yang Jingwen
ZHA Project Architect: Nan Jiang
ZHA Project Team: Sanxing Zhao, Lianyuan Ye, Shaofei Zhang, Qiyue Li, Shuchen Dong, Yuan Feng, Congyue Wang, Yuling Ma, Yanran Lu
ZHA Sustainability: Carlos Bausa Martinez, Bahaa Alnassrallah, Aditya Amber
Consultants
Structure: RBS
Regulation and technical consultant: China United Northwest Institute for Engineering Design & Research Co.
REFERENCES:
- Zaha-hadid.com. (2022). ZHA to design Jinghe New City Culture & Art Centre – Zaha Hadid Architects. [online] Available at: https://www.zaha-hadid.com/2022/06/20/zha-to-design-jinghe-new-city-culture-art-centre/ [Accessed 3 Jul. 2022].
- www.youtube.com. (n.d.). ZHA Jinghe New City Culture & Art Centre Animation by ATCHAIN. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cTqVgFVHiQ&t=14s [Accessed 3 Jul. 2022].
- Egnyte. (n.d.). Jinghe New City Culture & Art Centre on Egnyte. [online] Available at: https://zahahadid.egnyte.com/fl/QZXcYDDWQJ#folder-link/Jinghe%20New%20City%20Culture%20%26%20Art%20Centre/1_Animation [Accessed 28 Jun. 2022].
- designboom | architecture & design magazine. (2022). Zaha Hadid architects’ winning entry for jinghe echoes a naturally eroded river valley. [online] Available at: https://www.designboom.com/architecture/zaha-hadid-architects-jinghe-new-city-culture-art-center-china-competition-winner-06-20-2022/ [Accessed 3 Jul. 2022].
- Dezeen. (2022). Zaha Hadid Architects designs Jinghe New City Culture & Art Centre. [online] Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2022/06/22/zaha-hadid-architects-jinghe-new-city-culture-art-centre/ [Accessed 3 Jul. 2022].
- ArchDaily. (2022). Zaha Hadid Architects Selected to Design the Jinghe New City Culture & Art Centre in China. [online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/983992/zaha-hadid-architects-selected-to-design-the-jinghe-new-city-culture-and-art-centre-in-china [Accessed 3 Jul. 2022].
