New concept design for Qianjiang Waterfront Digital Industrial Park in Hangzhou, China
Chapman Taylor has created a mixed-use concept design for Qianjiang Waterfront Digital Industrial Park in Hangzhou, China.
The 182,000m2 GBA development is to be located on the north bank of the Qiantang River in Qianjiang Century City, part of the Hangzhou CBD, where there are plans to build a high-end industrial district and a central activity area. The development will host retail, leisure, office, industrial and cultural functions within a beautifully landscaped waterside environment.
The site is adjacent to Qiantang River Century Park, Hangzhou Asian Games Village and Hangzhou Olympic Sports Expo City. The project aims to create a new urban hub in Hangzhou, linking the city to the river’s edge once again.
The design concept, which is inspired by the shapes and rhythms of the river, connects a series of twelve plots, with a “water canopy” creating a signature “fifth facade”.
Two pedestrian bridges across the river connect the waterfront businesses on both sides of the river. This covered “Bridge of Drama” creates a cross-river commercial loop while enriching the waterfront experience. The bridges combine with the roof garden to create a vertical landscape.
The Jiangnan-style waterfront architecture creates opportunities to provide striking framed views, while the water street uses the architectural rhythm of the water village to create a commercial and cultural façade.
The river is the core of the site, with several stimulating open spaces around it, creating a rich public activity area which fosters a sense of vibrancy. The landscape design has multiple layers, natural and architectural, with key landscaped spaces attracting people to specific elements of the project, each offering a different character and particular activities.
The landscaping strategy brings nature into the urban space to provide a relaxing and wellbeing-friendly outdoor experience for those who visit or use the new waterfront hub.