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Guangzhou’s beating heart is Tianhe and Baiyun which is the up and coming new town set to become the city’s second largest CBD. As part of a larger push to fill the gap in Guangzhou’s industrial-city landscape, GHD Yungang City has attracted a plethora of Fortune 500 companies to set up offices. Led by Aedas Global Design Principal Kevin Wang, in collaboration with GDAD, the project is conceptualized as a 230-m tall mixed-use complex comprising of two twin towers and a plaza, which will become the latest addition to Guangzhou Baiyun’s skyline.
GDH Yungang City sits at the base of the spectacular Baiyun Mountain range. It is a mixed-use development including industrial, commercial and public land. Located in a prime spot adjacent to Baiyun’s central nucleus and the city’s main highway. Plot 4 which is the land designed to specifically cater to business and commercial use, features urban green space to the east and panoramic views of the mountain ranges.
Aedas Global Design Principal Kevin Wang posits the project as Baiyun’s “vertebrae”, one that will lay the foundation for future development and growth. “Guided by a series of iconic designs, we will reconstruct Baiyun New Town’s skyline with dense, undulating spatial forms that are uniquely futuristic,” he says.
The massing design follows the city’s existing topography, building additional sight-seeing corridors that will fully capitalize on the surrounding scenery. GDH Yungang City’s height of 230 m perfectly integrates it into the surrounding urban flora, blending it seamlessly in with the infrastructure in its vicinity.
With balanced spacing between the high-rises and surrounding development, the design seeks to avoid direct building-to-building view and generate unobstructed 270-degree mountain views. To avoid visually-oppressive impact to the park, high-rise buildings below 100m are placed close to the park while the other two iconic towers are located along the main highway rather than the park-adjacent. The podium will be a commercial strip where multiple nodes are created inside the plot through a staggered layout. This is complemented by a city square formed at the corner of the development. With low-rises on the outer ring and high-rises at the nucleus of Baiyun New Town, a sinuous skyline is created, emulating and echoing the mountain ridgeline.
GDH Yungang City contains two twin towers standing at 230 m and 190 m each. As a homage to Guangzhou’s cultural history and rich landscapes, the architectural theme is inspired by the concept of voyage. A folded and layered façade on the west tower mimics wind sails, soaring towards new heights. The shared lobby has a three-storey high ceiling, with glass-ribbed curtain walls that add grandeur to one’s arrival experience. The metal canopy at the entrance is slightly sloped to accentuate the twin towers’ contoured silhouettes.
The east-facing office towers feature vertical façade element with symmetrical lines in order to create uniformity with subtle details. Meanwhile rooftop gardens are created offering astonish park view.
The retail at podium-level adopt a block-style design attached to a 24-hour inter-connecting public corridor. Multiple public shared areas are devised, including communal and recreational spaces, to accompany the commercial activity within the development. In order to attract pedestrian flow, an imposing plaza is positioned at the southwestern gate and it simultaneously functions as a lively touchpoint within the development.
“It is our hope that this new mixed-use project can inject vitality into the Baiyun area and create more opportunities for urban greening.” – Aedas Global Design Principal, Kevin Wang.
Status: Unbuilt
Location: Guangzhou, CN
Firm Role: Design and Project Architect
Additional Credits: Project: GDH Yungang City (Plot 4)
Location: Guangzhou, China
Owner: Guangdong Land Holdings Limited
Design and Project Architect: Aedas, joint venture with GDAD
Gross Floor Area: 257,600 sq m
Design Director: Kevin Wang, Global Design Principal
