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Standing dominantly at the second largest CBD in Beijing, the Da Wang Jing Mixed-use Development designed by Andrew Bromberg at Aedas, is a dynamic commercial gateway at junction of the arterial expressway from the airport to central Beijing and the North 5th Ring Road, where it can be seen from distance like a shining urban oasis. The design juxtaposes the staid image of Grade A offices and corporate headquarters together with an amicable spatial experience to all users, making a vivid interpretation on Andrew Bromberg’s concept of "co-existence of people and nature".
The five towers of the development are sensibly distant from one another, providing generous public spaces with greenery extending all the way to the Wangjing Park north to site. The design aims to accentuate its relationship to the surrounding greeneries, guaranteeing maximum permeability and encouraging public access. With its soft flowing garden-like temperament, the development easily distinguishes itself from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding commercial neighborhood as a truly human-scaled architectural expression.
Occupying three individual parcels, serving four owners and housing tenants across business sectors, the development has encountered complex challenges during the design process. Towers are laid out from east to west, with two high-rise office towers on the east, two on the west with another high-rise apartment tower, and a commercial and convention complex in the middle of the site. Other than that, the podiums also offer private and corporate clubhouses, retail, F&B, banks and entertainment facilities.
The designer paid great attention to the volume of towers for a proper scale. Spacing between towers are by no means compromised, in spite of the limitation of plot area. Instead of sharp corners, the curved façades meet to form concave surfaces, articulating an organic statement of upright bamboos whilst the sense of modernity remain emphasized with glazed facades reflecting the city skyline. “We hope to preserve sensitivity for sustainability of both human and environment", according to Andrew Bromberg. Soft edges of the towers blur boundaries between indoors and outdoors, private and public, fostering close connections for occupants, visitors and their surroundings.
Design details are coherently expressive in aesthetic merits. Refuge shelters are set within wavy layers of the towers, in simulation of bamboo joints, whilst the glazed facades depict silhouettes of bamboo and trees. When the night falls, these towers shimmer with lights, revealing unique glamour of elegance.
Towers are sculpted with slender outlines like cypresses, with the sinuous facades gently sloping outwards as they approach ground floor. In close connection to the “tree trunks”, the podium mimics roots grounded on earth, to invite public participation from the street while adding a softened tone to the overall façade design.
These facilities are interconnected with the urban fabric, injecting vitality into the neighborhood with their distinctive openness. The concept of oasis has established an intricate bond with the surrounding greeneries. Lush landscape penetrates among these towers, with a roof garden set at the exhibition center, echoing with the greening stretching in from both northern and southern edges. The integration of towers and nature makes it viable to attract and engage visitors and the public.
The development has also been a winner of world-class design recognitions since design stages. Accolades include Finalist – Leading European Architects Forum (LEAF) Award (Finalist, Mixed Use Building), the Asia Pacific Property Awards (5-Star, Best High Rise Architecture, China) and A' Design Awards (Golden Winner, Architecture, Building and Structure Design), among many others. The organic architectural form has established itself as a predominant icon in Da Wang Jing CBD. Embraced by greeneries like bamboos in the forest, the towers glow with infinite vitality in sunlight.
Da Wang Jing Mixed-use Development has again demonstrated Andrew Bromberg’s design philosophy that values human sustainability, enriching meaningful connections for people, buildings and the city, carving out a new perspective in contemporary urban complex.
Status: Built
Location: Beijing, CN
Firm Role: Design and Project Architect
