Pretty much every element of MAD's design for the Xinhee Design Center factors in sustainability: water features, full-blown gardens and offices commingle on the six star-shaped floors that sprout from the central atrium, while an envelope of PTFE provides ventilation and shade.
Solar panels occupy the roof, while the footbridge in the atrium provides both air circulation and the opportunity for impromptu fashion modeling. The use of natural light throughout the building is aided in part by the facade's translucent coating, which allows light transmittance of up to 40%.
However, the concept behind the building is meant to reflect the business of the client, an international fashion group. As MAD founding principal Ma Yansong explains, “We envision it as a building with skin-and-bones. The correspondence of clothing and architecture is they both explore the relationship between the interior and the exterior.”
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3 Comments
Can someone explain to me how those shapes are "sustainable"? Oh right, by using expensive materials and custom forms...
ZAHA LIVES
What does "highly sustainable" really mean? My understanding is that sustainability is not so much the sum of its parts, but it's place and function within a system. This looks to me just another feature building, for an industry with dubious sustainability credentials...
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