21 Feb 2020
MVRDV design "urban living room" with lush greenery and organic, stacked terraces
BY Stu Robarts
MVRDV is one of two finalists in a competition to design the Shimao ShenKong International Centre, with a proposal that combines stacked terraces, curved organic forms and lush greenery.
The competition sought designs for a municipal facility for Universiade New Town in China that would accommodate a variety of different amenities and green spaces.
MVRDV'S 101,300sq m (1 million sq ft) Shenzhen Terraces proposal was conceived as a new urban living room that would form the core of the new thriving neighbourhood.
Landscape, leisure, commerce and culture elements would be integrated by way of a large web-like platform lifting up from ground level to connect a number of different areas and a series of stacked platforms accommodating different uses.
More than 20 programmes are factored in, including a small gallery, a library and an outdoor theatre.
The terraces, curved for sense of calm and tranquility, don't just provide floor space, but provide additional benefits through cleverly moulded adaptations.
Overhangs provide shade, dipped edges link different levels or double as small outdoor auditoriums and façades are pushed inwards to emphasise and form entrances.
Evaluating the proposal, the competition jury said: "The design not only provides an opportunity for Universiade New Town to become a cultural destination, but also offers a new typology for public space. This experimental urban design is valuable for academic research in Longgang District and Shenzhen.
"With the appropriate proportion of green space and plants, optimised material and structure form, the Shenzhen Terrace will develop into an ‘urban garden’ on a human scale."
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