Winland Center, preserving the grace of the Xiangji Temple

Winland Center is located on the bank of the Grand Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is adjacent to the Xiangji Temple with a thousand-year history. In accordance with the theme of "Sublimate the temples", ARQ designed the project with the premise of preserving the grace of the temple. By interpreting the spatial layout of traditional Chinese buildings with modern methods, a group of new modern buildings perfectly integrates with the surrounding circumstance, such as the history, humanity and nature around the ancient temple. The whole project is not only a project about rescue and preservation, but also an exploration of urban issues. It is exemplary and valuable in the aspect of public welfare as ARQ is able to establish a harmonious coexistence between the new complex and the old city. It not only protects the historical and cultural heritage, but also the natural ecology of the entire region. Moreover, it is a dialogue between tradition and future. The entire project and Xiangji Temple are only separated by a 24-meter wide Lishui Road. On one side of the road, It is a historical temple with a height of 14.69 meters. While the other side of the road is the modern building complex with a planned height of 80 meters. If the temple and complex are built adjacent to each other, such a height and volume is bound to give Xiangji Temple and surrounding area an irreversible sense of oppression. Therefore, in order to fully respect and be courteous to the surrounding historical context and natural environment, the design withdraws the volume of the high-rise building by 30 meters setback from the red line of the site. The withdrawal respectfully yielded to the Xiangji Temple, and minimized the impact of the high-rise buildings on the temple and the entire history and culture along the canal. By yielding the space to Xiangji Temple, the temple is able to be included in the skyline of the city, refining the grace of the temple and sublimating the traditional structure. Referring to the architectural layout of the Chinese courtyard, ARQ Architects set up five axes of "two vertical and three horizontal" in the site, and regarded them as the main circulation lines in the site. The five axes also created a sense of ''Three entry Courtyards", embellishing the whole project with the spirit of Chinese traditional culture. The north-south main axis: the main axis creates a progressive space experience starting from the urban space, to the extroverted cultural and commercial space. Then the space transits from commercial space to the introverted residential space. The north-south sub axis: the sub axis adjacents to Gallery Street, connecting the main building complex with the small-volume gallery complex which is located next to the Xiangling temple. Three horizontal circulations: the three circulations run through the east-west direction, connecting areas with different functions, and efficiently guide the flow of people. The circulation line on the south is the main ground circulation leading the crowd to the Xiangji Temple; the circulation line in the middle is the main one for commercial area, crossing the center of the entire commercial plaza, connecting the sunken square, basement and subway; the circulation line on the north is the main flow line to enter the residential area. It is connected to the subway and bus station in the east. By going westward, people can pass through the cultural block of Dadou Road to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The three courtyards share different characteristics, serving as the space for cultural activities, office, leisure, business, and high-end residential lifestyle. the transition from public to private also enriches the experience of variety in the complex. At the same time, they also serve as an important space for people to gather and entertain, bringing vitality to the entire block. Office towers The office space of the project is mainly concentrated in the two towers. Its design combines the concept of SOHO, aiming to create a new living and working environment that shares the characteristics of freedom, flexibility and new living and working environment. With the planar method applied on the design of the facade, the gigantic width and volume of the tower is eliminated. And at the same time, it simulates a dialogue on the form between the huge tower and Xiangji Temple. Each office tower is composed of 7 different volumes. Among them, the four towers are merged and overlapped on the plane. Through the effective combination of the cores, a more efficient and flexible space is obtained, and they are scattered in the vertical direction to form a differentiated façade. While the three transparent glass boxes are cantilevered above the tower, breaking through the boundaries of the main body of the building. It also creates unconventional interior spaces and enriches the spatial relationship within the towers. Commercial district This open commercial block has brought diversified and multiple commercial formats different formats in forms and scale complement each other, which not only meets the needs of citizens' daily life, such as consumption and entertainment, but also connects with the city and maximizes the business value of the space. Considering the different flows formed by residents, office staff and customers, the design makes full usage of the ground and underground space, an interior commercial flow line and an outdoor commercial pedestrian street are created. Gallery street Gallery Street, as the commercial display section along the street on the west side of the Complex, is created by 4 groups of two-storey buildings. The whole Gallery streets’massings is divided into two forms of volume ——- the pure white box and the cantilevered glass box. While combining the functions of art works storage and display, each Volume overlaps and intersects with each other in shape, forming a rhythmic façade along the street.