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Iconic and timeless building capable of combining functionality and aesthetics while interacting with the surrounding architectural context.
Engaging with the lake and thus with the natural environment gave rise to the idea of the waterfall, which transforms into architecture.
Just as water bursts forth forcefully and suddenly descending with all its strength from the mountains, the stacked facades of the Tower and its element interplay of varying thicknesses recall the same vertical movement.
During the study of the dialogue between the theme of water and the facades, we approached the structure of the strings of a traditional Chinese musical instrument, the Lute. This parallelism with a Lute inspired the name "the flow of the music", symbolizing both the flow of music and the flow of water.
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Around the artificial Dishui Lake in the southern region of the peninsula between the Yangtze and Qiantang rivers, in Hangzhou Bay, south of Shanghai, lies Lingang New Area, a city with circular urban development divided into concentric circles, where each area has its specific function. The Waterfall Tower was designed by us to be located in an area exclusively dedicated to offices and convention centers, called Financial Bay.
The tower consists of 20 above-ground floors and one basement floor dedicated to parking.
On the ground floor, along with numerous shops and bars, there is also a double-height lobby and a multifunctional space dedicated to conferences and events, as well as a restaurant with various outdoor spaces overlooking the greenery and the square below. The remaining floors are exclusively for office use.
Volumetrically, the elements comprising the podium appear to detach from the tower and rotate slightly on themselves, positioning themselves at different levels. The soft shapes of these volumes recall the rounded shape of river stones, created by the flow of water.
The main materials used for the facades are: aluminum for the louvers of the facade, chosen in two colors tending towards warm and dark champagne tones to enhance its sense of dynamism; ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), a material known for its high energy performance, resilience, and adaptability to all shapes, used for the sculptural element that emphasizes the double-height entrance at the ground floor.
The glass facades all use a system called "Curtain wall system," which is a continuous glass facade with triple ultra-performance solar shading glass, vertical and horizontal mullions with custom-made aluminum vertical shading systems.
On the roof, a system consisting of an architectural "cage" with vertical white aluminum slats was adopted, designed to cover the underlying machinery but also to house solar panels.
Just as water bursts forth forcefully and suddenly descending with all its strength from the mountains; similarly, the overlapping facades of the Waterfall Tower and its interplay of vertical elements of varying thicknesses recall the same movement.
MMA Projects, promoter of the renowned "Made in Italy", was founded in 1999 by Marco Mangili and over the years has become a melting pot of creative minds capable of providing clients with integrated solutions, ranging from residential complexes, commercial spaces, headquarters, and hotels. Two key figures have been part of the company: architect Alessandro Vaghi, who serves as the administrator of MMA Projects overseeing both the Italian and Chinese markets, and interior designer Dorotea De Simone, who handles interior projects and all communication aspects of the company.
The studio's inclination towards challenges leads it to engage in projects targeting international markets, such as the Middle East and China. Harmony and balance are our calling in design, whether it's a space or human relationships, where the true essence of our profession resides, building with the client a genuine "tailored" experience that leads to the pursuit of excellence.
