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Taiyuan Building : Architecture

Architecture in China design by Atkins

Atkins’ ‘Central Park’ secures design win in northern China

Design: Atkins

Atkins’ architects in Shanghai have won a design competition for a major city extension in the north-western city of Taiyuan, 300-miles south of Beijing.

13 Mar 2007

Taiyuan Development

The project is for a 39-hectare residential and commercial district which, when complete, will house over 5,000 families. The defining feature of Atkins’ design is a large central park, which forms the core of the new district.

Project architect and designer Jiang Lihang, based in Atkins’ Shanghai office, said: “We took the garden as the organising feature of the design arranging the residential blocks around it to give the development a real heart. A landscape bridge will cover a major traffic route that runs across the southern half of the site. This unifies the two parts of the district and makes the green space as large as possible. This landscape bridge also forms a gateway to the neighbourhood along this major road.”

The design includes a variety of high and low-rise apartments with slender tower blocks marking the edge of the central park. It also provides a local shopping centre and community facilities.

Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi Province, is home to 2.9 million people. The city, which dates back 2,500 years, is experiencing strong growth as part of China’s rapid urbanisation.

The competition win is Atkins’ second in the city after the new airport terminal building which is currently under construction. It reinforces Atkins’ success in China, particularly in designing large urban developments. Over the last twelve months, these include Lijiang, Suzhou and Shenyang.

Atkins

Taiyuan buildings, China, images / information from Atkins 130307

Location: Taiyuan, northern China, eastern Asia