Vanke Times Center, a 47,000-sm urban complex created from the bones of an old shopping mall in Beijing’s Chaoyang District, blends retail shops, offices, large art installations, a multi-functional exhibition space, and a bamboo meditation garden into one unique location.
The complex’s retail shops are located on the basement and ground floors, with the upper floors housing the offices, green spaces, and exhibitions/events. Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects created a series of three atriums in the renovated design. The atriums increase connection and natural light to the deep floor plan and are surrounded by three office clusters topped with penthouses and roof gardens.
Photo: Yuzhu Zheng.
The third 18-meter-high atrium is carved from the street facade and creates a clear main entrance. This atrium is located on the north side of the building and has been dubbed the “Creative Living Room.” It opens to the city through a glass curtain wall and contains a giant suspended sculpture by French photographer and artist Charles Petillon. The Creative Living Room also contains two cantilevered conference rooms.
Photo: Yuzhu Zheng.
The second atrium has been dubbed the “Media Plaza.” It is the core of the building, connecting the underground commercial area to the ground floor office space with two bamboo staircases. The Media Plaza includes scattered seating and an open, ascending layout that makes it ideal for conferences, lectures, art exhibitions, and performances. Large walkways and footbridges connect the upper levels between the 24-meter-high skylight.
See Also: Florida mixed-use development uses wellness as the backbone of its design
The third atrium is the smallest and has been named the “Meditation Bamboo Garden.” It is located on the western side of the second floor and acts as a place of rest for office workers.
The complex was completed in August 2018 and has been pre-certified as LEED Gold.
Photo: Yuzhu Zheng.
Related Stories
| Feb 15, 2011
Iconic TWA terminal may reopen as a boutique hotel
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey hopes to squeeze a hotel with about 150 rooms in the space between the old TWA terminal and the new JetBlue building. The old TWA terminal would serve as an entry to the hotel and hotel lobby, which would also contain restaurants and shops.
| Feb 11, 2011
Kentucky’s first green adaptive reuse project earns Platinum
(FER) studio, Inglewood, Calif., converted a 115-year-old former dry goods store in Louisville, Ky., into a 10,175-sf mixed-use commercial building earned LEED Platinum and holds the distinction of being the state’s first adaptive reuse project to earn any LEED rating. The facility, located in the East Market District, houses a gallery, event space, offices, conference space, and a restaurant. Sustainable elements that helped the building reach its top LEED rating include xeriscaping, a green roof, rainwater collection and reuse, 12 geothermal wells, 81 solar panels, a 1,100-gallon ice storage system (off-grid energy efficiency is 68%) and the reuse and recycling of construction materials. Local firm Peters Construction served as GC.
| Feb 11, 2011
Former Richardson Romanesque hotel now houses books, not beds
The Piqua (Ohio) Public Library was once a late 19th-century hotel that sat vacant and deteriorating for years before a $12.3 million adaptive reuse project revitalized the 1891 building. The design team of PSA-Dewberry, MKC Associates, and historic preservation specialist Jeff Wray Associates collaborated on the restoration of the 80,000-sf Richardson Romanesque building, once known as the Fort Piqua Hotel. The team restored a mezzanine above the lobby and repaired historic windows, skylight, massive fireplace, and other historic details. The basement, with its low ceiling and stacked stone walls, was turned into a castle-like children’s center. The Piqua Historical Museum is also located within the building.
| Jan 21, 2011
Manufacturing plant transformed into LEED Platinum Clif Bar headquarters
Clif Bar & Co.’s new 115,000-sf headquarters in Emeryville, Calif., is one of the first buildings in the state to meet the 2008 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards. The structure has the largest smart solar array in North America, which will provide nearly all of its electrical energy needs.
| Jan 21, 2011
Revamped hotel-turned-condominium building holds on to historic style
The historic 89,000-sf Hotel Stowell in Los Angeles was reincarnated as the El Dorado, a 65-unit loft condominium building with retail and restaurant space. Rockefeller Partners Architects, El Segundo, Calif., aimed to preserve the building’s Gothic-Art Nouveau combination style while updating it for modern living.
| Jan 21, 2011
Music festival’s new home showcases scenic setting
Epstein Joslin Architects, Cambridge, Mass., designed the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Mass., to showcase the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, as well at the site’s ocean views.
