Born to the sea and building a sustainable headquarters park - China Railway Construction Group Lingang Headquarters Project
Shanghai • China • 2020
Looking at Shanghai from space, Dishui Lake, located in the southeast of the city, is strictly geometrically shaped, like an emerald against the Pacific Ocean not far away. Dripping water becomes a lake, and it is born to the sea. The Lingang New Area of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone is built around the lake, bringing together a number of large domestic and foreign enterprise headquarters, such as Tesla Inc., China State Construction Group, etc. In this vibrant land, the Lingang Headquarters Park project of China Railway Construction Group came into being.
Status: Ongoing
Time: 2020
Client: China Railway Construction Corporation Limited
Type: Tender / Finalist
Contents: Corporate Headquarters / Campus / Industrial Building / Office Building / Public Building
GFA/plot area: 141,990 m² / 34,127 m²
Principal Architect: Liu Xiangcheng
Chief Architect: Liu Xiangcheng / Shen Peng
Partner: China Railway Shanghai Design Institute Group Co., Ltd
Dishui Lake @ Google Map
Looking at Shanghai from space, Dishui Lake, located in the southeast of the city, is strictly geometrically shaped, like an emerald against the Pacific Ocean not far away. Dripping water becomes a lake, and it is born to the sea. The Lingang New Area of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone is built around the lake, bringing together a number of large domestic and foreign enterprise headquarters, such as Tesla Inc., China State Construction Group, etc. In this vibrant land, the Lingang Headquarters Park project of China Railway Construction Group came into being.
The relationship between architecture and Dishui Lake
The project site is located on the south bank of Dishui Lake, with a first-line lake view, which can overlook the entire lake. The park contains three plots, K04-01, K07-01 and K08-01, with a total land area of 34,127 square meters, a total construction area of 142,000 square meters, and a plot ratio of 2.5-3.0. Three plots form an L-shaped layout, with the first two plots arranged side by side along Dishui Lake and a north-south canal on the east side. Therefore, the three plots are all born on the water, with superior geographical location and rich landscape resources. The project includes headquarters office, R&D office, apartment and service supporting functions.
The two axisymmetric towers form two sets of mirrors, horizontal and longitudinal, symmetrical under the reflection of the water surface, creating a rotating visual effect
In the design of CRCC's Lingang Headquarters Park, we practiced the concept of "resilient architecture" to make the whole project more resilient and sustainable. We don't just focus on the exterior of the building, we take a systematic, full-cycle management approach to create a multi-functional, sustainable and iconic headquarters campus. For this project, we focused on three key words: image, system, and space.
01 Image: the architectural expression of corporate culture
Transparency and openness
Aerial view
Blurred architectural boundaries bring lake views into the interior of the building
The design of the building's large-area glass curtain wall reflects the company's transparent and open business philosophy. Not only does it provide natural lighting, but it also blurs the boundaries between indoor and outdoor, allowing the visual and psychological interaction of the outside environment with the interior space. Incorporate the entire lake view into the building. The use of straight lines and the sturdy cube shape convey a message of strength and stability. This design language is a metaphor for the solid foundation and reliability of CRCC as a giant in the field of infrastructure construction.
Stability and groove
View along the street
In the Chinese architectural tradition, Feng Shui is an important factor influencing design decisions. The symmetrical layout of the two groups of buildings aims to create a balanced and stable environment, forming a dynamic balance. The rotating form visually creates a sense of movement, a metaphor for the vitality and spirit of the company. By reflecting the company's abbreviation in the water, the company's visual identity is subtly incorporated into the architectural design.
Reflect the abbreviation of the company name in the water
Balance and coordination
The details and proportions of the building façade are scrutinized
The two towers of the Group's headquarters along the lake are relatively square due to the height limit of 60 meters, so the scale and proportion of the façade details themselves are particularly important. The plan carefully deliberates the golden ratio of the façade to achieve a balanced proportion.
02 System: Modular design and smart park system
Under the concept of "resilient building", we practice the methodology of "global management", take the customer's perspective as the starting point, focus on the whole project cycle, and take the energy efficiency of space use, project construction cost and post-operation and maintenance efficiency as the core considerations, so as to help enterprises maximize the value of space, economy, culture and other aspects.
At the spatial level, the three plots form an organic connection in the overall functional plan, and through the conference center at the top, the R&D, office and apartments on the southeast side of the plot are connected with the main building, which is streamlined and efficient, and forms a shared space at the top.
The standard floor area, the proportion of the core tube, and the floor height of the building are all designed in accordance with the mature modularization, so as to help customers effectively reduce design costs and improve space efficiency.
Standard layer height modulus study
Standard floor EFF study
In addition, we cooperate with relevant departments of enterprises to innovatively propose a new model that combines hardware and software, space and digital management. In the architectural design stage, we put the operation and intelligent management mode into the early stage in advance, rather than simply solving the problem of weak current system in the construction drawing stage.
We work with owners to create solutions for smart campus shared management, covering all levels of smart sharing models such as time-sharing sharing, access control systems, shared meeting rooms, remote work and efficient collaboration. With a smart resource booking system, employees can book coworking spaces, meeting rooms, equipment, and more. At the same time, based on the analysis of employee needs by big data, shared resources can be booked and used by teams and employees on demand in different time periods. The client had a clear remote work policy in place, allowing employees to work remotely when needed, and providing space support for on-site and remote work. Encourage cross-departmental collaborative projects to facilitate information sharing and collaboration through regular cross-departmental meetings and collaboration tools.
03 Space: A shared environment that inspires creativity
Communication spaces can play an important role in fostering employee creativity because they provide an open, relaxed environment that helps to spark employees' imagination and inspiration. Therefore, the space and management mode of communication and sharing is one of the factors we focus on in this project. In this project, we tried for the first time to explore the sharing mode in three dimensions, including: the open landscape shared space of the park, the shared communication block module between the building blocks, and the communication space inside the building.
Campus-sized open landscape shared space
Different forms of public space
Throughout the campus, the ground floor of the building is open and continuous, and the ground floor of the podium is open and opens onto the riverbank landscape, where employees can share shared resources including communal gardens, outdoor seating areas, walking and cycling paths, and more. Outdoor office areas, coffee corners, meeting areas, and sports facilities encourage employees to work and interact in different environments, stimulating creativity.
Shared AC block modules between building blocks
A colossal public connection at the top
The different building blocks in the campus are connected by a shared mass at the top, interspersed with different modules: passages, stairs, elevators, etc. The communal connection itself is also a multi-purpose space for workshops, conferences, exhibitions and social events to support networking and idea sharing among employees.
A communication space inside the building
Inside, the building is laid out to create an open work environment that includes open offices, lounge areas, kitchens, and collaboration spaces. These areas should encourage communication and interaction among employees to foster innovation. A dedicated creative corner in the building provides creative tools, whiteboards, graffiti walls and projection equipment so that employees can come together and discuss innovative ideas.
The design scheme of China Railway Construction Group's Lingang Headquarters Park cleverly integrates corporate image and innovative management. The transparent and sturdy building reflects the openness and stability of the enterprise, while the systematic modular design and smart park system improve the adaptability of the project. The shared management model creates a creative environment that combines work, rest and idea sharing. This is not only a headquarters park in line with the corporate image, but also through the innovative model of shared management, giving the project added value, creating an iconic and competitive intelligent working environment, providing strong support for the innovation and development of the enterprise, and also giving the enterprise a distinctive corporate culture and competitive advantage.
Ground floor plan
Standard floor plan
