The Xitaihu Community Centre is located near the famous 2013 China Flower Show on reclaimed land that once belonged to Gehu Lake. This reclaimed landscape has been populated for residential, commercial, and agricultural uses.
Growing from the same archipelagos that surrounded it, the community centre is derived from waterways that traverse and separate the surrounding land. An island within a sea of rhythmic aquifers and a new city with a growing population, both the articulated form and flowing façade were developed to mimic and complement the surrounding landscape.

Location

Status

Client

Architect

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(Concept)
The built form sits within the edge conditions of the adjacent water body and has been developed to extend ponds and streams into and around the building. Researching the historical and cultural connection of water lead to the development of principles which will guide how water within the site will be treated. This in turn influenced the Architectural form.
(Planning)
The centre required both public and private space, including programming for multiple activities across the community calendar. Developing separate but intertwined spaces allowed community members to interact with employees but also provided private places for both. This created a structural programme that promoted sightlines to the external environment at all major locations.
(Facade)
The facade has been developed to mimic the rhythm and movement of rivers within Xitaihu and is created from vertical repeating gradients. These static structures create the perceived movement of a dynamic facade, in tune with the surrounding environment.
(Opportunity)
Although never realised, the opportunity to inspect and deliver radical thinking along cultural pathways has delivered an iconic and place-centric proposal. This focus remains vigilant and purposeful through both programmatic structure and the physical form, building an environment that is in service of its people.

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Work: in Progress

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Crosswaters

Xitaihu Community Centre