MVRDV has revealed plans for three new office skyscrapers in Chengdu, China. The project will incorporate significant energy efficient design and will also honor the area's roots with some small buildings by replicating a village that previously stood on the site.
Chengdu Jiaozi Courtyard Towers will be located in a burgeoning business district in the city. The three towers will be situated atop a ring-shaped plinth and reach a height of 80 m (262 ft), 100 m (328 ft), and 130 m (456 ft), respectively. A nearby conference center will feature a dramatically cantilevering form and an eye-catching facade that's inspired by bamboo-weaving traditions of the region.
The circular plinth will form a courtyard at the site's center that will host a collection of smaller buildings. These will be designed to resemble the traditional village that stood on the site until the mid-2000s. According to MVRDV, the demolished buildings will be faithfully recreated in their original sizes and positions, mixing retail space, cafés, bars, and restaurants. Where possible, they will be built from wood and recycled materials.
"With the Jiaozi Courtyard Towers, we were given an opportunity that is rare in China: a design project that adds the final puzzle piece to a new district," explained MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs. "It is hard to imagine that this entire district was still rural 20 years ago. We entered this competition during the pandemic and discovered the village via Google Earth. With that in mind, we decided to create a historic world within. Seeing this while surrounded by three new towers, you become aware of the rapid transition that this place has gone through."
The project is slated to receive the LEED Gold green building standard and will feature solar panels on the towers' roofs to reduce their grid-based power use, plus green roof areas on the plinth, extensive landscaping using native plants and trees, and rainwater capture systems and water recycling systems.
The towers' facade designs will also incorporate fins at different angles to mitigate solar heat gain, plus operable panels in the office interiors will encourage user-controlled natural ventilation.
Chengdu Jiaozi Courtyard Towers is already under construction, though we've no word yet on when we can expect it to be completed.
Source: MVRDV