PROJECT DETAILS
LOCATION : Wuxi, China
MARKET : Master Planning
AREA :
WUXI TRANSPORTATION CENTER MASTER PLAN
Wuxi, China

Richness, variety, and sustainability

The overall design of the Wuxi Transportation Center creates a cohesive and clearly defined urban setting that enhances its position in the surrounding urban fabric, addressing the region. Wuxi Transportation Center is at once a memorable urban gateway and a practical urban design solution. It combines efficient and operational design with aesthetic vision and innovative building technologies. It celebrates progress and achievement as it gives the Transportation Center a timeless, enduring quality.

Passengers, visitors, employees, and residents who pass through the Transportation Center easily find their directions; intermodal transportation decisions and connections are clear and easy to make; and the architectural design is appropriate, distinctive, memorable, and beautiful.

The new Wuxi Transportation Center is modern and functional. The architectural aesthetic features distinctive modern elements such as diamond-shaped grids and creates a coherent backdrop for today's urban experience. The landmark architecture of Transportation Plaza allows people to locate the Center from a distance. Landmark towers at the east and west ends of the site create gateways that highlight the special nature of the development. The signature Wuxi Transportation Center Commercial and Hotel towers crown the development at its midpoint.

The architecture is also energy efficient. It incorporates sustainable architecture, or "green" energy design features, such as solar energy design, geothermal design, and wind-power electrical generation as distinctive, meaningful design features. It is infused with a spirit that is generated by architectural forms. Richness and variety is established, and a sense of "place" is created.

The new Transportation Plaza is the heart of Wuxi Transportation Center. It as a place of arrival and departure, handling large crowds of people smoothly and effectively. Its clear and logical organization makes intermodal transportation connections easy and efficient. Vehicular and pedestrian circulation are separate, and the site circulation overall works smoothly and efficiently. Traffic flows quickly around the site as a new elevated highway brings businessmen and tourists into the heart of the city. New roads and intersections remove the congestion from busy streets and provide vital links around and through the district.

Special attention is given to smooth transitions from one transportation mode to another, such as bus to train, and to routing bus circulation efficiently through the site. The Plaza also provides the citizen, whether passenger, resident, or businessperson, with a wide array of retail options. These businesses greet people from the moment they arrive at the Plaza.

The new Bus Terminal building has a sculptural roof form, equipped with precisely fitting solar panels. The resulting diagonal framing for the roof is repeated throughout the building; and the designs of other buildings in the Transportation Center echo this pattern.

Passengers arriving from one of the outlying concourses disembark onto platforms before ascending by way of escalators or glass elevators into the main Railroad Entrance Hall. This new hall is Transportation Plaza's new gateway to the railroad.

Transportation Plaza Marketplace is a place conducive for friends, family, business associates, and individuals to shop, eat, or simply relax with daylight and dramatic views in a distinctive architectural setting.

Buildings join to form streets and squares. By varying the heights of the buildings, sunlight and daylight is focused on enlivening the streets, squares, and avenues. The variety of rooflines optimizes views and allows daylight into the buildings, reducing the need for artificial energy and lighting. This better allows prevailing winds to cool and freshen air. The overall composition produces the profile of a "city in a park," crowned at midpoint by signature commercial towers—a striking skyline to greet arriving visitors or residents.

The Transit Oriented Dwellings are residences at the western and eastern portions of the Transportation Center that offer great convenience to public transportation. Residents may walk to easy transportation from one area or city to another without having to fight automobile traffic.

Curved condominium residential towers overlook the riverfront. These buildings sit lower at riverfront and gradually rise, giving the area a sense of open space. This configuration allows the condominiums and commercial buildings located to the west of them to view the river.

To the west and east, 16- and 22-story condominium towers are arranged around shared parking courts that provide direct access to below-grade interior covered parking. Like the curved condominiums, these towers are arranged so that every dwelling unit, bedroom, and balcony faces south, southeast, or southwest. Each condominium tower has on-grade parking for convenience of visitors, as well as enclosed parking garages beneath. Views look out to the city on the north and south and to the riverfront on the west and east.

The overall design of Transportation Center locates the community's everyday needs, including public transportation, within comfortable walking distances. It increases the network of pedestrian-based streets and bicycle paths and makes room for substantial landscaped areas. A flexible hierarchy of different modes of transport, ranging from safe sidewalks to buses and high-speed trains, affords seamless mobility for all citizens.

The Transportation Center embraces its river location. The river makes the development an oasis from the stress of life. It provides a sense of calm, well being, and renewal. Residents and visitors have views of the water and the surrounding urban landscape. Water elements are incorporated into the main plaza and throughout the project, highlighting the site's position on the river and Wuxi's historical connection to water. The place is an oasis from the urban landscape for those who seek a sense of calm and community.

The architectural design for the Transportation Center is form derived from function and structural expression. The clearly expressed structure of the architecture spreads enlightening energy. The resulting design creates a distinctive yet rational and coherent backdrop for urban life. The architecture of Transportation Center is designed to create a wholly positive influence on its users and inhabitants.

Striking architectural designs become regional landmarks and icons that represent the essence of a place. The Wuxi Transportation Center and its surrounding community benefit from attention created by iconic design. As the city gains a heightened reputation through significant architectural and urban design statements, it becomes a more attractive place to visit, to live in, and to take pride in as a citizen. This Transportation Center will make people think of Wuxi as one of the best transportation centers worldwide and demonstrate the convenience of working and living in proximity to public transportation.


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