d+a | Issue 123 • 2022

47 “We hope to merge science and technology with the local landscape of Changshu, and to create an artistic and beautifully-rendered urban landmark that interacts with the public.” NOD TO PROSPERITY Inspired by the many koi that inhabit Kuncheng Lake – a fresh water lake that sits adjacent to the Centre – the building has a curvaceous architectural silhouette that simulates the movements of the fish. The rearward movement of the building releases the street corner space to create an outdoor plaza with a circular pool. The outline of this plaza echoes the form of the building and the visual effect of koi leaping – a Chinese symbol of prosperity. “For our designers to come up with solutions tailored to local conditions, we conducted a lot of urban context research and multiple field visits in the early planning stages,” says Lin, whose team chose the shape of the koi in the nearby lake as a means of conveying conceptual regionality. Besides the Sales Centre’s figurative depiction of koi, this project has other distinctive features such as the concession of the building layout to the street corner to form a public plaza, the overhead bridge on the first floor of the building volume, which will introduce the flow of people through the plaza into the commercial centre and office buildings that are still under construction. “These are all part and parcel of the customised solution we offered our client after in-depth research on site conditions and comprehensive follow-up development considerations,” Lin says. A GRAND DEBUT As the first completed section of Jinmao Smart Science City, the primary objective of this phase is to communicate the debut of the new development to the public. Therefore, the architecture of the Sales “ “ The Sales Centre’s folding glass curtain wall, with its gradual trapezoidal cross-section, creates a three-dimensional curvilinear effect that reflects the shifting light and shadows of the sun. 02 03