| Category | Sports, Community & Recreation | Mixed Use |
|---|---|
| Year | 2018 |
| Size | 300,000sqm |
Projects
GBA International Sports and Cultural Center
More than just work and play
Situated south of the Dongping River within the new Central Business Zone, GBA International Sports and Cultural Center represents a paradigm shift in the approach to architectural and city planning – where public spaces are holistically integrated, forming a vibrant network of spaces designed to cater to the needs of contemporary lifestyles and the necessary spatial multiplicities.
Given the large scale of the development, GBA International Sports and Cultural Center – which includes an NBA-standard basketball arena with both commercial and retail components – was designed to develop synergetic relationships across various functions through the use of interstitial spaces, creating natural circulatory flows throughout the development.
Details
The design and planning of GBA International Sports and Cultural Center reflects the challenges of the evolving mixed-use typology and exemplifies the growing maturity and complexity of the typology and the necessity of such developments to cater to users’ needs in one destination – both recreation and lifestyle programmes at once. The creative reinvention of interstitial public spaces as the connective tissue, supporting the key programmatic components and unifying them, creates an integrated development where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
GBA International Sports and Cultural Center explores possibilities that arise from reimagining spaces as connective elements that unify the development’s key programmes.
The juxtaposition of textures and information media breaks down the imposing scale of the volumes and generate a dynamic composition.
Subtle accentuations in the façade treatments create a dialogue between the arena and the mall.
The simple geometric volume of the tower creates a clean silhouette, and a simple and elegant rhythm that corresponds with contemporary lifestyles.
The various existing zones and programmes were integrated through a series of multi-levelled connective spaces formed by plazas, boulevards, waterfront outdoor spaces and roof terraces. To encourage interesting dialogues between the internal and external environments, lush green sunken courtyards are provided at the basement levels, serving as an arrival plaza that greets subway commuters while ensuring a visual connection between the multi-levelled connective spaces.
A multi-levelled, central pedestrian thoroughfare, flanked by the arena and mall, connects the subway and waterfront, creating a canyon-like boulevard that defines the main axis of the development. Designed to accommodate a large flow of people during large-scale events, the underground public spaces form large sunken plazas to deliver a variety of rich spatial experiences and a heightened level of visual awareness. At the north, the thoroughfare opens up into a variety of waterfront spaces. These connective spaces are envisaged to transform into a series of vibrant outdoor activity spaces which are easily accessible from all parts of the development.
Beyond the traditional “live-work-play” concept of mixed-use typologies, GBA International Sports and Cultural Center includes a sunken 14,700 seat basketball arena that integrates seamlessly with back-of-house services as well as an indoor climbing wall in the sports-themed retail zone. Being the largest building volumes on site, the arena and mall are expressed as iconic volumes through the juxtaposition of textures and information media – breaking down the imposing scale of the volumes and generate a dynamic and visually captivating composition.
Subtle accentuations in the façade create a dialogue between the two iconic volumes. Two residential towers frame the development, expressed as simple geometric volumes with a clean silhouette and a simple and elegant rhythm encapsulating the contemporary lifestyle of the GBA International Sports and Cultural Center. With the integration of information media and special lighting design, the façade of both spaces create a vibrant visual display – reinvigorating the spaces through the use of light and media.
Specialist Services
Integrated services provided for this project.