The ‘Void’

The old town of Nanjing is dynamically fascinating in a way, holding the histories of glorious and gripping moments in the Chinese timeline. Moving from the macro level of thoughts and research to a more apparent connection to the site itself, we saw the opportunity to inherit the laneway experience of the old street, at the same time, re-interpretating it into a vertical sensibility. In other words, inventing the new-original from the past. Four design pillars were thoroughly constructed to form the main agenda, namely;

The Laneway Spatial Experience: From the historical composition of the old town, the friendly-neighbourhood streets invite a lot of social interaction. This then forms the vision with which this single building should live on with, but with some customization and careful articulation. The laneway spatial quality is multiplied and stacked vertically in a abstract way, conceiving a void volume at the heart of the building. In a simplistic way, the surrounding spaces around the void would just as it is in the lanes, have social interactions, hence bringing the historic moment of experiences within.

Reconnecting to Landscape: Nanjing is surrounded by the Yangtze River and mountains, an urban area with scenic natural environment. Inspiration was drawn to mirror the idea of the close relationship with nature into a single building, celebrating this feature of the city.

Texture: The overall architecture of the site leaves a heavy trace of the Minguo period; classicism influenced. The facade tends to sing the same tune, using the same shade of bricks and texture paints as the main material, bright timber to enlighten the threshold of windows of facade, adding a layer of embellishment to the whole composition. It is a modest way of renewing the facade, telling the story humbly from the past.

Civic Presence: The other feature of design consists of a colonnade space that is extended from the building facade on ground; bridging the smooth transition from indoor space to outdoor landsacpe, blurring the boundaries between the interior and exterior. It is the subtle reference to the classism period that is reproduced during the historical time.