Zaha Hadid Architects has unveiled plans to transform Hangzhou with the Qiantang Bay Cultural District, featuring sharp floor slabs. 

The Qiantang Bay Central Water Axis transforms the old industrial regions of the canal basin into a new green corridor that winds through the center of the city by constructing a number of newly landscaped parklands, terraces, and gardens along the Zhedong Canal in Hangzhou's Xiaoshan district.

Render © Atchain

Cultural and educational buildings flank the canal in these waterfront landscapes; each is oriented and planned to interact with the new civic spaces along the waterfront, which include plazas, promenades, and performance spaces for leisure, gatherings, and recreation.

Both sides of the canal are connected by a system of bridges and walkways that also connects the new Central Water Axis's parks and landscaped gardens to the surrounding city. 

Incorporated within these new civic areas, ZHA's cultural buildings are characterized by the district's natural topography, views, and vistas, as well as public pathways and the year-round variations in sun radiation.

Render © Proloog

The ZHA-designed library features a series of livable architectural columns within this new canal-side cultural district. 

These columns will support the library's vast literary holdings and archives, as well as reading rooms and common areas, while also defining the institute's character as a collection of "stones of knowledge."

The library's façade is made up of expertly constructed masonry tiles that are influenced by the tonal properties of this local precious stone, drawing on the region's 5,000-year tradition of jade creativity. 

Natural light is diffused throughout the interior of the building by folded glass pieces in the façade, creating a gentle, pleasant atmosphere that is ideal for reading, studying, and reflecting.

Render © Atchain

In addition to the library, ZHA's new International Youth Centre design provides areas for students and visitors to the city to interact and work together. The center's seaside setting defines its geometric composition. 

Within its carved interior, these geometries persist as a network of connected studios and auditoriums, as well as areas for conferences, seminars, exhibitions, and performances. Terraces with views of the canal bring the center's programs outside and offer spaces for socializing, parties, and civic meetings.

Render © Proloog

Using energy-efficient equipment and on-site power generation, sustainable solutions are incorporated into the design to improve environmental performance throughout the development, taking into account the local ecology and climate.

Render © Proloog

The Central Water Axis landscape is a key component of Hangzhou's sponge-city infrastructure, which was built to prevent flooding. It includes permeable surfaces, planted swales, and water-retention features that improve stormwater management, resulting in a low-impact, high-performance civic environment that supports Hangzhou's long-term ecological health and increases the city's resilience.

Render © Atchain

Recently, Zaha Hadid Architects unveiled its most recent project, a vertex hotel that honors the region's distinctive environmental landscape while embodying the fusion of design and technology. In addition, the firm unveiled a silk-inspired bridge of Hangzhou with a sinuous form in Hangzhou, China. 

Project facts

Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
ZHA Principal: Patrik Schumacher
ZHA Competition Project Directors: Lei Zheng, Simon Yu
ZHA Competition Associate: Jinqi Huang
ZHA Competition Project Architect: Yenfen Huang
ZHA Competition Project Leads: Yenfen Huang, Charles Harris, Sonia Magdziarz
ZHA Competition Team: Joshua Anderson, Nils Fischer, Charles Harris, Jinqi Huang, Yenfen Huang, Yvonne Huang, Ruzena Maskova, Sonia Magdziarz, Svenja Siever, Yaobin Wang, Ke Yang, Simon Yu, Lei Zheng.

The top image in the article © Proloog.

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concept Hangzhou Zaha Hadid Architects