Nanjing has played a prominent role throughout China’s history and is one of the great cities of modern China. This vibrant city is the setting for the Cross-Strait Sports and Culture Center, an exciting new community-oriented development.
The design for this project began with an investigation of place. We were astonished by the story and beauty of the city both present and past. From our research, we discovered four elements; Mountain, Water, Wall, and Forrest, were major themes that embody the spirit of Nanjing. Intrigued by the potential relationship between these four physical environments, the city, and its people; this project aims to synthesize these elements into extraordinary spaces.
The four major programs: arena, fitness center, cultural hall, and theater anchor the corners of the rectangular site which creates a large urban plaza with water features that visually connect to the adjacent canal bordering the site to the east. The outer edge of the campus is fortified with a dramatic stone wall creating an abstracted echo of Ming Great Wall. By contrast, on the inside of the urban plaza, the buildings are clad with transparent glass on the ground level, while a lantern like, white frosted volume hovers above the lower structures creating a magical effect reflective of ancient times.
The final design sought to create a variety of spaces; quiet, active, casual, formal, small, and large to ensure that this place will be enjoyable for all ages and create a special place for the people that live and work in the Pukou District.
