Architects: Andy Wen – Aedas Location: Suzhou, PRC, China Project team: Larry Wen, Johnson Ma, Kevin Wang, David Fung, Kevin Yan, Hui Liu, Jessica Cao, Lily Xin, Anthony Ruan, Weiwei Wei, Huiying Huang & Elizabeth Tse Client: Suzhou Industrial Park Education Development & Investment Company Civil Engineer: Suzhou Architecture Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd. Design year: 2008 Rendering: Silkroad Digital Technology Co., Ltd
Being part of the Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University new campus, Aedas project Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University Administration & Information Centre has been honoured by the Architecture Award of the Asia Pacific Commercial Property Awards 2009. The project is designed by Andy Wen, Design Director of China.
The Administration & Information Centre is situated in a beautiful environment inside Suzhou Industrial Park, where there is a harmonious coexistence of the city’s rich cultural traditions and its rapid economic development with convenient traffic. It has a complicated program consisting of administration centre, learning and resources centre, training centre and student activities centre. All of the programs are connected by the voids inside the building following the concept of Taihu stone, the ornamental stone used for decorating traditional Chinese gardens.
Eroded over time by wind and water this limestone is found on dozens of islands and along miles of shoreline surrounding the Taihu lake located on the west side of the city of Suzhou. The stone is found in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes and was appreciated by the Chinese scholars during the ancient time. As such the voids have become the functional spaces which allow the building to interact with the surrounding environment and become a vessel which attracts people to go inside.
The Administration & Information Centre is adjacent to the two main promenade axes in the campus. The laboratories are located on the east side and the classroom building on the north. It will be a dynamic gathering space in the future.
