Designed by spatial practice, their proposal for the Harbin High Speed Railway (HSR) west train station Twin Towers. is an iconic project set to include office spaces, residential apartments, retail spaces and a hyper link to a new underground infra-structural hub. With China having the world’s longest High Speed Rail (HSR) network that connects the entire country from north to south and from east to west, the new West Train Station in Harbin will become the northern China gateway connecting to China’s major cities with daily high-speed links to Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Guangzhou. More images and architects' description after the break.
Integration
Harbin West Station is a transportation hub linked with the high-speed train station, Subway and Bus Station.The Kaishengyuan Towers take full advantage of sitting on a transportation hub not only connected to main cities in China but hyper-connected to Harbin City main infrastructure. Distances are shortening, fostering faster business transactions and promoting communication.
Identity
Sharing the same DNA - but positioned differently - the Twin Towers form a new icon for the Haxi Business Development Zone. The Towers creates a balanced relationship between empty and full, mass and void, private and public. Each tower creates a program specific dialogue with the site, with the north SoHo and Service Apartment tower atrium opening toward the Plaza, and the south Office Tower atrium oriented toward the Business District.
Working & Living
In response to Harbin’s extreme climate conditions, interior multi-functional green terraces are injected into the upper atrium spaces promoting a high quality and healthy working environment for the office tower, and creating comfortable and climate controlled recreational terraces for the luxury residences.
Synergy
The towers perform as the Digital Gate framing the city and station. The integrated media facades frame and activate the adjacent plaza promoting communication and social interaction between travellers, commuters and residents. The suspended microclimate atriums create a new typology of indoor spaces that promotes human interactions.
Architects
Location
Harbin, Haxi District, ChinaPartners in Charge
Erik Amir, Dora ChiProject Architect
Max GerthelTeam
Calvin W. Liu, Cathal Peter Quinn, James Beadnall, Sarah GeXiaorui, Victor QuirosQuiros, Emily WuLocal Architect
Harbin Institute of TechnologyStructural Engineers
BuroHappold, Matthew Smith, Henry LiVisualization
ADRI, German Glessner GroupPhysical Model
Gereide Models BeijingClient
Kaishengyuan GroupProgram
Office, Residential, Retail, Parking and LandscapeStatus
Design proposalProject Year
2013Photographs
Courtesy of spatial practiceProject Year
2013Photographs
Courtesy of spatial practice
