MVRDV has won a competition to design a mixed-use residential and commercial complex on the edge of Jiangbei New Area’s Financial District in Nanjing, China. Dubbed "Oasis Towers", the two 150-metre-tall towers are surrounded by lush landscapes, and will provide residents a green haven within a dense and rapidly developing part of the city.
The project was proposed to complement the rapid growth of the Chinese metropolis of Nanjing. In 2015, the government formed the Jiangbei New Area, expanding Nanjing to the west across the Yangtze River. At a first glance, the towers appear highly varied, with every floor differing in shape from its neighbors above and below. But in fact, the design is highly efficient and regularized, where floor plans for large sections of the towers are almost identical, with only variations in the shapes of the curving balconies.
The project’s two L-shaped towers, each 40 storeys in height, face each other from the north and south corners. A 3-4 storeys podium creates a perimeter that encloses the majority of the site to create a protected environment at its heart. This perimeter building bridges over pedestrian routes and the street between the two plots, creating a clear separation between the surrounding neighborhood and the central oasis.
Wrapped with trees and lush greenery, the central oasis forms a green landscape on the building’s cascading terraces, as well as a lush environment for shopping in the building’s commercial floors from ground level up to the third floor. This space provides cooling and biodiversity; the canopy provides privacy by shielding the residents of the upper floors from the shoppers below, and it creates walkable areas that connect the two plots across the central road. At the very center of the public space, the landscape steps down below ground level and connects beneath the road, providing a crossing point for pedestrians and an access to the metro station beneath the site.
Certain parts of the towers have a formal, gridded façade on the outer faces of the perimeter block on the elevations that respond to the office skyscrapers. On the rest of the facades, this exterior skin gives way to the flowing curves of balconies, terraces, rooftops, and small pavilions clad in facades of recycled bamboo. Planters separate neighboring balconies, ensuring that the green oasis extends to the very top of the design.
The contemporary architecture of Nanjing takes its inspiration from nature in form and appearance. With Oasis Towers we wanted to push this trend to the max – not only emulating nature with curving, stratified ‘cliffs’, but also to literally incorporate nature into the design with the greenery and by tapping into natural processes. -- Winy Maas, MVRDV Founding Partner
The integration of nature into the design is further highlighted through the design’s sustainability strategies. Rooftops in the oasis that are not accessible by pedestrians or residents are densely planted with a variety of species that help to maximize biodiversity. Two 500-square-metre reed beds that naturally filter and clean water as part of the building’s greywater recycling system are also added to these rooftops. The positioning of the towers also takes advantage of the prevailing western winds to maximize natural ventilation. Deep balconies are staggered to provide plenty of natural light, while reducing solar gain in the summer, along with the carefully placed trees that provide extra shade in the warmer months. In addition, a water-source heat pump makes use of the adjacent river to reduce energy consumption.
MVRDV designed Oasis Towers for Nanjing Jiangbei New District Financial Center Development Co. Oasis Towers will occupy the neighboring plots 18-34 and 18-35 in the Jiangbei Financial District Masterplan. The architecture firm is now working with the client in the design development phase.
