Zhengzhou Mixed Use Development by Trahan Architects

Host of 8.6 million citizens and current capital of one of the largest Chinese regions, the city of Zhengzhou will soon boast a 400,000 square meters building complex integrated in the broader vision of a new, radical re-development of the city’s landscape. “The Rise of Central China” is just one of the projects recently being developed to implement an ecological and infrastructural revolution, project in which American Trahan Architects studio participates through the realization of the Mixed Used Development site.

The expected design proposed by the architects efficiently combines a hotel and living/working spaces concentrated at the top section of the building, with abundant room for retail spaces at the base. The entire structure will be developed with extremely modern and curved shapes, only interrupted by soft corners which will serve as main location for both the hotel, and the apartments, so as to frame the building between its interior and exterior and giving priority to the dynamic character of the edifice. One of the fundamental points of the master plan for the reconstruction of the city is definitely the development of the area’s surrounding natural resources, which remarkably include forests, parks, wetlands, rivers and lakes. For this reason the development cleverly includes wide tree-lined boulevards flowing along the outlines of the buildings, producing an incredibly scenic urban green space envisioned as entertainment area in which the patrons may enjoy their leisure activities from an elevated position.

A completion date has still not been announced yet the project already represents one of the most ambitious in the integration of sustainable building systems. Also, thanks to Zhengzhou’s substantial role as import/export and transportation hub between east and west, the development venture will surely provide with an excellent national example for ecological commitment.