Beiyuan

Tumu Studio collaborated with U+ Design Partners to develop this urban design for the Beiyuan District in Nanjing China.  The Beiyuan District sits just north of Nanjing’s central business district, nestled between the Laoshan and Longwang mountains.  The existing zoning called for a mix of high-tech incubator with offices, retail, and apartments. One issue that our team quickly identified was that the surrounding area had lot of residential housing but no real destination for the local community to gather.  This was resulting in most residents traveling out to other parts of the city for work, dining, and entertainment.  Our team proposed a development that would serve as a focal point for the community.

The long site is situated between two streets of vastly different characteristics. The eastern side features a fast-moving state highway, whereas the west faces an old industrial neighborhood that has more narrow streets with less traffic. The design concept for the building’s massing within the district is to create a juxtaposition that reflects the varied character of the two sides. The fast-paced eastern side features more uniform, flush facades to create an impressive unified front. On the west side of the site, outdoor patios and building setbacks cascade down to street level and break up the building masses. This lowers the volume of the large buildings to a more human scale and creates outdoor space for residents and workers that affords beautiful views to the mountains.