Courtesy Zaha Hadid architects
The Galaxy SOHO project in central Beijing for SOHO China is a 330 000m2 office, retail and entertainment complex that will become an integral part of the living city, inspired by the grand scale of Beijing. Its architecture is a composition of five continuous, flowing volumes that are set apart, fused or linked by stretched bridges. These volumes adapt to each other in all directions, generating a panoramic architecture without corners or abrupt transitions that break the fluidity of its formal composition.
Courtesy Iwan Baan
Working on Galaxy for Soho China was very exciting. The design responds to the varied contextual relationships and dynamic conditions of Beijing. We have created a variety of public spaces that directly engage with the city; reinterpreting the traditional urban fabric and contemporary living patterns into a seamless urban landscape inspired by nature. The natural rhythms and flows of the city, of the environment and of the people have been integrated within the design to define its formal composition.
Zaha Hadid
Courtesy Iwan Baan
The great interior courts of the project are a reflection of traditional Chinese architecture where courtyards create an internal world of continuous open spaces. Here, the architecture is no longer composed of rigid blocks, but instead comprised of volumes which coalesce to create a world of continuous mutual adaptation and fluid movement between each building. Shifting plateaus within the design impact upon each other to generate a deep sense of immersion and envelopment. As users enter deeper into the building, they discover intimate spaces that follow the same coherent formal logic of continuous curvelinearity.
Courtesy Iwan Baan
The lower three levels of Galaxy SOHO house public facilities for retail and entertainment. The levels immediately above provide work spaces for clusters of innovative businesses. The top of the building is dedicated to bars, restaurants and cafés that offer views along one of the greatest avenues of the city. These different functions are interconnected through intimate interiors that are always linked with the city, helping to establish Galaxy SOHO as a major urban landmark for Beijing.
Courtesy Iwan Baan
+ Project facts
Galaxy SOHO
Location: Bejing, China
Date: 2008 – 2012
Client: SOHO China
Program: Mixed-use Commercial Building (Office & Retail)
Status: Completed
Construction: 2009 – 12 (30-months)
Design: Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher
Architect: Zaha Hadid Architects
Project Director: Satoshi Ohashi
Associate:
Cristiano Ceccato
Project Architect
Yoshi Uchiyama
Project Team
Stephan Wurster
Michael Hill
Samer Chamoun
Eugene Leung
Rita Lee
Lillie Liu
Rolando Rodriguez-Leal
Wen Tao
Tom Wuenschmann
Seung-ho Yeo
Shuojiong Zhang
Michael Grau
Shu Hashimoto
Shao-Wei Huang
Chikara Inamura
Lydia Kim
Yasuko Kobayashi
Wang Lin
Yereem Park
Local Design Institute: BIAD Beijing Institute of Architecture & Design:
Plot area: 46,965 m2
Total Floor Area: 332,857 m2 Above Ground
4 Towers 15 Floors (12 Office Floors and 3 Retail Floors)
Max Height: 67 meters
Below Ground: B1 Floor Retail and B2, B3 Parking (1275 cars), MEP
Retail Floors: B1F,1F,2F,3F (90,000 m2)
Materials Skin: 3mm Aluminium Exterior Cladding, Insulated Glass, Stone
Materials Interiors: Glass, Terrazzo, GRG, Stainless Steel, Gypsum Board Painted
Structure: Standard Concrete Structure (8.4m spans)
Floor to Floor Heights: Retail floors 5.4m, office floors 3.5m
Photographer: Iwan Baan
+ All images courtesy Zaha Hadid architects | Photo by Iwan Baan
