Project General Manager: Zhang Changwen, Lin Haibin, Jiang ling
Project Manager: Zhou Yalin, Zhang Xinfeng, Zhang Jiajia
Project Architect: Zhao Jia, Travis Bunt, Juliana Kei (Architecture) | Zheng Na (Interior) | Wei Zhijiao (Landscape)
Team: Su Yan, Zhang Haijun, Lin Junyi, Wang Yanping, Sun Yanhua, Zang Min, Cao Jian, Han Xiao, Zhang Ying, Wang Ping, Li Nian, Chen Guanhong, Yu Xinting, Xie Shengfen, Liu Kan, Silan Yip, Darren Kei, Sam Chan, Neo Wu, Danil Nagy, Daniel Fetcho, Yuan Nengchao, Lian Lili, Wang Lianpeng, Chen Hui, Zheng Zhi, Li Weibin, Milutin Cerovic (Architecture) | Fang Xue, Liu Nini, Chen Biao, Li Xintong, Li Yongcai, Zhu Yuhao, Gao Jieyi, Chen Zhenzhen (Interior) | Lin Ting, Zhang Yingyuan (Landscape) | Xu Luoyi (Technical Director) | Wang Fang, Wang Yingzi, Wen Qianyue, Tang Disha, Guo Xusheng, Su Wushun, Tian Ye, Wang Jiahui, Tian Tao, Li Jiapei, Yu Kai, Shi Xianlin, Zhang Zhimin, Lin Xiaoyan (Internship)
This base is a high-end commercial complex with 6 high-rise towers containing offices, hotels and business apartments. Adjacent to the CBD district, it is also located between two central parks in Shenzhen. URBANUS’ design task was to construct a 100,000 ㎡ loft of apartments and offices on top of a shopping center larger than 60,000㎡.
To release the enormous pressure from the vertical dimension of the high-rise tower, we take advantage of the large area of the LOFTs, creating two artificial mountain volumes, in response to the huge scale of the towers. At the same time, the design connects the project to the natural form of the surrounding Lianhua and Bijia Mountains. This design also encloses a quiet space, by connecting the 3-4 level high-density office LOFT through exquisite sidewalks, creating a small town with rich spatial variation. There are also some public spaces, such as the LOFT Theater and the Trading & Exhibition Center that gradually transform the “big” and “solid” periphery space to the “small” and “dynamic” inner region. The Loft Town has accommodated a shopping mall, business offices and apartments, creating a new model of settlement which integrates residents, offices, shopping malls and cultural spaces.
The standard floor height of the apartment loft in A District is 9 meters, which can be flexibly divided and used; verandas are set on the north and south sides, which endows the room with good ventilation and sun protection. Every household has a private courtyard, where neighbors can interact and socialize, while having their own private space. For the facade, we use a greyish twisted grid in order to maximize the performance of the material.
In B District, the hotel loft and office loft enclose an inner garden, where a black box theater is set to stimulate future cultural activities in this region. The facades are decorated with white ceramic plates with rough texture, giving people the feeling of getting back to nature.
In C District, there are over twenty office lofts with 3-4 stories, forming small “villages”. These lofts were arranged by groups, each with a courtyard. The lanes inside have the width of 4-6m and between these groups are open spaces with streets of 8-15m in width. Overhead channels, terraces, courtyards, balconies and galleries are interspersed among them, forming various spatial structures.
The office platform and business platform are connected by vertical transports. Workers can stroll in the mall when they are downstairs, and go back upstairs to work very conveniently. In the north is a residential area, and in the south people can see exhibitions in D District. The LOFT Town in UpperHills, by using a new building model, creates for its residents a multi-dimensional lifestyle.
D District is another “mountain” across from District A, located on the south side of the base. As a part of the government, it was initially set as the headquarter office. The depth of the building volume varies from 26m to 56m. By creating holes throughout the building’s facades, the inner courtyards were set in different areas. This design would greatly enrich the levels of indoor and outdoor space. In the inner part of the building, aisles connect different levels of spaces, including inner courtyards, lounges and outdoor overhead platforms, forming a rich spatial experience.
Credits and Data:
Location: Shenzhen
Design: 2012-2013
Construction: 2012-2018
Project Status: Completed
Site Area: 64,000㎡（Top Area of Shopping Mall）
Floor Area: 105,000㎡
LOFT Building Storey: 3~14
LOFT Building Height: 36.45-67.5m
Client: Shenzhen Kezhigu Investment Co., Ltd.
LOFT Design Collaborators: ARUP (Structural & Mechanical), CAPOL (Construction Documents), Shenzhen Decoration and Construction Industrial co., Ltd. (Interior) , Shenzhen BLY Landscape & Architecture Planning & Design Institute (Landscape Design), Zhuhai Jingyi Glass Engineering (Facade Consultant), SPEIRS+MAJOR (Lighting Design), Corlette Design (Logo Design Consultant)
Design Firms for Other Parts: SOM (Tower & Ballroom Building Design), ARQ (Retail Podium Design)
Photographer: ZtpVision
Award:
2020 THE PLAN AWARD Honorable Mention
2019 International Urban Project Award (IUPA) Nominated
2020 ASC Architectural Award –Public Buildings – Second Prize
2021 Second Prize in “Public Buildings” of Guangdong Engineering Reconnaissance Design Awards
2020 First prize in “Public Buildings” of Shenzhen Engineering Reconnaissance Design Awards
Publications:
都市实践. 深业上城LOFT. 建筑实践 2020(03)178-187
刘晓都. 深业上城：高密度引发的建筑新类型. 建筑学报2019(04)52-61
邓小骅. 回归日常空间：深业上城LOFT. TA.2018(6):98-107
都市实践. 多个设计项目（深业上城LOFT 雅昌艺术中心 南头古城改造 等）. 家居廊.2018(6):089-097
URBANUS. SHUM YIP UpperHills LOFT in Shenzhen, China. AECCafe website. 2019.07.09
URBANUS. SHUM YIP UpperHills LOFT in Shenzhen, China. gooood website. 2019.07.03
都市实践. 深业上城LOFT，深圳. 谷德设计网. 2019.07.03
URBANUS. SHUM YIP UpperHills LOFT. Archdaily website. 2019.07.01
都市实践. 深业上城LOFT. Archdaily建筑网站. 2019.06.30
URBANUS encloses mixed-use shenzhen development with ‘artificial mountain volumes’. designboom website. 2019.06.26
都市实践. 视频发布 | 深业上城LOFT | 2019年4期. 建筑学报微信公众号. 2019.04.17
URBANUS ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN SHUM YIP UPPERHILLS LOFT. THE PLAN. 2019.09.12
