ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Period: August – December 2021
Location: Longhua District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
Developed for: Architectural Scheme and Design Development of Fucheng Guanlan Industrial Land Development Overall Interest Coordination Project of Meiguan Innovative Industry Corridor (Plots 01-03)
Organizer: Shenzhen Longhua Talents Housing Co., Ltd.
In collaboration with: Architectural Design & Research Institute of SCUT Co. Ltd., Turin Design Hub, Shenzhen Wowa International Engineering And Design Co. Ltd. Guangzhou Company, and CZ Studio
Research project: Polito Studio: Architectural Design and Academic Practices
Awarded 4th Prize – RMB300.000/€38.359

CREDITS:

CHIEF DESIGNER: Sun Yimin – SCUT
PROJECT LEADER: Yang Meng – SCUT
PRINCIPAL ARCHITECTS: Edoardo Bruno丨Yang Meng, Xu Weirong – SCUT丨Jacopo Testa – PAT Architetti
PROJECT MANAGERS: Deng Fang – SCUT丨Chen Junhao – Wowa International
RESIDENTIAL AND OFFICE DESIGN ADVISOR丨Yang Xin – Wowa International
ECO-STRATEGIES DESIGN ADVISORS: Francesca Thiebat, Corrado Carbonaro, and Lorenzo Savio -Politecnico di Torino / Department of Architecture and Design

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN:
Camilla Forina, and Xian Lu with Haochen Bai, Haoyan Chen, Sabina Faroppa, Andrei Mihai Laikart, Chaojin Ruan, Peining Wang, and Ming Zhao – China Room
Paolo Ceccon, and Laura Zampieri with Francesca Bortolato, and Gabriela Gomez – CZ Architects
Gianpiero Moretti with Samuel Bernier-Lavigne, Maxime Lebel, and Étienne Gelinas
Andrea Veglia, and Jacopo Testa with Lorenzo Buonomo, Fabrizio Davino, Nicolò Radicioni, Angelica Rossi, Fulya Tanyel, and Giuseppe Veglia – PAT Architetti
Edoardo Pennazio with Bingqi Liu – PENNAZIO architects+engineers
Francesco Carota, and Xiang Ling with Beini Guo, Jihao Zhong, Zhang Shuyu, Xing Tongxin – Piemonte Home Design
Deng Fang, Liang Zhanyi, Liu Qing, and Liang Shudi – SCUT
Giovanni Cavaglion, and Emanuele Cavaglion with Xiaoxu Liang – Studio Cavaglion
Francesco Vaj with Lishui Xue – Studio Vaj
Yang Xin, Chen Junhao, Ke Liang, Li Borong, Wu Siqing, and Nie Fangbin – Wowa International

In September 2021, the initiative POLITO Studio —the collaboration between Politecnico di Torino and Turin Chamber of Architects aimed at fostering technology transfer in the field of architecture—, achieved its first major success. Within the label TDH – Turin Design Hub, the twelve architecture firms selected by the programme participated under the guidance of Chinaroom and in collaboration with South China University of Technology (SCUT) in an influential Chinese urban development competition for Jiulongshan Intelligent Technology City in Shenzhen. This initiative marked the debut of POLITO Studio, and was structure through a first phase centered onto formative workshops and a second more operative phase addressing the competition requests. The workshops held in July and September 2021 focused on essential cultural, technical, and procedural tools for architectural competing in China. In early 2022, TDH tackled the architectural and urban design competition Architectural Scheme and Design Development of Fucheng Guanlan Industrial Land Development Overall Interest Coordination Project of Meiguan Innovative Industry Corridor (Plots 01-03), commissioned by the Shenzhen government’s public housing enterprise.

The Meiguan corridor is an area of about 10 hectares in the northeast segment of Longhua district in Shenzhen. The project is part of a high-tech-oriented urban renewal of larger 68-hectare area. In response to the project’s high density requirements, the design proposal created a permeable central hub within the planning grid. This innovative approach amalgamates residential, office, industrial, and retail functions through a unique tower-building platform concept, fostering a dynamic and uninterrupted urban flow, ultimately forming an open urban courtyard. This design not only ensures the provision of public amenities but also preserves residents’ private spaces. The project also includes top-tier community public services, promotes the development of a diverse urban service cluster, and serves as a landmark exemplifying the integration of industry and urban development.

The design elaborated by the team achieved fourth place among a pool of 21 contenders, serving as another significant outcome of a collaborative endeavor. Furthermore, the numerous collaborations initiated during the design process, not only among the initial partners (such as SCUT) but also with external contributors who gradually became involved in the design (such as Shenzhen Wowa International Engineering and Design, Piemonte Home Design, CZ Studio, and Polito’s scholars Francesca Thiebat, Corrado Carbonaro, and Lorenzo Savio), facilitated and enriched the transfer of design knowledge between academia and practitioners. This transcended geographical and disciplinary boundaries, fostering a meaningful exchange of expertise.