Kind of Project:

Architecture, Public

Location:

Dalian, China

Site Area:

5,000 m2

GFA:

500 m2

Budget:

N/A

Period:

2008-

Consultants:

Hyder Consulting (Structure), ACLA (Landscape)

ICE Design Team:

Ulrich Kirchhoff, Louise Low, Claudia Wigger

Laure Bouchard

A new mega development in Dalian is arising between a public convention center and a major hotel in the city. With the given cold and windy climate, the client was asking for a canopy, which connects the two major venues and provides shelter and orientation throughout the year. The project was taking a step further to not only design a canopy, but creating a 3D-Plaza, which connects groundfloor with first and second floor through an accessible bridge/canopy structure. The aim was, to not only provide connection and shelter, but to increase the performance of the site by activating the verticality. To give a direction to the flow, a lightstrip connects the entrance of the convention center with the hotel entrance through all layers of the canopy.