EID Architecture - OCT Xi’an International Center
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OCT Xi’an International Center

EID Architecture

Mixed Use  /  Future
EID Architecture
OCT XI'AN International Center
- New Paradigm for High Density Urban Mixed-use

EID Architecture has been awarded the commission to design the OCT Xi’an International Centre in Xi’an (OXIC) after being awarded first prize in an invited international design competition. Located alongside a major thoroughfare within the center of Xi’an and within walking distance of the historical ancient city walls, the project comprises a 320 meter tall tower, consisting of office areas and a boutique hotel, a 220 meter tall service apartment tower, and a twelve floor podium containing extensive retail and entertainment areas and connected at street level to the surrounding streetscape and an adjacent park contained and integrated into the design.

“The design for OXIC is intended as an exploration of vertical urbanism and offers a new solution for high density urban mixed-use in Asia. With its unique mix of program combining retail, museum, theater, office, apartment, cultural venues and hotel, OXIC is a hybrid both sensitive and culturally significant to the city of Xi’an.” said Ping Jiang, AIA, design principal of EID Architecture.

Conceived as an iconic and culturally representative landmark, the design offers a platform for a new dimension in urban living and the future of high density mixed-use projects through the integration of the desired program both spatially and experientially. Culturally, contextually and programmatically responsive, the design draws inspiration from both the historical gridded pattern of the city with its overlapping pure rectangular geometries and the ancient city walls and their relationship with the city, in particular their connection to nature and the opportunity to occupy these high vantage points as public space. These inspirations fuse together to create a design that is intended as a balanced cohesive massing and expressed as a series of pure three dimensional geometric volumes and spaces that overlap and dissolve and fragment at the lower portion.

The outcome is a design that is both contextual and iconic, contextually integrated whilst unique in appearance. A design that allows for a visual and spatial porosity and connectivity at many levels and creates a place of understated monumentality within a contextually harmonious architecture. A responsive design that dissolves the overall mass of the lower portion into the surrounding context to create a more humanistic approachable scale, intimate at lower levels whilst creating an engaging and impressive calm and composed monumentality for the project as a whole. A design that is responsive to the city's cultural and historical fabric and offers a new landmark for Xi’an.

An important and unique feature within the design is the inclusion and integration of an external themed cultural retail street that connected to the park at ground level, rises through the development, culminating at a piazza event space at level 8. This rising terrace street offers a multi-level connectivity and porosity to the retail shopping mall within and an engaging opportunity and interface for external areas and variety along its route and takes inspiration from the ancient historical walls of Xi’an which allow for the access and enjoyment of public space along the top of these walls and is reminiscent of this particular aspect of Xi’an character and lifestyle. Art work and entertainment features are located along the route to create an event specific environment along with landscape and garden terraces integrated with the rising terrace areas connecting the natural environment of the route with the natural environment of the park to further enhance an overall design integrity and complexity.

Overall in the design landscape is integrated as an integral part of the vertical community intent with green terraces initiated at the retail podium areas and reaching into the higher parts of the project with the inclusion of sky terraces and roof garden areas. These landscape areas offer a green visual spatial connectivity across the project providing cohesiveness to the overall intent of creating a green micro urbanism as part of the projects core parameters.

Grounded in the city's history and leading the way to its future the project offers a spatial quality, a formal composed beauty, programmatic opportunity and a natural porosity and permeability all designed within a high density large scale development. The design is intended to be a contextually sensitive and a three dimensional example of a new approach to mix-use projects and city living combining a modernity, honesty and confidence attributable to Xi’an and an overall contextual humility that will make Xi’an OCT International Center a unique and singularly engaging development and a prime destination within the city to live, work and visit.

Credits

 Xi'an
 China
 Overseas Chinese Town
 10/2022
 404950 mq
 EID Architecture
 Ping Jiang (AIA, Design Principal), Michael Morgan (RIBA), Xiaohai Lin, Weite Shi, Li Jiang, Rongxiang Sun, Kai Ding, Yushi Zheng
 Structure Design Consultant: WSP; Architects Planning Design Consultant: WSP Architects; Landscape Design Consultant: Topo Design Group

Curriculum

EID Architecture is a leading international practice for architecture, urban planning and interior design. With studios in both Hong Kong and Shanghai, EID strives to provide intelligent and creative design solutions for local and international clients. EID is deeply committed to design excellence, innovation and sustainability, with vast experience in a wide range of building types, including large scale mixed-use developments, office/corporate, retail, hospitality, cultural/civic, institutional and residential uses.

Our portfolio contains many high profile award winning projects, ranging from iconic landmarks to urban planning. Our works represent the world’s leading design conception, culture attitude and commercial strategies, many of which have been widely published by global architecture & design media. The practice consists of multinational design professionals, reflecting a rich mix of cultural connections of this global age.


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