The project is an urban gateway at the core area of the new CBD in Shashi District, Jingzhou. Aedas Founder and Chairman Keith Griffiths and Executive Director Fiona Chen led the team to create a dialogue between the cultural context and modernity. The time-honored Jingchu culture represented in modern architectural language fosters the design of this iconic landmark.
The design uses a phoenix as a cultural metaphor. The Intelligence Center, with its volume and facade lines tilting slightly outwards, looks like a phoenix spreading its wings. The twin towers of the industrial incubation center are juxtaposed in a majestic manner. The vertical facade lines extend upwards and converge like a phoenix feather while the staggered facade units mimic the feather texture. These gestures indicate wishes for Jingzhou’s development, hoping it to soar like a phoenix. Between the twin towers, we insert an exhibition hall as an urban core. It serves as a nest to attract talents, and enterprises and to activate the area. “In the land of Jingchu, there is a phoenix coming. As the phoenix dances in the clouds, it leads the future with wisdom.” This saying embeds our imagination of the design.
