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Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. Public Square and Passenger Facilities Renovation of Guangzhou East Railway Station in Shenzhen, China by Architectural design and Research Institute of SCUTJune 30th, 2017 by Sumit Singhal
Article source: Architectural design and Research Institute of SCUT Back Ground Story Located at the north end of the central axis, Guangzhou East Railway Station is one of the biggest railway terminals in China. The old station building, constructed in the Mid 90’s, was suffered from poor organizations of circulations, light and ventilation. Before renovation, numerous people and vehicles flows had to squeeze under a dark concrete panel to enter the station. Above the panel however, there was an abandoned platform, giant in scale, empty with people, without the quality of a public space it supposed to have.  Image Courtesy © Liky Lam
 Image Courtesy © Liky Lam
 Image Courtesy © Liky Lam  Image Courtesy © Liky Lam Winning the bid for Asia Game 2010 offered Guangzhou an opportunity to “upgrade the landmark”. What we decided to do was to optimize the environment with elements of artificial landscape, in order to gradually repair the public spaces. Several openings are cut on the floor to allow natural lights to enter to the ground. The main entrance is then shifted from ground floor to the upper level. Then, a “canopy of light” is intervened to cover the space. It’s a curved glass roof erected from the existing structural grid. The shelter protects pedestrians from suns and rains. Its irregular form is generated through computational analyses. All metal elements are modular, prefabricated in local factories and composed on site. The approximately 8,000 m2 areas satisfying relatively high level of precision were finished in only 6 months.  Image Courtesy © Liky Lam  Image Courtesy © Liky Lam This wasn’t the end of the story. Six years after the Asian Games a new round of renovation restarted. This time smaller elements were put on to shrink down the scale: A loop-shape kiosk accommodated informal commercial activities. Beneath the roof, translucent curtains guaranteed safety and improve efficiency of the sunshades. With public activities coming back, we have witness the public spaces are now in its recovery. Through the practice, we hope to redefine the role of infrastructural project in China: it works as a link between people and city, incorporating functionality, comfort, climate solutions, public spaces… And in the end, becomes part of urban environment.  Image Courtesy © Liky Lam  Image Courtesy © Liky Lam Innovative design ideas Standing on the central axis of Guangzhou, the project is decorated with Guangzhou’s cityscape as its backdrop. The aims of the project, started from 2009, is to meet the functional requirements of the railway station, and to upgrade this area into a more human-oriented and efficient gateway. There must be new and multi-layered roles, such as a node for tourism, recreations and commercials. The specific design not only reorganizes and optimizes the programs, but also takes furthers steps in the experiences, sustainability and architectural aesthetics, in order to improve the quality of environment with urban strategies. In 2017, there is a new round of renovation to be launched. To shrink down the enormous scale, more small elements are added. With more and more public activities reappears, the public space is now in its recovery.  Image Courtesy © Liky Lam  Image Courtesy © Liky Lam  Image Courtesy © Architectural design and Research Institute of SCUT  Image Courtesy © Architectural design and Research Institute of SCUT  Fang Deng, Image Courtesy © Architectural design and Research Institute of SCUT  Sheng Xia, Image Courtesy © Architectural design and Research Institute of SCUT  Yimin Sun, Image Courtesy © Architectural design and Research Institute of SCUT  Image Courtesy © Architectural design and Research Institute of SCUT  Image Courtesy © Architectural design and Research Institute of SCUT  Image Courtesy © Architectural design and Research Institute of SCUT  Image Courtesy © Architectural design and Research Institute of SCUT
Categories: Railway Station, Renovation |
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