Arch2O.com

Arch2O.com - Architecture & Design Magazine
The urban ensemble ?Guanghualu SOHO 2? for the SOHO China Group designed by architects von Gerkan, Marg and partners (gmp) has been completed in Beijing?s Central Business District. The site at the Guanghua Lu is located in one of the prominent urban districts in the eastern center of Beijing, and consists of five houses with a curved building shape. The total built area consists of 84,000 square meters of offices and a further 19,000 square meters of office units for short-term lets.
Courtesy of gmp Architekten – Photographs : Christian Gahl
In contrast to Beijing?s usual large-scale road layouts, the comparatively closely knit Guanghua Lu is enclosed by urban blocks, generating a vivacious urban ambiance. The design for the SOHO China Group not only reflects this character, but reinforces it through numerous interactions and connections with the urban neighborhood. Courtesy of gmp Architekten – Site Plan
This is achieved primarily by a network of passages and overpasses of different widths between the buildings. This pathway system crisscrosses the 214 x 77 meter large complex, and connects the surrounding street systems with each other. In this way, the front and rear of the buildings are of equal value, and attractive vistas are created between the houses and the urban landscape.
Courtesy of gmp Architekten – Photographs : Christian Gahl
The dynamic curves of the five buildings are continued i...