Almaty Business Park
Asia Pacific
View Project
Parc Central
- Client
- Sun Hung Kai Properties & Guangzhou New Central Axis Construction
- Services
- Architecture, Masterplanning, Landscape Architecture, Interior Design, Wayfinding
- Sector
- Mixed Use, Retail
- Location
- Guangzhou, China
- Awards
- ICSC Asia Pacific Shopping Centre Awards 2017 — Gold
A stadium for retail, rooted in landscape
The low-rise form of Parc Central is a pedestrianised urban park combining retail, dining and public realm within a multi-level parkland. Positioned at the heart of the city’s Central Axis, the 110,000m2 scheme features sunken gardens, a public transport interchange and 60% green cover. Benoy’s first completed transit-oriented development in Guangzhou.
Dates2016
Size
110,000m2
SustainabilityLEED Gold
Rooted in traditional symbolism
The curved form of the two buildings draws from the traditional Chinese double fish motif, a choice that was deliberate in section as well as plan, with the ETFE roofscape designed to be read from the taller neighbouring buildings above. Steel monocoque roof canopies, supported by tree-like columns rising from a series of gardens, shelter the development while preserving its open, parkland character. Like the motif itself, Parc Central is designed to symbolise prosperity and harmony within the city.
Blurring the boundaries between retail and landscaping
The two low-rise buildings, stand at just 24m tall, preserving an unobstructed viewing corridor through the site and storefront exposure. Stores and cafés open directly onto outdoor green terraces while large atriums draw daylight into the retail below ground. A neutral palette of white and reconstituted stone runs throughout. Parc Central is connected to Guangzhou’s metro and bus network and linked by overhead footbridges to neighbouring developments in the district.
