MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT TAKES DIRECTION FROM THE LANDSCAPE

China-based firm PWD Architecture will soon break ground on Dali Creative Area, a mixed-use development in Dali City, in Yunnan province. The development will include a hotel, restaurants, offices, retail and exhibition space, and is slated for completion in 2016.

Inspired to create a form that does not detract from the area’s natural beauty, the Dali Creative Area was largely designed in section, effectively supplying daylight and natural ventilation while maintaining views. The resulting set of buildings step with the terrain’s contours and respond to a central green space at the ground level. Similarly, movement through the space alternates between interior areas and open-air terraced green spaces.

Due to its proximity to a historic city gate, the complex maintains single-height commercial and cultural spaces interconnected by lofty double- and triple-height lobbies. The North building will host an exhibition area, media rooms, and multi-occupancy offices, while the South building will house commercial activities, including retail space, restaurants, and a conference center. A separate structure unifies the complex and offers visitors a hotel and wellness spa.

The structures themselves employ simple forms that are modernised with a stacked bar construction system and aluminum and timber facades. The facades themselves are composed of clean lines that create subtle backdrops for the landscape and frame views across the province.

The next stage of the Dali Creative Area will include the development of an additional belvedere-style commercial building.