Zhongyuan Science and Technology City
Prelude to new city quarter in Zhengzhou
In the international competition for the “core zone of the start-up area”, the architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) have been successful. The area forms the prelude to the new Zhongyuan Science and Technology City, a new quarter for high-tech and future-technology companies in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou.
With a green axis running from north to south, the design by gmp marks the center of the new development. This extensive public space links all institutions in the central area via sunken gardens. At the same time, this green space acts as a counterpoise to the main traffic axis that divides the area in an east-west direction. Its network of pathways ties together the four main clusters, which serve as a Start-Up Center, a Cultural Center, an Urban Design Museum, and a Congress Center, among others. In this way, the interaction between unity and diversity becomes the dominant design theme.
In addition to an office park with smaller building units to the south and an area with taller office buildings to the north, there are four main buildings of the same typology in the center. In this way, the design defines a clear spatial and functional connection whilst allowing each building its own character. Each of the large blocks is flanked by a volume to the rear that houses service functions and administration. In terms of architecture, the four units nevertheless feature their own unique design. At their cores they have large central atriums varying in layout and three-dimensional design.
