Wuxi Sensor Park Urban Design

Emergent E_Scapes

Wuxi, China

Design Internship with HKS Shanghai, 2021 Design Team: Bin Cao, Huaichang Wang, Johnny Chen, Rui Bao, Jiakang Li, Hongqiu Wang, Ran He

In this project, I assisted with the early conceptual design- developing diagrams documenting the site and studies on massing, street sections and design principles. Communication with the city’s planning department was a key part of this project and the diagrams played a key role in conveying design methods and strategies.

The Urban Design project of Wuxi Sensor Park started from an already-developed industrial park. The goal of the project is to strengthen the current establishments by connecting the park to the city.

Our team started by analyzing the existing site conditions and identifying major axes within the park. A series of studies were conducted on the road systems, tenants, building typologies.

By formulating a series of design principles, the team aims to connect the site with surrounding city districts, such as downtown, civic centers, hightech districts and natural recreational areas. The new park embraces a multitude of uses including R&D, offices and complimentary service programs.

These overarching principles act as an urban armature and allowed subsequent design to be precise and on-point.

Massing studies and skyline studies were carried out and discussed with the city planning department. Along a main central axis, several thematic corridors are laid out according to existing building clusters and design vision. Road system hierachies are established in the scope of pedestrians.

III. Professional Works

Chengdu Vanke Tianhui

Chengdu, China

Design Internship with HKS Shanghai, 2021 Design Team: Bin Cao, Feng Xiao, Huaichang Wang, Johnny Chen, Peng Xie, Ran He

In this project, my role was to optimize and refine building models, with a special focus on developing facade strategies. The scope of this project ranges from schematic design to construction administration and it needed a unified building facade strategy.

In conversation with the client and a few consultants, I assisted with choosing the right materials and metal framing strategies for the project.

The site is located at the old industrial district of Chengdu. This development aims to combine the old memories many people hold dear with new and exiciting programs. From a rust belt to a vital district for local communities to gather and enjoy.

Combining industry with the theme of art and culture creates a powerful synergy. The close proximity to the surrounding residential areas means this is a great opportunity to design an event venue for the local people.

For a large project spanning across multiple plots, it is important to unify the buildings’ identities through facade design. Integrating different strategies across a range of programs such as ground level retail, dining plazas, gathering space and office towers is a crucial task.