Commissioned by the Wujin District People’s Government, studio505 has designed an impressive civic landmark and cultural anchor for the Chinese district. Situated on a 30,000-square-foot artificial lake and accompanied by an 8-acre park, The Lotus Building houses a unique variety of civic nodes and public spaces. Intended as “a character piece” for the city, the physical forms of the building represent the three stages of the blooming lotus flower. As this isn’t the first Chinese building for the Melbourne-based architecture firm, they certainly know how to meet the needs of their partners in Wujin.
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Just as the form emerges from the lake, visitors enter from beneath the structure and are greeted with a tall, cathedralesque atrium, which combines natural lighting, a night-lighting system, and a 7m tall chandelier to illuminate and uplift the interior atmosphere. Symbolizing unity and harmony for the future, this building was designed to solidify the local government's commitments to and aspirations for its people.According to studio505, the building is, “an addition to an existing double story subterranean municipal facility beneath an existing artificial lake.” Encapsulating parts of the planning bureau and new exhibition halls, elaborate meeting rooms and conference centers, studio505 has supplemented the sheltered government burrow into a versatile public space.
Designed for minimal energy consumption, the design utilizes 2,500 geothermal piles driven into the base of the lake. Year round, the geothermic heat exchange system will reduce air conditioning costs for both the lotus and the two-story building beneath the lake. The lotus is also “naturally ventilated and utilises evaporative cooling from the lakes surface to drive a thermal chimney within the main flower pod.”With The Lotus Center and People’s Park, studio505 have solidified themselves as some of the most popular social and cultural landmark-makers in Wujin, and we can't wait to see what they come up with next.
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