Bronze Architecture, Building and Structure Design · 2025
Quzhou Landmark Mixed Use Towers
by Xiyao Wang
- A' Design Award 2025 Bronze Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Extended Play Lab
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 15,740
- Verification code 666152F659 · Verify this award
About Quzhou Landmark Mixed Use Towers
Quzhou New City presents a visionary urban development that reinterprets traditional values through contemporary architectural expression. Anchored by two landmark towers along the Quzhou West Station axis, the project establishes a dynamic and recognizable skyline. A defining feature of the design is its fluid connection to the surrounding landscape, where architecture and nature converge in a continuous dialogue. The integration of greenery extends from the ground plane to the rooftops, fostering an environment that promotes ecological balance and urban livability.
Xiyao Wang's Quzhou Landmark Mixed Use Towers exemplifies contemporary approaches to high-density urban development where architectural ambition engages ecological responsibility through formal integration, the design demonstrates sophisticated understanding of verticality as both practical necessity and symbolic expression within twenty-first-century urbanism, the twin tower configuration establishes powerful axial symmetry creating ceremonial urban presence while the substantial separation between towers preserves visual porosity and atmospheric flow preventing the oppressive canyon effect sometimes associated with dense development corridors, the structural expression visible in the black exoskeletal diagrid bracing openly celebrates engineering logic transforming load-bearing necessity into aesthetic achievement, this honest revelation of structural systems aligns the work with high-tech architectural traditions established in late twentieth-century practice while the integration of curvilinear planted podia introduces parametric design sensibilities characteristic of contemporary computational architecture, the chromatic restraint favoring cool blue-grey glass with black structural accents against warm neutral contextual tones demonstrates chromatic sophistication avoiding visual cacophony while establishing clear hierarchical reading, the waterfront positioning capitalizes on reflective qualities inherent to water bodies doubling visual impact through mirroring while the sinuous organic water edge provides compositional counterpoint to orthogonal tower geometries, the extensive green terracing visible at podium levels suggests commitment to biophilic principles integrating vegetated surfaces that may serve ecological functions including stormwater management, urban heat island mitigation, and biodiversity support while simultaneously offering human-scaled outdoor amenity spaces, the rendering quality achieves photorealistic material simulation particularly in glass transparency and reflectivity allowing viewers to comprehend how natural light will animate facades throughout daily cycles, the atmospheric perspective treatment establishing cooler more diffused background compared to sharper foreground demonstrates understanding of perceptual depth cues ensuring compositional legibility across spatial zones, the substantial height differential between the landmark towers and surrounding mid-rise fabric creates dramatic skyline punctuation potentially serving wayfinding and identity functions within broader urban contexts, the design appears to explore questions central to contemporary architectural discourse including how density might be achieved without sacrificing environmental quality, how monumentality can coexist with human scale through careful articulation of base-middle-top tower zones, and how architectural form might express both structural rationality and organic inspiration simultaneously, viewers might contemplate how this architectural proposition balances competing demands of economic density, ecological responsibility, aesthetic distinction, and urban livability within a single integrated design solution.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The design for Quzhou’s landmark merges traditional philosophy with modern urban innovation. The project features two iconic towers along the Quzhou Station axis, creating a distinctive skyline. What sets this design apart is its seamless integration of architecture with an undulating green landscape, reflecting Quzhou’s natural terrain. The design prioritizes sustainability, utilizing green roofs and vertical landscapes to reduce energy consumption and enhance environmental comfort.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Height: 150m. Area: 34000 sqm.
- Tags
- Highrise building, sustainable deign, green architecture, super tall tower, office, retail
- Production Technology
- Concrete & Steel structure. Vertical Gree
- Design Challenge
- The hardest part was integrating Quzhou's historical and cultural identity with modern design while addressing sustainability. We faced challenges in merging traditional concepts like "Heaven as Courtesy, Earth as Culture" with contemporary urban needs. Navigating strict local regulations, limited by available materials and technology, we also had to ensure the design’s feasibility across varied landscapes. Balancing these internal and external factors required innovative thinking and adaptability.
- Project Duration
- Conceptural design
- Research
- Our research focused on integrating cultural heritage with sustainable urban design. We aimed to blend Quzhou’s historical identity with modern needs. Using qualitative analysis and site studies, we gathered data through surveys and 3D modeling tools. Participants included local historians, urban planners, and residents. The results revealed a deep connection between the community and their environment, leading to a design that fosters both cultural pride and sustainable growth, impacting society and urban planning in Quzhou.
- Inspiration
- The design was inspired by the ancient Eastern philosophy of Heaven as Courtesy, Earth as Culture, which emphasizes harmony between humanity and nature. Motivated by Quzhou’s rich cultural heritage and distinctive terrain, we seek to create a design that blends modern technology with natural landscapes. Extensive research into sustainable architecture and urban planning guided our approach, resulting in a project that honors tradition while embracing innovation, fostering a sustainable future.
- Image Credits
- Xiyao Wang. Xiaohan Wu. Mou yuyangguang.
Colors of Quzhou Landmark Mixed Use Towers
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Design Interview about Quzhou Landmark Mixed Use Towers
The central principle of the Quzhou Landmark Towers design was the synthesis of urban symbolism and ecological integration—a convergence of cultural resonance, technological intelligence, and environmental sensitivity. Situated in a rapidly evolving urban context in Quzhou, China, the project draws inspiration from classical Chinese cosmology, particularly the notion of “Heaven as Courtesy, Earth as Culture.” This duality is reflected in the two towers that rise like celestial markers from a cultivated green landscape, forming an iconic silhouette on the skyline while remaining rooted in the earth through a network of undulating parkland and cultural programming. The design is inspired by natural geological formations and mountain ridges, but abstracted into architectural form to create a futuristic, dreamlike composition. Ultimately, the project aims to symbolize a dialogue between modernity and heritage, acting as a beacon for Quzhou’s aspirations in sustainability, innovation, and cultural identity.
The main focus was to create a holistic urban prototype that seamlessly blends vertical architecture with horizontal public life. I aimed to design not only two landmark towers but also a new civic destination where architecture acts as both a spatial and symbolic interface between people and their environment. I wanted to achieve a form of architecture that is performative on multiple levels—urban, environmental, cultural, and social. The towers had to command presence on the skyline, yet their base needed to dissolve gently into the public realm, inviting interaction and creating continuity with the surrounding urban fabric. I also focused heavily on passive and active sustainable strategies, integrating vertical green systems, shading techniques, and data-responsive façade treatments to enhance environmental performance.
The award serves as a platform to further build institutional interest and public visibility for the design. While the concept was initially developed for a competition, its structural logic and cultural resonance make it adaptable for real-world implementation. I hope to collaborate with municipalities or private developers to refine and possibly realize the design or adapt its principles to other landmark projects around the world. Furthermore, I plan to publish the work in architectural journals and present it in exhibitions that focus on future cities, hybrid typologies, and the relationship between verticality and landscape.
The initial design phase, including concept development, site analysis, massing studies, and narrative framework, took approximately six months. However, the process was iterative, involving numerous rounds of refinement across architecture, landscape integration, and urban systems.
This was a competition-based design, but I was personally drawn to the brief because of its potential to reimagine how landmarks operate within a city—not just as icons but as catalysts. I saw an opportunity to translate some of my ongoing architectural research—particularly around hybrid urban systems and vertical public life—into a realized form. Although commissioned as a competitive proposal, I pursued the concept with the energy of a personal exploration, pushing the boundaries of what landmark architecture could mean in the context of smaller but rapidly growing Chinese cities.
At present, the design remains a conceptual yet highly developed prototype, and I retain full authorship rights. I am open to discussing production or licensing rights with forward-thinking developers or city authorities. If realized, I envision collaborating with a multidisciplinary team of engineers, developers, and urban strategists to faithfully translate the design into a built reality.
As an architect deeply interested in the intersection of verticality and public life, I have long been exploring how skyscrapers can evolve beyond their traditional roles as private monoliths. I designed this type of work because I wanted to challenge the dominant paradigm of isolated high-rises by creating towers that are integrated, porous, and symbiotic with their surroundings. The Quzhou site was ideal for testing these ideas in a context where tradition, rapid urbanization, and environmental pressures converge.
Yes, the work of Kenzo Tange and Kisho Kurokawa—particularly their visions for Metabolist cities—inspired the idea of modularity and urban megastructures. Additionally, the layered landscape of SANAA’s Rolex Learning Center and the futuristic tectonics of MAD Architects informed how I approached the base condition. Conceptually, I was also influenced by Lebbeus Woods’ visionary architecture, which emphasized the poetic dimension of structure, as well as traditional Chinese landscape paintings, where mountains and clouds are often rendered in abstract harmony.
The target client is a forward-thinking municipality or developer interested in cultural placemaking, sustainability, and architectural innovation. At the user level, the design serves multiple publics: residents, tourists, entrepreneurs, artists, and civic institutions. It’s meant for a diverse urban demographic that values both symbolic and experiential architecture, where landmarks become stages for daily life, cultural events, and ecological regeneration.
What distinguishes this design is its synthesis of tower and topography, creating a continuum from earth to sky. While many skyscrapers aim to stand apart, this design reaches out and folds into the city, allowing nature, people, and structure to co-exist in a layered ecosystem. Moreover, the use of algorithmic façade articulation, adaptive landscape belts, and a multi-sensory ground plane sets it apart from purely commercial or symbolic towers. It is both monumental and participatory, a rarity among vertical structures.
“Quzhou Landmark Towers” is intentionally straightforward to reflect the project’s role as a civic anchor, but the deeper meaning lies in the design’s aspiration to define identity through form and function. The name emphasizes “landmark” not just as a visual or geographic feature, but as a cultural and ecological marker—a point of orientation both physically and spiritually for the city of Quzhou.
I used a combination of Rhino + Grasshopper for parametric massing and environmental analysis, Autodesk Revit for technical modeling and spatial coordination, and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) for visual storytelling. Enscape and Lumion were used for real-time rendering, and GIS mapping tools aided in analyzing site and urban context. Grasshopper scripting also played a role in optimizing façade porosity, views, and sun-shading geometry.
The most unique aspect is the fusion of vertical and horizontal typologies, where the towers grow not from podiums but from a flowing terrain of public programs, gardens, and walkable slopes. This design challenges the conventional high-rise model by dissolving its base into a living landscape—a feature that is as symbolic as it is functional. The towers do not dominate but emerge organically, as if sculpted by wind and time.
While I led the conceptual design, I collaborated closely with structural engineers and sustainability consultants, particularly during the refinement phase. Their input shaped aspects such as wind-load optimization, structural core configuration, and passive ventilation strategies. I also consulted with urban ecologists to determine plant species and water retention systems suitable for the park belt. The work benefitted from a tight-knit team of specialists who believed in the vision of integrated urban design.
Technology plays a critical, enabling role in both the design and the experience of the project. From parametric modeling for façade optimization to real-time environmental feedback systems embedded in the towers, the project relies on cutting-edge digital tools to enhance sustainability and occupant comfort. Smart systems are integrated into lighting, HVAC, and irrigation to minimize ecological footprint. Furthermore, the towers are designed to host media facades that can respond to environmental conditions or community events, turning them into living beacons.
Yes, the design was heavily influenced by data-driven site analysis, including wind flow studies, solar orientation, pedestrian traffic modeling, and urban heat island effect mapping. I also conducted comparative typological research on landmark towers in cities with similar climate and scale to identify pitfalls and opportunities. Surveys and demographic analysis of Quzhou’s growth projections also shaped the programmatic mix, ensuring the towers serve real future needs.
One of the main challenges was negotiating the tension between iconicity and accessibility. It’s easy to design an iconic form; it’s harder to ensure that the icon is also livable, adaptable, and community-oriented. Another major challenge was the engineering feasibility of the topography-tower integration, especially the structural transitions at the base. Balancing the visual lightness of the towers with the technical demands of vertical circulation and lateral stability required numerous iterations.
I submitted the design because I believe Quzhou Landmark Towers embody a future-forward vision that merits international dialogue. Competitions provide a valuable platform not only for exposure but also for benchmarking one's work against global standards. I also wanted to test how the project's core ideas—symbolism, sustainability, and social engagement—resonated beyond local or regional contexts.
Designing Quzhou Landmark Towers deepened my understanding of ecological urbanism and hybrid architecture. I learned how to better use digital tools not just for form generation but for data synthesis and environmental simulation. It also pushed me to think about storytelling—not just in visuals, but in how space narrates identity. Most importantly, it reminded me that architecture must be courageous enough to imagine futures, yet grounded enough to serve the present.
I would only add that Quzhou Landmark Towers is not just a project—it’s a thesis about how architecture can become a cultural compass in an age of urban acceleration. It redefines what it means to be a landmark: not merely an object in space, but a node of meaning, ecology, and encounter. It’s a vision I hope to evolve across different cities and contexts, wherever architecture is called upon to inspire both skyline and street life.
Grand Interview about Quzhou Landmark Mixed Use Towers
The phrase “Heaven as Courtesy, Earth as Culture” became the philosophical backbone of the Quzhou Landmark design. Rooted in traditional Chinese cosmology and Confucian ideals, it reflects a worldview where the sky (heaven) embodies principles, order, and aspiration, while the earth grounds human experience in culture, memory, and emotion. My goal was to interpret this duality through contemporary architectural language—not to replicate traditional forms, but to extract their essence.The towers themselves represent the vertical pursuit of “Heaven as Courtesy.” Their slender, soaring proportions are composed with a sense of reverence and restraint, speaking to civic dignity and aspiration. They act as modern ritual markers, framing the skyline with symbolic presence. In contrast, the landscape that anchors them—the undulating green belt and cultural podium—is a manifestation of “Earth as Culture.” It’s where human activity unfolds: cultural programming, gathering spaces, and ecological systems. Together, these two realms don’t exist in hierarchy but in dialogue—symbolizing a holistic worldview that is both deeply philosophical and urgently contemporary. The integration of this Eastern lens gave the project not only aesthetic clarity, but spiritual grounding.
Integrating greenery at a vertical scale of 150 meters is as much a technical challenge as a poetic ambition. One of the foremost concerns was survivability—ensuring that plant species could withstand high wind speeds, solar exposure, and changing microclimates at various elevations. My solution involved a zoned planting system: Different plant species were selected for their tolerance and ecological compatibility at each height band, with lower levels incorporating broader-leafed, shade-tolerant species and upper levels using wind-resistant, drought-hardy varieties.Another key challenge was the integration of irrigation and maintenance systems. Rather than treat green façades as afterthoughts, I embedded planters and drainage directly into the tower envelope through a modular façade system. Each green module includes automated drip irrigation, soil sensors, and drainage weeping systems, all connected to a centralized water management platform. These systems were coordinated with façade engineers and landscape consultants from the early design phase to ensure coherence between aesthetics and operations.Ultimately, this green layer is more than visual—it filters air, shades interiors, and reconnects urban life to the cycles of growth and decay. Its successful implementation required the fusion of design sensibility with deeply technical, interdisciplinary coordination
Quzhou’s topography is defined by soft hills, river basins, and a kind of primordial calm that deeply resonated with me. As I explored the city’s geomorphology and cultural landmarks—from the Shuiting Gate to the surrounding mountains—I was struck by how its landscape reads like a continuous scroll: layered, gentle, and fluid. I wanted to mirror that terrain in architectural form, turning the project’s base into an extension of the city’s natural narrative.The undulating green belt at the foot of the towers was conceived as a contemporary interpretation of Chinese garden design principles, particularly the concept of shan-shui (mountain-water). But instead of enclosing nature within walls, I unfurled it into an open, civic terrain that connects different public programs—performance spaces, retail, leisure zones—underneath and around the towers. The flowing contours invite movement and rest, reflecting the tempo of the landscape rather than the rigidity of typical urban grids.This approach was only possible after an immersive research process—studying historical texts, walking the region through satellite mapping and topographic modeling, and analyzing traditional feng shui patterns that shape the city’s spiritual geography. The design’s smooth interface between architecture and terrain is, in essence, a spatialized homage to Quzhou’s identity.
The sustainability strategy for Quzhou Landmark was both passive and active, beginning with the core premise that energy performance must be integrated from the earliest site decisions. The towers were oriented to minimize heat gain while maximizing access to natural daylight. I used parametric modeling to analyze sun paths and wind directions, which informed the shape and articulation of the towers’ façades. Shading fins, operable louvers, and double-skin glazing were positioned based on these simulations to balance thermal performance with aesthetic clarity.A significant portion of the cooling load is mitigated through the green façade system, which not only insulates the building but also enhances evapotranspiration at the tower surface. At the podium and landscape levels, bioswales, green roofs, and permeable paving systems support stormwater management and reduce the urban heat island effect. The mixed-use program was also carefully calibrated so that complementary occupancy schedules (e.g., offices vs. cultural programs) reduce peak energy demand and enable more efficient HVAC zoning.Finally, I integrated photovoltaic arrays into roof areas and explored geothermal exchange systems beneath the green belt. The key was seeing sustainability not as an applied layer, but as an architectural driver—resulting in a form that is at once responsive, performative, and expressive.
The site’s adjacency to Quzhou West Station presented a dual challenge: it was a gateway into the city—a highly visible and programmatically intense urban node—but it also required sensitivity to cultural memory and regional character. I approached this by thinking in terms of civic choreography: how people move, gather, and perceive space as they transition from transit infrastructure into the everyday life of the city.The twin towers serve as visual anchors, but their base is open, porous, and deeply informed by local culture. Rather than a sealed podium, I created an open-air cultural plaza that hosts exhibitions, performances, and seasonal events. The landscape elements recall local rock formations and water meanders. Materials like textured stone, bamboo composites, and terracotta panels reference regional craft, even as they are made with contemporary precision.Functionally, the project embraces the tempo of modern life—housing offices, retail, and community services—but does so through a lens of ritual and continuity. The circulation strategy borrows from temple and garden precedents, where spatial progression is slow, ceremonial, and contemplative. In this way, the project doesn’t just accommodate both heritage and progress—it binds them into one spatial narrative.
The decision to use dual towers was both symbolic and urbanistic. Quzhou is a city in transition—poised between historical legacy and future ambition. I wanted the towers to act as a gateway, not only spatially in the master plan but culturally in the city’s evolving identity. The dual forms reflect balance, duality, and dialogue—key concepts in Chinese philosophy. Instead of a singular monument asserting dominance, the twin towers create a visual rhythm, like architectural punctuation marks on the skyline, suggesting openness and coexistence.From an urban perspective, the configuration enhances connectivity and orientation. The space between the towers becomes an important civic axis, aligning with Quzhou West Station and framing views into the city. It allows sunlight to reach the landscape and reduces wind tunnel effects—problems often caused by bulky single-tower developments. This openness supports a porous ground-level condition, ensuring permeability and blending the towers into a larger green spine. The twin forms become not just objects but participants in the city’s daily life.
Collaboration with local experts was essential to grounding the design in Quzhou’s cultural and spatial DNA. Conversations with urban planners revealed the city’s ambitions to define a new civic identity while preserving its ecological heritage. This guided my approach to making the greenbelt not just a buffer zone but an activated public realm—a modern interpretation of the Chinese garden as a civic commons.Historians shared stories and documents about Quzhou’s traditional architecture, its temple rituals, and how historical cities in the region mediated transitions between sacred and mundane space. These insights shaped my use of thresholds, layering, and materiality. For example, the progression from the transit plaza through the cultural podium and up into the towers echoes ritual ascents in temple complexes, where movement corresponds to a shift in spatial and emotional experience.The façade treatment—specifically the integration of texture and vertical layering—also draws inspiration from ancient city walls and calligraphic scrolls. This collaboration reminded me that innovation doesn’t preclude tradition; in fact, some of the most forward-thinking designs emerge when we listen deeply to what the land and its people have to say.
The Quzhou Landmark Mixed Use Towers employ a side-core structural scheme for both towers, which was a deliberate choice to maximize open floorplates and flexibility in program distribution. This configuration allows for unobstructed views, efficient layouts for offices and hotel rooms, and spatial adaptability over time—key considerations for a project designed to be both iconic and functionally resilient.From a material standpoint, the structural system combines reinforced concrete cores with a steel-framed floor system. The use of concrete was strategic, not only for its structural robustness and fire resistance but also for its thermal mass properties, which contribute to passive environmental regulation. In a region like Quzhou with humid summers and cold winters, the thermal inertia of concrete helps reduce reliance on mechanical systems.Steel, on the other hand, was employed in the floor plates and cantilevered portions of the podium and sky gardens to enable longer spans and lighter construction. This hybrid system allowed for a balance of strength and elegance, with steel enabling the expressive, curved geometries of the landscape-integrated podium while concrete provided the backbone of the towers.Sustainability also informed material choices. Where possible, we specified high-performance concrete with fly ash and slag content to reduce embodied carbon. Steel components were sourced with recycled content and fabricated using modular construction techniques, minimizing waste. Additionally, the unitized curtain wall system is designed with integrated external shading and high-performance glazing to meet China’s evolving green building standards.Altogether, the side-core configuration, paired with this thoughtful material strategy, enabled the towers to embody both architectural clarity and environmental responsibility—qualities that reflect the broader ambition of the project to serve as a sustainable and symbolic civic landmark for Quzhou.
Its integration of public transit, green space, cultural programs, and mixed-use verticality within a single project creates a multi-scalar urban ecosystem. I hope this becomes a reference point for municipalities and developers who seek to design not just iconic buildings but enduring communities. The landscape-driven masterplan, porous ground plane, and high-performance façade are scalable strategies, adaptable to other cities with different geographic and social conditions.Ultimately, the project demonstrates that urban growth and ecological stewardship are not mutually exclusive. Through intelligent design and a reverence for local context, we can reimagine density as something humanistic, sustainable, and deeply rooted in place.
The greatest challenge was to harmonize the dense, vertical mixed-use programming—offices, cultural venues, retail, and public amenities—with a landscape that felt continuous and intuitive. My approach was to dissolve the typical podium tower model. Instead of a solid, monolithic base, I created a terraced, sinuous ground plane that physically and visually connects the towers to the park-like greenbelt. Public programs are embedded in this topography—partially sunken, partially open-air—to maintain fluidity while optimizing land use.Circulation was carefully choreographed. Each function has a dedicated access point, but movement is layered and overlapping in key moments to create encounters and a sense of shared civic life. Vertical zoning places quieter cultural functions closer to the ground and workspaces higher up, preserving tranquility while offering views. Every square meter had to work harder—not just as floor space, but as part of a larger ecosystem of movement, light, and atmosphere. By embedding architectural elements into a landscape logic, the project achieves a hybrid condition: dense yet open, monumental yet responsive.