Gold Architecture, Building and Structure Design · 2025
Urban Symbiosis Mix Use Towers
by Xiyao Wang
- A' Design Award 2025 Gold Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Extended Play Lab
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 89,133
- Verification code CBE43E7418 · Verify this award
About Urban Symbiosis Mix Use Towers
Urban Symbiosis is a mixed use supertall development above the 7 Train station in New York City, integrating condos, serviced apartments, and offices. Celebrating the great underground, the subway entrance is placed at the center, offering natural light and 24/7 public access. The design optimizes energy loads by combining office and residential programs, reducing grid pressure. Unlike traditional vertical stacking, a horizontal split forms two towers, creating shared public spaces with amenities like restaurants, co-working areas, and gyms for constant interaction.
Xiyao Wang's Urban Symbiosis Mix Use Towers represents a significant contribution to the evolving discourse surrounding biophilic high-rise architecture and the integration of natural systems within dense urban contexts. The design appears to engage thoughtfully with contemporary challenges of sustainable urbanism, proposing a vertical ecosystem where structural expressionism serves both tectonic and environmental purposes. The exposed exoskeletal framework, rendered in warm copper-bronze tones suggestive of weathering steel or similar materials, articulates the building's programmatic organization while providing armature for extensive planted terraces that punctuate the tower's rise. This approach evokes the precedents established by ecological architecture movements while advancing the formal vocabulary through a distinctive synthesis of structural rationalism and organic integration. The compositional relationship between the central tower and its neighboring glass curtain wall developments invites contemplation of material dialogue within urban ensembles, where the warmth and texture of the subject building provides humanistic counterpoint to the reflective technological surfaces surrounding it. The terraced garden platforms suggest a vertical village concept, creating outdoor amenity spaces that might foster community interaction while contributing to urban biodiversity and microclimate moderation. The base condition, with its generous canopy and integration with street-level greenery, appears designed to establish welcoming thresholds between public realm and private program. Technical accomplishment is evident in the resolved integration of complex structural systems with inhabited garden spaces, suggesting careful coordination between engineering and architectural ambitions. The visualization itself demonstrates sophisticated rendering technique, capturing atmospheric nuance and material specificity that communicates the design intent with clarity and appeal. One might consider how such proposals participate in reimagining the relationship between built density and ecological function, suggesting possibilities for urban futures where architecture serves as habitat infrastructure supporting diverse forms of life. What role might such hybrid structures play in reshaping expectations for urban dwelling and environmental stewardship?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Urban Symbiosis reimagines the traditional tower by horizontally splitting residential and office spaces, forming two interconnected towers. This innovative layout smooths energy demand by balancing daytime and nighttime usage, reducing grid pressure. A central subway entrance celebrates public access, while extensive shared amenities foster community interaction. The sunken garden at street level enhances urban experience, creating seamless connections with the High Line.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The tower is 237m or 777 ft tall, consists of 56 residential floors, and 43 office floors, with retail at the ground and underground levels.
- Tags
- highrise building, mix use, residential, office, mass timber, public transit
- Production Technology
- The design employed a mix of urban planning and architectural analysis. Advanced parametric tools were used to study the relationship between public access, energy efficiency, and user flow. Vertical stacking was replaced with a horizontal division of programs, creating integrated spaces. High-performance materials and all-electric systems were chosen to ensure sustainability, while shared amenities were carefully planned to enhance social interaction and community-building.
- Design Challenge
- The greatest challenge was achieving a balance between urban connectivity and energy efficiency. Ensuring 24-hour public access while maintaining the privacy of residential spaces required a complex design process. The horizontal split of programs presented structural and logistical difficulties, as did integrating shared public amenities without disrupting the functional core. Balancing public engagement with sustainability and energy performance was a key obstacle.
- Project Duration
- The ideal was first conceived in 2017, and carried out in 2024
- Operation Flow
- Urban Symbiosis optimizes energy use by balancing day-and-night occupancy of residential and office spaces, reducing strain on the power grid. The design's split tower layout creates more public interaction zones, like shared amenities, between residential and office functions. The central subway entrance and sunken garden promote 24-hour accessibility. This blend of private and public space boosts community engagement, making it perform better than conventional vertical designs.
- Research
- Research focused on balancing mixed-use program demands in high-density areas. Data was collected on energy consumption patterns and spatial usage in residential and office towers. Parametric modeling tools informed the horizontal split design, optimizing building efficiency and interaction. The resulting insights revealed that the design could improve energy loads, reduce grid pressure, and enhance public-private space integration, contributing to a sustainable and socially engaged urban development.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration for the project stemmed from the symbiosis between residential and office programs, aiming to optimize energy usage by aligning their differing time demands. Drawing from urban connectivity principles, the project integrates public spaces with private development, influenced by the dynamic interaction between work and home life. Research on mixed-use high-rise buildings shaped its energy efficiency and public access approach.
- Image Credits
- Xiyao Wang
Colors of Urban Symbiosis Mix Use Towers
Get Urban Symbiosis Mix Use Towers
Design Interview about Urban Symbiosis Mix Use Towers
The core principle behind Urban Symbiosis is to foster a mutually beneficial relationship between architecture, nature, and urban life—an ecosystem where built and organic environments don’t just coexist, but actively support and enhance one another. The idea was inspired by biological symbiosis—relationships in nature where different organisms live in close, often interdependent proximity. I was fascinated by how such models of coexistence can be transposed into urban design, especially in rapidly urbanizing cities where the clash between natural and artificial systems is often stark. My aim was to shift the paradigm from separation and domination to integration and reciprocity, embedding ideas of environmental stewardship and collective well-being into the very bones of the project.
The central focus was to dissolve the boundaries between infrastructure, landscape, and public life. I wanted to create a spatial narrative where technology, community, and ecology are interwoven seamlessly. More than just designing a functional piece of urban fabric, I wanted Urban Symbiosis to provoke a deeper reflection on how cities are structured, how we live within them, and how architecture can become a regenerative force rather than a consumptive one. I was also intent on ensuring that this design would remain adaptable—able to change with time, seasons, and urban needs—without losing its essence. My hope was that the project would serve as a catalyst for dialogue on future urbanism and help people emotionally reconnect with their environment.
The recognition of this project has opened new avenues for further development. I am currently in discussions with several municipalities and private developers interested in adapting Urban Symbiosis to their local contexts. The design is modular by intention, so we plan to tailor it to different scales and climates, whether it’s in a dense megacity or a growing secondary city. I also envision the project being part of a broader research initiative—a platform that continuously evolves by integrating feedback from users, ecological data, and new technological innovations. Eventually, I’d like to publish a monograph that details its evolution, theoretical framework, and implementation, serving both as a case study and a manifesto for regenerative urban design.
The conceptual phase took several months of intensive work, but the seeds of Urban Symbiosis were planted years earlier through various research initiatives and previous design explorations. I would say the full design development spanned over nine months, including iterative modeling, environmental simulations, and stakeholder engagement. A significant portion of time was dedicated to testing different material systems and structural configurations to ensure that the design was not only beautiful and meaningful but also feasible and sustainable. Every detail, from the planting systems to the photovoltaic skins and water management networks, went through multiple iterations before reaching its final state.
This design was not initially commissioned—it was born out of a deep personal drive to explore a future-forward urban typology. The inspiration came during a period of intense reflection on the disconnect between many contemporary urban developments and the pressing environmental and social crises we face today. I was witnessing how so many projects were driven by capital efficiency and aesthetic tokenism, and I wanted to push back against that with a design that would embody purpose, vision, and responsibility. After developing the core idea, I decided to submit it to several competitions and research exhibitions to test its resonance with broader audiences and institutions. The positive response has been incredibly validating.
At this stage, the design remains in the development and promotion phase, but several partnerships are in progress. Given the complexity of the project and its custom infrastructure, I am leaning toward collaborating with specialized urban development firms and public agencies rather than selling or licensing the rights outright. My intention is to remain deeply involved in any built version, from adaptation to realization, to ensure the integrity of the design philosophy is maintained. We are also exploring forming a dedicated design and research consortium to steward Urban Symbiosis through its next stages of life, which may include multiple iterations across different cities worldwide.
I was drawn to this typology because it addresses one of the most urgent dilemmas of our time: how to reconcile urban expansion with ecological collapse. This type of work allows architecture to go beyond form and become a system—a living infrastructure that performs, adapts, and evolves. I’ve always been fascinated by the potential for architecture to act as both a cultural artifact and an environmental agent. With Urban Symbiosis, I had the opportunity to experiment with this dual identity in a highly expressive and scalable way. It wasn’t just about solving a problem; it was about reimagining the possibilities of urban life.
Definitely. I found great inspiration in the works of Louis Kahn and Daniel Libeskind—not necessarily in their aesthetic choices, but in their philosophical depth and the way they embedded meaning into structure. Kahn’s pursuit of timelessness and spatial purity gave me the courage to let parts of Urban Symbiosis be quiet and monumental. Meanwhile, Libeskind’s emotive geometries and his ability to embed narratives of memory into architecture pushed me to think about the experiential dimension of the project—how it could speak to people on both a visceral and intellectual level.
This design targets forward-thinking municipalities, progressive developers, and institutions who see the built environment as a tool for social and ecological advancement—not just profit. It’s especially suited for contexts where cities are grappling with densification, climate adaptation, and the need for public space reactivation. On a human level, the target users are the urban dwellers—families, workers, youth, and elders—who deserve to live in environments that uplift their daily experiences. Urban Symbiosis is for those who want to live in a city that breathes with them, responds to their needs, and fosters a collective sense of ownership and care.
What distinguishes Urban Symbiosis is its holistic ambition. Many projects today claim sustainability or biophilic integration, but they often treat those aspects as add-ons rather than the core structure. In Urban Symbiosis, the ecological systems, human-scale design, and technological interventions are not separate entities—they are deeply interdependent. Another key differentiation is the level of adaptability built into the system. It’s not a static piece of architecture but a dynamic organism, capable of evolving over time. Lastly, the emotional resonance—the way the form evokes curiosity, contemplation, and connection—is a result of very deliberate compositional and spatial decisions that I believe elevate it beyond mere functionalism.
The name Urban Symbiosis emerged naturally from the conceptual underpinnings of the design. I was exploring ways to frame a new kind of relationship between urbanism and ecology—not as oppositional forces but as co-evolving systems. The term “symbiosis” comes from biology, referring to interactions between different organisms that live in close proximity, often benefiting one another. Applying this term to the urban scale was a deliberate provocation: Can architecture move beyond coexistence with nature to a point of active reciprocity? By titling the project Urban Symbiosis, I wanted to embed that question into the identity of the work itself. It’s both a descriptor and a thesis statement—a call to rethink how cities live with their ecosystems.
The project was developed using a combination of parametric modeling tools and environmental analysis software. Rhinoceros 3D with Grasshopper was essential for developing the modular system of the structure and testing different morphological iterations. We used Ladybug and Honeybee to evaluate environmental performance, including solar exposure, daylighting, and thermal comfort. For the landscape and hydrology systems, we simulated water flow patterns and plant growth behavior to inform spatial strategies. Adobe Creative Suite was used for visualization and storytelling, while physical study models also played a crucial role in conceptual testing. The tools were not just technical aids—they were collaborators in the design process, helping to visualize complexity and push the boundaries of what the project could become.
One of the most distinctive aspects of Urban Symbiosis is how it merges ecological infrastructure with architectural form, allowing them to become indistinguishable. The structure is not merely a container for greenery or a building with decorative plantings—it is a living framework that supports water collection, air purification, and biodiversity. The vertical fins, for example, are not just shading devices; they are embedded with ventilation systems and bioskins that support climbing vegetation and filter urban particulates. The public spaces are layered into the system like organs in a body, making the entire project function as a responsive, integrated organism. This level of synergy—between system, structure, and society—is rare in urban architecture, and I believe it’s what gives the
While I led the concept and design direction, Urban Symbiosis was made possible through a collaborative process involving experts in ecology, environmental engineering, and digital fabrication. I worked closely with landscape architects to integrate native plant systems and ensure ecological resilience. Engineers helped me refine the structural system to balance openness with load-bearing efficiency. I also collaborated with sustainability consultants to analyze how the design could meet or exceed green building standards. These collaborations were not one-off consultations but ongoing dialogues, often leading to significant shifts in design strategy. The interdisciplinary exchange was essential—not only for technical validation but for enriching the project with knowledge beyond architecture alone.
Technology in Urban Symbiosis is not merely a support mechanism—it is a design language and a vital agent of transformation. From parametric geometry that optimizes light and airflow to integrated environmental systems that collect and reuse water, technology acts as a bridge between architectural intention and environmental intelligence. I’m particularly interested in how technology can be used not just to make things “smarter,” but to make them more alive—more responsive, adaptive, and symbiotic. The embedded systems in this project allow the building to monitor environmental conditions and respond accordingly, whether that means opening louvered skins, channeling rainwater to planters, or adjusting lighting levels based on human presence. It’s a vision of urban architecture where technology doesn’t distance us from nature, but brings us closer to it.
Absolutely—data played a foundational role in shaping the design. We conducted site-specific climate analysis, pedestrian movement studies, and biodiversity impact assessments. Using tools like ClimateStudio and GIS mapping, we assessed sun paths, prevailing winds, and microclimate behaviors to determine the optimal orientation and form of the structures. Research into local flora and fauna helped us design habitat-supportive green zones within the architectural system. We also looked into precedents from urban ecology—such as green corridors, eco-bridges, and biophilic design frameworks—and synthesized them into a new, scalable typology. This combination of empirical data and contextual research allowed the design to be both visionary and grounded in real-world performance.
One major challenge was balancing formal ambition with ecological functionality. It’s one thing to imagine a green architectural vision, and another to make it work structurally, economically, and environmentally. There were tensions between the lightweight porous form I envisioned and the need to support complex infrastructural systems. Another difficulty was visualizing the long-term evolution of the space—how it would age, grow, and change with seasons and human use. We developed phasing strategies and growth maps, but the unpredictability of natural systems required a more flexible mindset than traditional architecture. Finally, communicating the complexity of the design to stakeholders—who may not be used to thinking in systemic or regenerative terms—was a challenge that required careful storytelling and visualization.
I believe that architecture is not just about building—it’s also about building discourse. Submitting Urban Symbiosis to an international competition was a way to test its relevance beyond local or academic contexts. I wanted to see how the idea would resonate with a global audience of designers, critics, and institutions. Awards like the A’ Design Award provide a platform not only for recognition but for dialogue and peer review. It was also a strategic step: by entering the project into a visible, credible platform, I hoped to attract potential collaborators, sponsors, or city partners who could help bring the vision to life. In that sense, the submission was as much about idea propagation as it was about professional development.
Designing Urban Symbiosis deepened my understanding of the interconnectedness between systems—natural, urban, and human. I learned to relinquish a certain degree of control in order to allow the design to be truly ecological and adaptive. It also challenged me to become more fluent in technical disciplines beyond architecture: from hydrology to botany to environmental systems engineering. Perhaps most importantly, it taught me the value of patience and persistence. Many of the ideas took time to mature and required multiple iterations before they found their proper expression. On a personal level, the project reaffirmed my belief that architecture can—and must—be a force for positive transformation, not only in form but in the ethics and futures it proposes.
What I’d like to emphasize, perhaps more than anything, is that Urban Symbiosis is not a singular project—it’s a framework. It’s meant to evolve with each iteration, responding to different cities, climates, and communities. I see it as part of a larger cultural shift, where architecture reclaims its role as a civic agent and a planetary citizen. The challenges we face today—climate change, urban inequality, ecological collapse—require design that is bold, systemic, and deeply empathetic. Urban Symbiosis is my contribution to that conversation. And I hope that through this recognition, it can inspire others to build not just structures, but relationships—between people, places, and the planet.
Grand Interview about Urban Symbiosis Mix Use Towers
The decision to horizontally divide the tower—placing residential and office programs in two separate volumes joined by a shared core—emerged from a desire to rethink the conventional logic of mixed-use skyscrapers. Typically, these programs are vertically stacked, with offices occupying the lower half and residences above. While this stratification is efficient in zoning terms, it often isolates communities and exacerbates the disconnection between different user groups. By placing these two functions side by side and bridging them with shared infrastructure, I was able to create opportunities for real social overlap, not just physical adjacency.From an environmental standpoint, this arrangement also enhances energy performance. Residential and office uses have different peak energy demands—offices peak during the day, while residential peaks in the evening. By aligning these contrasting temporal patterns horizontally and sharing mechanical systems and façade strategies between the two, I was able to smooth out energy demand cycles and reduce the overall load. This results in a more balanced, efficient use of building systems and opens up new possibilities for shared energy storage and passive design.
The subway station is not an afterthought in Urban Symbiosis—it is the heart of the project. In many cities, infrastructure is hidden or relegated to the background, treated more as a service node than a civic space. I wanted to challenge this paradigm by celebrating public transportation as the central connective tissue of urban life. Embedding the subway entrance directly between the two programmatic towers is a symbolic and spatial gesture that reflects our belief in transit-oriented development and urban equity.This move ensures seamless integration between daily life and mass mobility. Commuters, residents, and workers intersect at this point of convergence, creating spontaneous urban interactions. It turns what would typically be a private boundary—the space between two towers—into a vibrant public corridor. This central transit hub becomes a civic anchor that reinforces the tower's identity as not just a building, but a piece of city-making infrastructure.
One of the central challenges of designing Urban Symbiosis was orchestrating the delicate balance between constant public flow and residential seclusion. Our solution emerged through both spatial hierarchy and programmatic choreography. I established a clear gradient of accessibility—from the most public, like the transit plaza and commercial arcade, to semi-public co-working and amenity zones, and finally to fully private residential quarters.Circulation was a critical tool in this balancing act. I developed dedicated cores and access points for each major user group, while still allowing for controlled zones of overlap where interaction is meaningful and intentional. For example, residents can access amenity spaces such as the gym or co-working lounge without passing through the public retail corridor. Conversely, office workers and visitors experience the vibrant ground-level ecosystem without disrupting the privacy of residential life above.The architecture facilitates coexistence without friction—enabling different communities to share space while maintaining their own rhythms and boundaries. It’s a choreography of movement and access that allows the building to function as a shared organism without compromising individual comfort.
Amenity spaces in Urban Symbiosis are not peripheral; they are the social backbone of the entire project. I intentionally placed them at the seams—where office and residential volumes meet, and where the public realm transitions into private space. This strategic positioning turns transitional areas into opportunities for cross-programmatic engagement.For instance, the co-working lounge sits at a vertical threshold between the towers, with panoramic views that are equally accessible to office tenants and residents. This makes it a natural magnet for activity throughout the day. Similarly, the restaurants and fitness centers are located along circulation paths that invite both passersby and long-term occupants, fostering micro-communities anchored by shared use.Rather than isolating amenities in each program, I designed them as shared resources that are spatially and visually connected. This promotes serendipitous interaction and a stronger sense of community—qualities often missing in traditional high-rise developments.
The energy optimization strategy in Urban Symbiosis was informed by a close analysis of diurnal and seasonal usage patterns in office and residential programs. What became evident was the complementary nature of their peak demands. Office spaces typically require more cooling and lighting during working hours, while residential units see spikes in the early morning and evening. By co-locating these uses horizontally, I was able to create a more consistent and predictable energy load profile across the building. This smoother demand curve reduces strain on HVAC systems and opens the door for shared battery storage and thermal regulation solutions.Moreover, I integrated passive shading devices and a responsive façade system that modulates daylight and heat gain according to the occupancy pattern of each zone. These strategies were not just conceptual—they were supported by iterative simulations using real climate data and occupancy projections, ensuring the building performs at a high level while remaining comfortable for all users.
Integrating with the High Line was not just a design decision—it was a philosophical one. The High Line, with its layered public accessibility and urban biodiversity, represents a rare moment where infrastructure, ecology, and culture converge. When I began shaping the street-level experience of Urban Symbiosis, I didn’t want the project to be an isolated object; it needed to contribute to and extend the public realm. The sunken garden became the architectural and conceptual bridge.By carving the garden below street level, I allowed for a natural descent into the building’s public zone while maintaining permeability to the High Line above. This move introduced multiple strata of interaction—pedestrian at-grade, garden immersion below, and elevated transit and leisure above. It created a vertical urban landscape where movement is continuous and multidirectional, echoing the dynamic nature of New York’s pedestrian ecology. This approach reshaped the entire site strategy, compelling me to think of the project not as a pair of towers, but as a responsive terrain of flows and experiences.
Sustainability in Urban Symbiosis wasn’t treated as an afterthought or checklist; it was embedded in every architectural move. The choice of an all-electric system came early on, informed by the increasing decarbonization of New York City’s grid and legislative shifts such as Local Law 97. I designed the systems with the future in mind—anticipating that clean electricity will become the dominant urban energy model.Material selection followed a similarly rigorous logic. I leaned toward low-embodied carbon materials, including high-recycled-content steel and prefabricated concrete panels where applicable. The façade uses triple-glazed curtain walls with integrated shading fins, tuned through iterative simulations to minimize solar heat gain while maximizing natural daylight. The roof areas are equipped for photovoltaic integration, and stormwater is captured through a green roof and cistern network to support landscape irrigation.The holistic sustainability strategy aligns with the building’s social goals: by reducing mechanical footprint and energy demand, I created more space and resources to dedicate to communal functions. To me, good environmental design is not just about metrics—it's about architectural generosity.
Parametric tools were essential in reconciling the project’s many layers—public/private access, programmatic diversity, energy performance, and vertical circulation. I used Grasshopper and Rhino to model and simulate multiple variables at once, creating a dynamic platform where the building could “learn” from the data I fed into it.For example, pedestrian flow simulations revealed pinch points around subway access, which led me to redesign the core-to-entrance alignments for better permeability. Energy usage patterns were fed into optimization algorithms that shaped floor heights, window-to-wall ratios, and system zoning. I also tested solar exposure on various tower orientations to fine-tune the staggered layout of the residential and office wings.This technological fluency allowed me to work not just reactively but proactively—forecasting performance outcomes before they became problems. The final design is the result of this iterative, data-rich process, one that balanced intuition with quantifiable intelligence.
I was very conscious of scale from the beginning. Super-tall buildings often become impersonal, and I wanted to resist that tendency by embedding small-scale social spaces throughout the vertical stack. I introduced a series of “neighborhood nodes” at regular intervals—double-height communal terraces, shared kitchens, work lounges, and play zones—that break the monotony of the tower and allow for casual interactions.At the ground and mid-level podiums, I emphasized tactile materials, warm lighting, and greenery to counterbalance the sleekness of the high-rise envelope. The sunken garden and the public atrium were scaled with pedestrians in mind—balancing openness with intimacy. Even the circulation zones—elevator lobbies, corridors, stairwells—were treated as design opportunities, with natural light, seating niches, and artwork integrated into their fabric.This attention to micro-experiences within a macro-form allowed me to create a building that feels personal despite its scale. Architecture, at its best, serves the individual just as thoughtfully as it serves the city.
The journey from 2017 to 2024 was transformative—not only for the project but for me as a designer. The initial concept of Urban Symbiosis was rooted in critique: I was frustrated by how mixed-use towers often segregate functions vertically, missing opportunities for synergy. As the design evolved, that critique matured into a constructive proposal—one that used integration as both form and function.Over the years, the project absorbed changes in urban behavior, energy codes, construction technology, and even pandemic-related shifts in how people use space. Each shift forced me to adapt. For instance, remote work trends influenced the expansion of co-working and semi-private lounges. Public health concerns inspired better ventilation strategies and more generous outdoor terraces. These were not compromises—they enriched the project.Most importantly, I came to see the project not just as a design but as a system of ideas: about time-sharing, access, coexistence, and resilience. Urban Symbiosis became a testing ground for architectural empathy—how to design for many lives moving through one space, all while holding the city together.