Past is Prologue

Vanke Co., Ltd, Emerald City Exhibition Hall

To Project Types

Tianjin, China | 35,500 SF

A modern marquee building for a new housing development captures the spirit of a historically rich area.

Vanke—one of the world’s largest housing developers—wanted to empower clients to envision their future in Emerald City, a new housing district in a recently developed urban area of Tianjin.

Tianjin is home to The Five Avenues, a popular tourist destination full of historic buildings bearing British and European influences. To capture the cultural spirit of the area, Emerald City’s exhibtion hall features a dynamic, curved reinterpretation of the classical Ionic column. Arches constructed of aluminum slats suggest the grandeur of a 19th century train station; the curved lip of each slat reflects light, and from a distance creates a sense of weight at the top.