The Xi’an Centre Culture Business District (CCBD), a 155,000 sq m neighbourhood designed by UK architect Heatherwick Studio, has opened to the public.
The city in Shaangxi Province, north central China, is famous for its ceramics, which includes the Terracotta Army, made around 2,000 years ago during the Qin dynasty. The CCBD refences this with some 100,000 tiles, crafted by local tradespeople for its façades.
The cultural centre is located in the south of the city. It contains homes, offices, a retail podium, terraces, open plazas and a vertical park called the Xi’an Tree.
This last has 56 “petals” or terraces that allow visitors to traverse a series of cascading gardens that recreate the ecosystems of the ancient Silk Route, from the alpine tundra to the dry steppe, before offering a view across the city from 57m.
Xi’an used to the eastern terminus of the caravan routes that made up the road.
Multiple levels, landscapes, interlocking frames and vantage points have been created across the CCBD.
Thomas Heatherwick, Heatherwick Studio’s founder, said: “Here in Xi’an, we were excited to create a commercial district that gave the city an extraordinary new piece of public space. Instead of simply making different buildings and paving and planting the spaces between them, there was the opportunity to craft an unexpected 3D urban landscape on many levels.”
Mat Cash, a partner in the firm, added: “Large-scale developments are being built all over the world to satisfy rapidly urbanising populations. By their very nature they are often overbearing, singular and devoid of character – they do nothing for people they are meant to serve. As a counterpoint, we wanted to infuse our project in Xi’an with the spirit, variety, and texture that happens naturally in cities over time.
“The district pays homage to the city’s tradition of making and its historic connection to ceramics. It is a place which invites you to reach out and touch it – with glazed lift buttons and door handles to hand-carved timber handrails and seats.”
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