Good News | The 2024 Excellence-Reporting Project Achieves Outstanding Results

First and foremost, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to our clients. Your profound appreciation for and unwavering trust in our design philosophy have given us the freedom to fully unleash our creativity and meticulously refine every detail.

Colleagues from all disciplines worked seamlessly together on this project, demonstrating unwavering resilience in tackling design challenges and generating innovative solutions to overcome technical bottlenecks. From brainstorming during the conceptual phase, to meticulous attention to detail in the detailed design stage, and through hands-on guidance on the construction site, your expertise and passion, coupled with a strong sense of responsibility and commitment, have written a remarkable chapter in this project’s success. It is your steadfast dedication that has made today’s achievements possible—this honor belongs to every member of our team who has strived tirelessly and advanced with determination.

Award Received: First Prize in Architectural Engineering Design – Public Buildings

Creative Team: Wen Wei, Lu Yaqiang, Lu Jing, Chen Xiao, Wang Ying, Zhang Hao, Chen Jie, Yan Wenzuo, Feng Youfeng, Mao Zhenwen, Gu Mengyi, Fan Bin, Deng Juan, Zhang Xinxing, Jiang Jiankang, Wang Lan, Chen Weilou, Dong Chaoyang

Located in Houcheng Subdistrict, Zhangjiagang City, Jiangsu Province, the site leverages the region’s unique Jiangnan water-town resources and its rich tradition of yellow wine culture to create a comprehensive industrial tourism project that seamlessly integrates culture, research and development, and leisure: the “The Story of Wine – Shazhou Youhuang Cultural Exhibition Center.”

The overall architectural style is both timeless and contemporary, blending the quintessential Jiangnan elements of whitewashed walls, dark-tiled roofs, quaint bridges, and flowing streams with the aesthetics of the Republic of China era and a modern Chinese‑style approach. A free‑spirited interplay of wine and poetry, where Eastern sensibilities and contemporary design seamlessly converge, gives rise to the distinctive charm of Shazhou Youhuang.

The planned route places a strong emphasis on the visitor experience. The main entrance is located on Chengdong Road; upon entering the park through the Zhonghua Gate, visitors are greeted by an abstract installation of thousands of golden square steel tubes arranged in the form of an ancient Chinese hip-and-gable roof, creating the sensation of stepping through a portal across time. Beyond the Zhonghua Gate’s screen wall, the traditional opera stage and the tiered water feature face each other from a distance. The water feature is designed for both dry‑and‑wet use, providing a versatile venue to host large‑scale events within the park.

The museum, the centerpiece of the entire campus, presents and preserves the cultural heritage of Chinese yellow wine brewing from multiple perspectives. This design not only addresses the site’s regulatory boundary but also extends its vision to the broader central‑district master plan beyond that boundary, integrating diverse urban spatial elements into a cohesive whole. Fire separation distances between individual buildings, between buildings and the yellow wine storage tanks, as well as the fire‑safety evacuation requirements for each building, all comply with applicable codes and standards.

In this design, the building functions are organized into five main categories: the Shazhou Youhuang Museum, Huangjiu R&D, artists’ studios, a production‑process exhibition hall, and an employee cafeteria. Centered around Huangjiu, the campus offers visitors a rich and diverse cultural experience through eight thematic exhibits. By adopting a personified, approachable, and engaging style, the project enables guests to gain an in‑depth understanding of Huangjiu’s brewing techniques, its historical and cultural significance, and the century‑long legacy of the Shazhou Youhuang brand.

Award Received: Second Prize in Architectural Engineering Design – Industrial Architecture

Key Creators: Wen Wei, Wang Jing, Guo Yichao, Wang Fangwei, Wang Minjie, Wu Qiangjun, Chen Xiao, Liang Weiwei, Dong Chaoyang, Chen Weilou, Feng Xiaofang, Feng Youfeng, Mao Zhenwen, Zheng Xin, Fan Bin, Deng Juan, Dai Susu

The campus’s individual buildings are arranged along the perimeter of the site, creating a continuous, cohesive urban façade on all four sides. Meanwhile, the interior of the site is organized around a grand, spacious central courtyard, fostering an environment and atmosphere of the highest quality for production.

The main tower faces the primary urban thoroughfare and the landscaped waterway to the south, with a façade predominantly clad in glass curtain walls. The building is vertically segmented into three distinct sections; each section features recessed volumes that generate vertical ribs of varying widths. The interplay of these ribs—through their size and breadth—creates a dynamic rhythmic variation. Moreover, the vertical lines of the three segments intersect and overlap, resulting in a richly textured and expressive overall façade.

The building’s side façade likewise echoes the three‑tiered height variation, with each tier composed of three identical rectangular bays arranged in sequence, resulting in nine distinct bays on the elevation. Each bay is clad in curtain wall and red perforated panels, and through the orderly yet dynamic arrangement of these nine bays, the façade achieves a highly visually appealing and distinctive identity.

The facade design leans toward a more public‑building‑like, office‑oriented aesthetic, breaking away from the conventional image of industrial warehouses and elevating the overall quality of the structure. Like the adjacent High‑Rise Building No. 1, it employs distinct treatments for the main and side elevations, adhering to the same overarching facade‑design principles. The main elevation is defined by a rhythmic sequence of vertically oriented windows, arranged in orderly yet staggered patterns, while the side elevations alternate between red or light‑gray aluminum panels and glass in varying proportions. Strategic insertions of recessed balconies and solid wall sections further enrich the façade, creating a dynamic and visually engaging exterior.

Award Received: First Prize in the Original Design – Architectural Design

Creative Team: Wen Wei, Xu Peng, Liang Weiwei, Chen Xiao, Gu Jing, Hu Bing, Nie Xin, Xu Hongwei, Shen Yao, Zhou Qing

The entire campus is centered around the library building, with a cultural corridor linking the entrances of the primary and secondary schools. This corridor extends from the central library, connecting all areas of the campus. As the saying goes, “Diligence is the path up the mountain of knowledge,” where countless students keep company with books, make friends through reading, and grow freely.

By introducing the vivid and evocative concept of a “canyon” into the school’s master plan, the design creates a dynamic spatial hierarchy: the “cliffs” serve as the conventional teaching areas, offering a relatively private and tranquil setting, while the “canyon”—the heart of the campus—becomes a vibrant, engaging zone for student interaction, brimming with energy and creativity. This “canyon” motif not only fosters a seamless integration between the campus landscape and academic functions but also acts as an intangible spiritual link, nurturing students’ collaboration, communication, and creative inspiration.

Under the traditional learning‑and‑living model, spaces tend to be one‑dimensional and monotonous; by contrast, the modern approach calls for green, ecological, open, and three‑dimensional environments. Through strategies such as elevated structures, free‑form platforms, and varying site elevations, the design seamlessly integrates space with nature, fostering diverse circulation patterns and multi‑layered areas for interaction and shared use. Within this verdant oasis, students can move freely, increasing opportunities to encounter a variety of people, exchange ideas, acquire new and diverse knowledge, and enhance their social skills.

To the east of the site, undulating natural hills unfold, offering sweeping ecological vistas. The spatial layout opens toward the mountains, drawing the eastern landscape into the grounds and establishing an east–west visual axis. Internally, the design maintains an eco‑friendly, green framework that resonates with the urban context, seamlessly integrating and stitching together the surrounding environment.

Past achievements are but the prologue; tomorrow’s brilliance awaits our continued efforts. With an unwavering passion for the design profession, we will press forward with determination, chasing the light and forging ahead—crafting more exceptional masterpieces through wisdom and hard work, and building a radiant future for our design institute!