Daniel Statham Studio: Winner of World Design Awards 2023. It is no secret the Automobile is becoming more sustainable and reducing carbon emissions making it a kinder ‘machine’ to the environment. With Teslar, Google and Apple striving towards self driven and electric/solar energy vehicles the Client for our project in Hangzhou has identified that the Parking for these vehicles and existing one’s today need to be re-thought and considered. We need a vision for Car Parking for the Future. We need to reduce congestion, address density and have cleaner air in our Cities.

The design for this project aims to step towards the future and create a harmony between the ‘Automobile and the City’. It aims to invent the way we commute to Urban Hubs and how our ‘personal automobile’ is stored while we work and play.These Goals have been embraced for our Client in this project that is located in a very central location within the Hangzhou CBD. The project aims to use ‘Green Parking’ with ‘Public Space’. It aims to create a meeting place and Hub that also combines parking. We wanted to create a building that was a synthesis of available parking Technologies, Public Space, Event Spaces and Hanging Gardens.

We wanted this building to celebrate the Cars of the future in a fully integrated way combining the structure with unique spaces that would provide a healthy and invigorating environment for families, friends and Business. The design from the beginning made the bold move to stack the Cars in futuristic ‘Towers’ that seem to ‘blossom’ into a Roof form at higher level accommodating entertainment facilities and roof gardens. This Roof form acts like a ‘Canopy of Trees’ that provide Shade from the hot sun and rain. A ‘Plaza’ is created at level 01 and Basement -01 for people to congregate and engage with ‘Nature’ of the trees and Hanging Gardens that are supported by the Tower and roof structure

Wonderful public and commercial Spaces are generated by this architecture. Cars create the vertical animation within the Towers by the lift and stacking system. Lifts also add to the vertical animation of the Space by taking people from the Lower Levels to the Roof top where they can enjoy an additional ‘Park’ and public Space. Fantastic views and perspectives of the City and internal environment of this building are experienced.

The circulation of cars and people are separated at Level 01. Cars are taken directly to the Lower parking and Stack Parking zones within the Basement. The parking user has the choice between automated and manual parking. The automated system is logically setout on 2 separate Floors.

Level Basement -02 you leave your car at the ‘Drop Zone’. You can leave your car as it is parked by the automated system and stored with the ‘cocoon’ of the towers. You collect your car on Level basement -03. On entering the building you request your car and it is then returned to you by the automated system from the towers to The ‘Collection Zone’. You can then leave the building by the choice of exit A or B that guide you to the Road System.

The building in many ways is a ‘Parking Oasis’. Celebrating the Car by breath-taking technology and architecture within a Garden Paradise. This combination of nature and architecture produces a building that is naturally super sustainable. It combines an abundance of natural ventilation and daylight that significantly reduces the mechanical Equipment to warm and cool the building throughout the year. It harnesses sunlight and storm water to irrigate and clean the building. The semi-internal quality of the building creates a perfect balance of temperature and ventilation within the spaces of the building for people to enjoy.

The architecture of the towers with their porous cladding system not only establishes the vertical structure for lateral stability of the whole building but acts as a ventilation system which penetrates Into the basement areas of the building. The Car park not only ventilates any Car fumes from non electric vehicles around the basement edge via the ramping system but also deep within the floor plan using the T‘ owers’ as a kind of 21st Century Chimney.

We have attempted to combine and celebrate automotive technologies in both it’s vehicular and parked form, in it’s ever evolving sustainable pursuit and house it as Art within the Architecture. It is a celebration of ‘Man and Machine’ in a space for the Future City that makes a statement to create a healthier and more sustainable environment for all.

‘The art challenges the technology, and the technology inspires the art’                – John Lasseter

Project Details
Firm
Daniel Statham Studia

Architect
Daniel Statham

Project Name
CBD Future Park

World Design Awards Category
Transportation Built

Project Location
Hangzhou

Team
Daniel Statham Studio

Country
China

Photography ©Credit
©Daniel Statham Studio

Daniel Statham Studio was founded in London by Daniel Statham in 2007. The practice has won International competitions as well as direct commissions in Asia, Europe and the United States and built and collaborated on over 80 projects in a variety of sectors. The diverse international body of work includes arts and culture, commercial, educational, hospitality and leisure and residential buildings and spaces for both the private and public sectors.

We have offices in London and Shanghai, providing architecture, interior and urban design services from concept to completion. Our design approach is characterised by evolving an aesthetic responding to the geographical location, cultural context and heritage. This results in an aesthetic driven by a rigorous design approach that is unique and appropriate to each individual client commission and budget.

We explore the unique potential of every client brief with a relentless focus on refining design ideas to arrive at a solution which responds to the brief and is architecturally, socially, and intellectually coherent. Achieving this through is a combination of collaboration, innovation, technology and traditional model making to communicate the design to the client and consultant team.

The practice also has had many collaborators within the arts, music, fashion and technology including Vivian Rosenthal, Chris Lee & PC Music, Ben Turner & DJ Richie Hawtin, IPCN founder Rebecca Yang, Langlands & Bell, Juan Munoz, Marc Quinn (with Neil Thomas and Aran Chadwick of Atelier One), Burning Man and Live Nation’s Electric Daisy Carnival.