Southwest Street View © Zhang Guangyuan
The “Third Space” project is situated on the busy Jianshe North Road in Tangshan, directly adjacent to a north-south aligned row of worker residences on the eastern side of the site. The building’s orientation, layout, as well as the form and volume of its tower and podium, have been meticulously designed with sunlight exposure in mind to comply with stringent sunlight regulations.
Two parallel, hundred-meter-long slab-shaped high-rise buildings are rotated at an angle to align with the direction of southwest sunlight, facing southeast. The podium’s roof features a zigzag cut, forming a “sunlight channel” that creates a narrow garden strip on its east side.
△ Satellite aerial image
Preliminary design sketch based on sunlight analysis
△ View towards the residential area east of the site from the cantilevered pavilion © Zhang Guangyuan
△ Bird’s-eye view from the east side © Zhang Guangyuan
The Third Space Complex aims to embody the concept of a three-dimensional urban settlement reaching upward, featuring 76 vertically stacked residential gardens categorized as “other industries” within the city fabric. Unlike typical flat and straight floor slabs, the “standard layers” are arranged in a staggered manner, creating a continuous, terraced elevation within each unit.
This geometric, artificial terrace accommodates a gradient of functions from public to private spaces, inviting residents to experience a sense of climbing and walking through a mountainous landscape. These continuous spatial transformations foster a tranquil atmosphere.
△ Overall model
△ Composite unit stacking model
△ Large-scale physical model
△ Interior view of the large-scale model complex unit
The collection and audiovisual spaces are designed as “small houses on slopes,” featuring pavilions and small houses of varying sizes, shapes, and orientations integrated onto the façade to embrace the urban landscape. These elements act as vibrant stages of life that are open to the city, symbolizing densely packed vertical “urban settlements”.
On the top floor, a spacious, lush courtyard is introduced, taking advantage of rooftop access and differing significantly from typical villas in terms of elevation.
View from the south tower towards the south façade of the north tower © Zhang Guangyuan
Overlooking the residential area on the west side of Jianshe North Road from the top floor of Third Space © Li Xinggang
View from the cantilevered pavilion in the north tower towards the south tower © Zhang Guangyuan
Northwest Street View © Li Xinggang
Partial night view of the façade © Zhang Guangyuan
△ Living room view from the entrance space (interior design of model room: EXH) © Li Xinggang
△ View of the restaurant from the stairs (interior design of model room: EXH) © Li Xinggang
All duplex units are stacked vertically in parallel, with variously sized and oriented outdoor pavilions suspended from the corresponding building façades. These pavilions embrace views of the city and natural landscapes nearby and afar, becoming an integral part of the urban scenery.
View towards the North Tower from the west side of the road © Li Xinggang
Partial night view of the façade © Sun Peng
Concrete frame structure and cantilevered pavilion with dense ribbed slab during construction
Suspended pavilions during construction
Design drawings
△ General layout plan
△ Seventh floor plan of the South Building
△ Eighth floor plan of the South Building
△ Seventh floor plan of the North Building
△ Eighth floor plan of the North Building
Partial enlarged view of the south façade illustrating the staggered distribution of duplex units
Partial enlarged view of the north façade illustrating the staggered distribution of duplex units
△ Section diagram
Project Information
Project type: Apartment
Location: Tangshan, China
Architect: Li Xinggang Architecture Studio
Area: 88,011 m²
Year: 2015
Photographers: Zhang Guangyuan, Li Xinggang
Manufacturers: Nanjing Beilida, Shenzhen Gangzheng Industrial
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