The Changzhou Cultural Square seamlessly integrates with the surrounding public landscape and complements the Changzhou Grand Theater to the north, together shaping a fresh and dynamic image for the city center of Changzhou.
This expansive architectural complex is composed of six independent modular units arranged in a 2×3 grid pattern. Each module covers a 70-meter square footprint and functions autonomously, housing diverse facilities such as an art museum, library, hotel, and office spaces. Every unit features its own main entrance and lobby, providing direct access to the exterior.
The 50-meter-high building complex presents a sculptural form hollowed out from both sides inward, creating a striking visual presence. The structure shelters an urban public space beneath a unified roof, which further extends into a vibrant and diverse plaza and cityscape.
A central stream winds through a continuous sunken courtyard, resembling a canyon that spans the 17-hectare site along a diagonal axis. This feature connects the underground commercial spaces, enhancing the flow and accessibility throughout the complex.
The dynamic scenery of the canyon stream enhances the building’s resemblance to an arch bridge, while also linking the cultural square to the subway station located at the southeast corner of the site.
The building’s north facade opens warmly, creating a welcoming gateway that aligns harmoniously with the Changzhou Municipal Government and Grand Theater buildings. These landmarks are situated adjacent to the Civic Square along Longcheng Avenue, forming a cohesive urban axis.
The facade design balances diversity with unity. Solid white granite forms a substantial, square base, contrasting vividly with the light, transparent curved glass curtain walls.
This interplay creates clear boundary lines that accentuate the three-dimensional quality of the abstract blocks. Both the inner and outer facades, distinguished by their materials, are unified by horizontal elements inspired by the geometric concept of curved cantilever structures.
These granite or aluminum components serve as an external shading system across the building, contributing effectively to energy efficiency.
In daylight, the solid stone components strongly contrast with the dark glass curtain walls, offering rich visual variation. At night, interior lighting illuminates the glass surfaces, projecting graceful curved shadows that highlight the nearly 40-meter-high dome, creating an engaging interplay between interior and exterior views.
The building’s main structure features a reinforced concrete core tube surrounded by a steel frame that gradually cantilevers outward diagonally from the core.
Curved arch columns transfer vertical loads downward, while connecting beams direct horizontal forces back to the core tube.
Each modular building’s top floor offers nearly 4,000 square meters of indoor space alongside an aerial garden, adaptable for various functions.
△ Structural system
Design Drawings
△ Plan view
△ Plan view
△ Plan view
△ Section diagram
△ Section diagram
Project Information
Project Type: Cultural Center
Location: Changzhou, China
Architect: GMP Architecture Firm
Area: 363,715 m²
Year: 2020
Photographer: Ziran Architecture
Design Partners: Meinhard von Gerkan, Nikolaus Goetze, Magdalene Weiss
Competition Stage Leaders: Kong Ashong, Martin Friedrich
Competition Stage Design Team: Dominika Gnatowicz, Sebastian Schmidt, Yao Yao, Jiang Lanlan
Implementation Phase Leaders: Kong Ashong, Fan Xiaodi, Chen Ying
Implementation Phase Design Team: Ralf Donner, Martin Friedrich, Fu Heqing, Huang Meng, Ren Peiying, Gao Shusan, Wang Zexin, Wang Xi, Sevde Erdogan
China Project Management: Cai Lei, Sa Xiaodong
Chinese Partner: Jiangsu Zhusen Architectural Design Co., Ltd
Landscape Design: WES Landscape Architecture
Structural Design: SBP Schliech Engineering Design Consulting Co., Ltd
Lighting Design: Tsinghua Tongheng Institute of Light Environment Planning and Design
Curtain Wall Consultant: Warner Engineering Consulting (Beijing) Co., Ltd
Curtain Wall Construction Drawing Unit: Zhongnan Curtain Wall Design Institute
Owner: Changzhou Jinling Investment and Construction Co., Ltd
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