△ Aerial view of the ‘Orchid Pavilion’ Riverside Commercial Street © UUA
Urban Valley by the Jiuliudu River
01 Inspirational Place
Shaoxing City has embarked on large-scale urban development to counterbalance the siphoning effect posed by the two major regional centers, Hangzhou and Ningbo. Established in 2002, the Jinghu New District lies north of the old city and features a national wetland park, positioned as the ‘urban core and ecological green heart’.
Today, the administrative center of Shaoxing City has been relocated here, attracting key enterprises, institutions, sports and cultural facilities, universities, commercial centers, and residential complexes. The new district is gradually taking shape, with a staggered water system and an excellent ecological environment, offering a lush green base that inspires.
Mirror Lake National Wetland Park
The project is situated in the core area of Jinghu New District, adjacent to the financial office zone and facing Shaoxing City’s administrative and cultural centers across the river. Its location is both strategic and sensitive.
Designed as a mid-to-high-end commercial support facility, the project emphasizes service-oriented commerce, dining, and boutique hotels. The building scale favors low density and height, with a landscape approach that gently integrates the development into the urban fabric.
02 Exploring Poetry
△ Aerial view of the site © UUA
The site is nestled within an ‘urban valley’ surrounded by buildings. Inspired by this, the architectural concept ‘Empty Valley Orchid’ was adopted, reflecting the site’s environment and Shaoxing’s traditional orchid planting.
△ Inspiration: Plum Petal Orchid
The design features five staggered ‘Orchid Pavilions’ combined with a flowing architectural podium and landscaped site, forming an elegant top-down composition that offers a beautiful view to the surrounding high-rises.
△ Aerial view © UUA
The distinctive roof form creates a striking panoramic view.
The ‘Orchid Pavilion’ exterior is clad with perforated vertical grilles, symbolizing orchid leaves. These grilles not only create a misty visual effect but also serve as sunshades and help filter light pollution from the surrounding glass buildings.
△ Exterior grille of ‘Orchid Pavilion’ © UUA
This design provides indoor shading and reduces the impact of external light pollution.
The surrounding buildings create a harmonious balance between rigidity and fluidity © UUA
03 Geometric Construction
Geometric construction serves as a technical response to the architectural form. Whether it’s the five scattered ‘Orchid Pavilions’ or the dynamic podiums, UUA aimed to softly integrate the buildings into urban space, reflecting the winding waterways characteristic of Jiangnan’s water towns.
△ Roof plan © UUA
The design challenge was to coordinate the regular grid of the underground garage with the freeform shapes of the above-ground buildings. UUA accomplished this by outlining the above-ground structures with straight lines and tangent arcs based on the basement’s axis grid, creating a seemingly arbitrary yet rational geometric control.
Geometric building outline control © UUA
Based on the basement grid, the building outlines are drawn with straight lines and tangent arcs.
The five ‘Orchid Pavilions’ come in two sizes: three large and two small. Floor levels, glass curtain walls, and exterior grille lines are all strictly controlled through geometric precision.
△ Small ‘Orchid Pavilion’ © UUA
Detailed geometric control of floor edges, glass curtain walls, and external grilles.
04 Refinement of Details
Using the geometric control lines as a foundation, UUA meticulously designed the building curtain walls to ensure a high level of construction quality. This detailed design provides clear guidance for subsequent construction drawing teams and curtain wall manufacturers.
Architectural form of the small ‘Orchid Pavilion’ © UUA
△ Exterior grille of the small ‘Orchid Pavilion’ © UUA
The external grilles are grouped every 60 degrees, with each group containing ten grille models labeled S-1 through S-10. Through repeated mirroring, the undulating shape of the ‘Orchid Pavilion’ is achieved.
Example: Exterior grille S-1 © UUA
Perforation pattern and sectional construction details.
△ Large-scale curtain wall sample of the ‘Orchid Pavilion’ © UUA
△ Curtain wall sample of the podium building © UUA
05 Creating Hydrophilic Spaces
From an urban perspective, UUA thoughtfully integrated surrounding buildings and landscape features, establishing multiple corridors and plazas connecting city streets to the river. This design promotes spatial permeability and fosters a welcoming hydrophilic urban atmosphere.
Hydrophilic axis schematic © UUA
△ Axis plaza © UUA
06 Reshaping the Shoreline
The existing shoreline is straight and monotonous. To enliven the riverside space, UUA redesigned the riverbank line, introducing concave and convex shapes that create a dynamic waterfront edge. Protruding sections feature elevated platforms, preserving the original riverbank and avoiding costly fill work.
△ Current shoreline © UUA
Elevated dynamic shoreline © UUA
Additionally, circular boat docks are installed at both the south and north ends of the riverbank.
07 Riverside Slow Walk
The master plan includes a 3-meter-wide pedestrian path along the river, designed as a step-free slow lane suitable for walking, jogging, and cycling. This path links adjacent plots at both ends via an under-bridge passage, forming a continuous movement corridor.
This riverside slow lane redefines public space within the project, promoting a healthy lifestyle and attracting more visitors for leisure and fitness activities.
Walking in the rain © UUA
△ Under-bridge boardwalk © UUA
08 Project Model
△ Project model © UUA
△ Project model © UUA
09 Summary and Outlook
The core concept of UUA’s design is ‘poetic construction’, drawing inspiration from the exploration of poetry to forge an emotional connection between people and architecture. The design balances form and rational construction, achieving high-quality completion through integrated design, innovative spatial solutions, and meticulous attention to detail.
△ Riverside panoramic view © UUA
Currently under construction, the ‘Orchid Pavilion’ Riverside Commercial Street is set to become one of the city’s most iconic areas, alongside the Ruifeng Shuangqing Building. Upon completion, it will significantly enhance the city’s quality and regional value, emerging as one of Shaoxing City’s most beautiful scenic spots.
Project Information
Location: Shaoxing, Zhejiang
Project Area: 26,371 square meters
Design Team: Li Yongzheng, Tim Mason, Li Qizhi, Deng Liang, Lv Yanfeng, He Wenbo, Wang Falu, Yang Bo, Jiang Teng
Client: Jingze Real Estate
Collaborator: Shaoxing Zhonghe Architectural Design Institute
Design Period: July 2018 – May 2019
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