Right next to the Feiyun River, Shanghai PTArchitects' development has an iconic form and gives a sense of visual immersion

Ruian, China

Located in the heart of the South Riverside Landscape Belt (Phase I), Rui’an, with Feiyun West Road on the west and the bank of Feiyun River on the east, The Gemdale · The New Bund Experience Center by Shanghai PTArchitects breaks the rules of conventional architecture with a simple yet very dynamic shape.

The Gemdale · The New Bund Experience Center has recently been awarded a 2023 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The development is about four kilometers away from the downtown and three kilometers away from the high-speed railway station, facing the Old Bund across the river.

The boundary between the roof and the wall is eliminated. Instead of viewing the building as a separate object.

In this way, the building continues the flowing rhythm of the Feiyun River, perfectly integrating into the whole South Riverside Landscape Belt.

From façades to spatial layouts, the design emphasizes the building’s integration and extension into the surroundings.

Unified design languages and elements enable the structure to perfectly blend with the landscape around.

The circulation route in the overall space is organized in a storytelling manner and connects multiple spatial nodes to form continuous scenes and narratives.

The visiting route focuses on rhythm.

According to the location and form of the site, the brightness, openness, and transparency of the space are varied, hence making the overall circulation route rhythmic and harmonious.

The sculpture-like architectural form releases most interior space, and meanwhile, the huge transparent facades help showcase more space inside.

The case utilizes light-colored corrugated stainless steel plates as the main materials.

The corrugated plates’ grain is attached to the highly reflective stainless steel plates allowing the architecture to truly respond to the surrounding environment and produce a visual effect, that sparkles like the water of the Feiyun River and varies with the light.

The building draws inspiration from and stands in nature.

The floodlighting design makes use of the wide gap between stainless steel plates to put LED pixel lamps at the connecting positions of four stainless steel plates.

Through variations in brightness and colors, it creates a dynamic effect, thus enhancing the visual identity of façades along the river.

Project: Gemdale · The New Bund Experience CenterArchitects: Shanghai PTArchitectsDesign Team: Yu Xiaolei, Feng Bo, Nguyen Duy Khanh, and Wang ZhichengGeneral Contractor: Zhejiang Jiyun Construction Co., Ltd.Client: Ruian Jinrong Real Estate Development Co., Ltd.Photographers: Moment – Qiao Yunfeng & Yuan Yang