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This is an incredible development.
It's more a
work of art than construction.
TWO BUILDINGS IN ONE
The REN Building
is a proposal for a hotel, sports and conference center for the
World Expo 2010 in Shanghai
The building is conceived as two buildings merging into one.
The first
building, emerging from the water, is devoted to the activities of
the body,
and houses the
sports and water culture center.
The second building emerging from land, is
devoted to the spirit and enlightenment,
and houses the
conference center and meeting facilities.
The two buildings
meet in a 1000 room hotel, a building for living and form the Chinese character
for 'People', becoming a recognizable landmark for the World
Expo in China.
Together, the two buildings become a tower and
an arch at once.
The arch defines a square for gatherings and
activities, exactly on the main axis of the expo site overlooking
the HuangPu River.
The square is sheltered from the rain but
allows sunlight through, from the east in the morning and from the
west in the evening.
Large curved plazas border the pool and
conference buildings, creating a continuous recreational public
space along the river.
Round openings and skylights bring light
to the auditoriums and pools and gradually become denser as they
rise from the river, eventually becoming windows and terraces
for the hotel rooms.
The project questions whether architecture can
embody the schizophrenic political identity of the People's
Republic of China at once: Tao, Mao and Khao (Capitalism).
A modernist slab is cleaved in two, forming the
Chinese character for 'People'.
The principle of Yin Yang and the five elements
of Feng Shui are embedded in the architecture,
creating a link between the ancient wisdom and
the contemporary dynamism of Chinese culture.
The REN building could be the Eiffel Tower of Shanghai, a landmark
symbolising the people-oriented pursuit of the Shanghai Expo 2010.
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