Raffles City Chongqing | Safdie Architects

Project Features:

The Crystal 

Spanning across four accessible towers, at a length of 280 meters, the Crystal also connects to two of the development’s taller towers via linking bridges. Considered a ‘horizontal skyscraper,’ the Crystal houses 15,000 sq.m. of facilities including gardens, numerous dining options, bar and event space, a residential clubhouse, infinity pool, and hotel lobby. A public observatory offers visitors unobstructed views of the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers through a glass-bottom, open-air viewing deck. An evolution on Safdie Architects’ ‘SkyPark’ developed for Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, The Crystal continues the firm’s exploration into the potential of connecting buildings as a means of expanding the available public space offered in dense, urban developments—often at sky level. 

Enclosed by a glass and steel structure termed a concertina—a serrated profile with an elliptical cross section—The Crystal offers visitors access to natural light, extensive views, and garden settings throughout the year. Metal panels on the west-facing concertina surfaces and glass on the east-facing surfaces afford the guests and visitors with natural light in the morning and shade from the sun in the afternoon. Situated in an earthquake zone, The Crystal ‘floats’ on large scale bearings on the towers to accommodate for any necessary movement.

Retail Galleria and Roof Park 

The retail galleria is organized in five stories, topped by an expansive public park that overlooks historic Chaotianmen Square. The three main retail gallerias align with, and are a conceptual continuation of, the principal north-south streets of the city.  Set between the towers, the gallerias create clear interior ‘streets’ that run through the retail podium towards the square. Each of these interior streets are generously endowed with natural light from skylights set in the podium above. Two additional gallerias run across the podium, in the east-west direction, and provide the visitors with views towards the Jialing and Yangtze Rivers. The system of gallerias, punctuated by the nodes at their intersection, provide a means for the visitors to orient themselves within the 220,000 sq.m. podium. 

The public park sits adjacent to each of the residential tower’s private gardens, creating a network of green and open space across the development that overlooks the Jialing and Yangtze Rivers. Public artworks in the park include major sculptures by notable Chinese artists Zheng Lu and Jiao Xing Tao. 

Towers

The Raffles City Chongqing development is composed of eight towers in total, with six southern towers rising to 250m, and two northern towers extending upwards to 350m. 

The positioning of towers follows the internal logic of the retail gallerias to align with the surrounding street grid and provide a sense of orientation with the city. Urban windows created by the towers provide views from the city through the development to the two rivers.  The north side of the towers features a “sail” screen that provides uniformity to the façade and filters daylight for the residents and office workers. 

Five are dedicated residential towers, including one of the northern towers making it the tallest residential tower in China. The second 350m tower is office space until the level of the conservatory, where it then transitions to a hotel. The remaining towers include a dedicated office tower and one mixed-use, with office space and serviced apartments. 

Client: CapitaLand + CapitaMalls Asia

Design Architect:Safdie Architects

Executive Architect: P&T Group International Ltd

Design Institute: CQADI (Chongqing Architectural Design Institute)

Structural Engineer: Arup

MEP Engineer: Parsons Brinckerhoff

Landscape Architect: Williams, Asselin, Ackaoui & Associates

Façade Engineer:ALT

Signage+Wayfinding: Pentagram + Entro

Lighting Consultant: BPI (Brandston Partnership Inc.)

Interior Design: CL3 Architects Ltd. (Hotel & Convention)

Interior Design: The Buchan Group (Retail)

LEED Consultant:Arup

Quantity Surveyor: Rider Levett Bucknall