Shuifa Information Town Industrial Exhibition Center | aoe

The project is located in the Changqing Economic Development Zone, 20 kilometers away from the city centre of Jinan. The area has not yet been developed on a large scale. The surrounding environment is a messy mix of high-voltage line towers dotting weed-strewn farmland. In order to give visitors the best viewing experience, the designer has isolated the area from the surrounding environment and has created a relatively enclosed space.

The architectural design is inspired by Wang Wei's verse from Mountain Dwelling in Autumn: “Rain passes in the pristine mountain, refreshing autumn evening. Moon shines among the pine, clear spring flows on stones”. Through a four “stones” arrangement, like a stream of clear spring water flowing from the cracks in the rocks. The main structure is assembled out of white perforated panels, glowing with pure and elegant cultural motifs. The northern boundary is designed like a mountain waterfall, combined with green microtopography, giving the whole building an air of refinement filled with cultural significance.

The building’s main functions are hosting residential sales expos, property expos, and offices. The main entrance is located on the west side. In order to eliminate the visual impact of the messy surrounding environment, geometrical hills are designed to surround the square, which slowly rises as people enter the site, gradually blocking out the view. Mountains, water, and marble are fused together in this undeveloped wilderness.

A second layer is set outside the main structure - perforated plating, so that the building is enveloped within the perforated plating, forming a relatively enclosed space. The curtain wall sections are slanted, nestled, and interlaced inside, and the gap between the sections naturally forms the entrance of the building. Everything happens inside the space covered by the perforated plate curtain wall, connected to the outside world only through the irregular gaps. The interior of the building is obscured by the white perforated plating, and as night falls, light shines through the perforated plates to make the whole building glow, like a piece of shiny marble standing in the wilderness.

The density of the perforation of the plate gradually changes from top to bottom according to the function of the building interior. The main function of the first and second floors of the building is as display areas, so the density of perforation is higher for more transparency. The main function of the third and fourth floors of the building is for office space, which requires a relatively private environment, so the number of perforation is lower, and it is relatively more enclosed while ensuring sufficient lighting.

The gradual changes in the perforated plates allow the permeability of the building facade to gradually change from top to bottom, giving a sense of depth to the overall surface of the building. The perforated plate itself has a shading effect, like a layer of ecological skin, making the building more environmentally friendly. At the same time, the gray space formed between the glass curtain wall and the perforated plate enriches people's spatial experience inside the building.

In terms of landscape design, in order to reflect the reputation of Jinan as the City of Springs, a large area of cascading water was set up along the main avenue display area, with the water falling from 4-meter-high stone steps. The main entrance to the property exhibition hall is set on the second floor, concealed behind the cascading water, and can be reached through a bridge. On the connecting bridge, there is cascading water on the outside, and a tranquil pool on the inside centered around a welcoming pine. One side is in motion and the other side is tranquil, reflecting the mood of the bright moon shining between the pine tree and clear spring water on the stones. Upon entering the building, visitors are drawn from the wilderness into a paradise.

The interior of the building is also a continuation of the exterior, with the perforated plating element of the entrance area extending directly from the exterior to the interior. A large, four-story atrium serves as a sandbox area and becomes the focal point of the entire space. Natural light comes in from the skylight and is surrounded by perforated plates, forming a space imbued with a sense of ritual. Viewing windows are set up on the enclosed perforated plates, allowing the people upstairs to look over the sandbox, while also setting up a contrast that makes the space livelier.

The first floor is the residential sales expo center. The walls of the main entrance and the multi-functional rest area extend the architectural form to the interior, continuing the clean and blocky design. The four-story-high atrium and the perforated plate material on the facade make the atrium space extremely impressive and awe-inspiring. The two connecting bridges above the atrium enliven the space between the different floors, while the mirrored stainless steel skin reflects the entire atrium space as if floating in the air. The viewing windows on the curtain wall allow visitors to overlook the sandbox on the first floor and increase spatial transparency. The low-set sandbox increases the spatial contrast and the sense of ritual. The design of the atrium has a strong visual impact on people, like a box suspended in the air.

The second floor is the property exhibition hall. The interior facade uses the shape of the building to extend the exterior form of the building entrance to the interior. The contour is designed according to the outline of the entire building. The entire wall presents an origami-like form, with a consistent architectural theme. The “stone block” intent is embodied throughout the exhibition hall, connecting the reception area at the entrance to the various exhibition spaces on the same level, while the folding of the wall creates a wide range of spatial variety. The perforated plates on the facade of the atrium are designed to unify the visual effect of the atrium, with viewing windows set on the facade to enable visitors on different floors and spaces to discover different perspectives and contrasts.

The integrated design of architecture, view, and interior enable the entire project to be consistent with the design concept. While isolated from the surrounding environment, it also becomes the focal point of the entire area, satisfying the display requirements as an exhibition center and sales office, bringing new opportunities for the development of this region.

Technical sheet
Project Name: Shuifa Geographic Information Industrial Park Exhibition Center

Architecture Firm: aoe
Interior Design: aoe
Firm Location: Beijing, China
Completion Year: 2020
Gross Built Area: 5200㎡
Project location: Changqing District, Jinan, China.
Lead Architects: Larry Wen
Lead Architects e-mail: [email protected]

Lighting Design : Beijing Puri Lighting Design Co.,LTD.
Principal Lighting Designer : Hu Fang

Lighting Design

The stone hidden in the water, under the seemingly calm surface, is rich and strong inside. “After fresh rain in mountains bare; Autumn permeates evening air. Among pine-tree bright moonbeams peer; over crystal stones flows water clear.” Wang Wei "Autumn Evening in My Mountain Abode"

The project is located in the Changqing Economic Development Zone, 20 kilometers away from the center of Jinan. This area has not yet been developed on a large scale. The surrounding environment is unkept, with high-voltage power lines overgrown with grass and weeds in the surrounding farmlands. The clean, pure, and stone-like building body appears to emerge from the water. A combination of floodlight and internal light transmission on the two floors is applied to the facade. Floodlighting emphasizes the overall sense of the building, which is emphasized on the top in order to capture the block architectural style of the stone displayed in a more intense way. The designer set up 100W LED floodlights at the four corners of the building, and the color temperature is 4000K. Because this light color is more suitable for the pure temperament of the building, these floodlights are hidden and installed in the landscape light pits at the four corners of the building to avoid exposure of the lamps. The focal point of the floodlight is concentrated on the corner of the building, with the overall floodlighting on this floor providing the building with a strong sense of integrity. The internal light transmission of the two layers refers to the space between the punch plate of the building layer and the main building, as well as the interior lighting of the building. It is not easy to deal with the degree of light transmission in the two layers in order for it to reflect the main body of the building, which was a big challenge encountered by the designer of the project. The desired effect is an orderly matching of the three light levels: floodlighting being the strongest, internal light transmission between the punch plate and the building the second, and indoor internal light transmission as the most implicit.

The internal light transmission between the punch plate of the building surface and the main body of the building is realized by linear uplights projection lamps. Since the open area percentage of the punch plate gradually becomes smaller from bottom to top, the light transmission in this layer is actually gradually blanking out. When the top of the building is reached, the density of the punch plate changes accordingly, making it more opaque. However, "coincidental" floodlights make up for this at the top of the building, which is emphasized in another form of light at night. This reminds the designer of what one of her mentors, Xiaodi Zhu, once told her: "Design is to make beauty appear in a coincidental way."

The interior light transmission is mysterious and hidden from the outside of the building. The warm yellow 3000K leaves people with the warmth hidden under pure white light.

The designer used pure white light and metaphorical warm yellow to demonstrate the exterior. The building looks integrated, clean, and pure. It is the clear spring flowing from the cracks in the stone.

The four-story atrium and the punch plate material on the facade render the atrium space shocking. The triangular skylight introduces natural light into the room. The two connecting bridges above the atrium activate the interconnection between the different floor spaces, and the surface of mirrored stainless steel material reflects the entire atrium space as if it is floating in air. The model increases the level of space and the sense of ritual. The design of the atrium provides a strong visual impact, like a suspended box, full of mystery, as well as modernity.

Separate from the appearance of the building's facade, rendered color is applied to the atrium. The full-color LED luminous body is combined with the skylight. By using these lamps, the Designer was able to realize dynamic color changes according to the settings of the program. Every 100mm is a pixel. Strong and passionate red, and quiet and mysterious blue shroud the whole space in a colorful atmosphere. Through the perforated panel material of the atrium facade, the designer approached the space from the perspective of the observer. For the Designer，every color tells a story. The mirrored stainless steel material of the bridge reflects the stained space elements. The combination of color and space is perfect balanced.

The model area is the fatal point of the entire atrium, and accent lighting is added to highlight its importance. To meet the needs of 3000K functional lighting，two sets of track spotlights on the barriers of both sides of the atrium were added. In other areas on the first floor, there are also functional needs such as negotiation, reception, and key model displays. The designer combined stretch film ceiling, accent lighting, and overall lighting to express it.

In the industrial exhibition hall on the second floor, the designer used museum lighting as the main method, combined with local and accent lighting to meet the needs of indoor facade design and display content. The overall light color is based on 3000K functional lighting. In the interior of the space bridge, light that can interact with the human body is used，thus every step of the way is lit up, increasing the sense of modernity and interest of the space.

From the exterior, to the interior, this project provides a lighting environment space beyond your imagination.