Dragon-Inspired Office Design Wins Silver A' Design Award

Aedas' Innovative Office Space Mirrors the Twisting Course of the Yellow River

The design's form is derived from the Yellow River, known for its twisting course like a dragon. The 45-degree angled plan layout not only provides an advanced park view but also a winding roofscape representing the natural curve of the river. This metaphorical representation of the river creates an iconic urban frontage, making the design stand out among its contemporaries.

The Zhenghong Property Air Harbour Office is designed to provide office spaces for three different future occupiers: government, client corporate, and tenants. The final scheme delivers a straightforward solution by laying three individual office blocks along the narrow site with shared meeting rooms level and roof terrace level as connections. Each block is designed with market-proven leasing span and floor plate size to guarantee maximized flexibility for tenants.

The design faced challenges from two aspects. Firstly, the proposed building needed to maintain an ideal relationship with the adjacent residential buildings, allowing natural ventilation channels and view corridors for the neighboring buildings and leaving enough buffer space in between. Secondly, as the building is sitting along the green park north to the site, the design aimed to address the issue of maximizing the view gaining frontage while avoiding self-overlooking as much as possible.

The design team, led by Keith Griffiths and Ken Wai, and including Jihao Liu, Wei Li, Haiyue Wu, Yang Yu, and Mark Zhou, started the project in August 2017. The construction is estimated to be finished in 2022. The project is located in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China.

The design has been awarded Silver in A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2018. The Silver A' Design Award is rewarded to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. These designs, admired for their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.

In conclusion, the Zhenghong Property Air Harbour Office by Aedas is a testament to the innovative and creative architectural designs that can be inspired by nature. Its unique design approach and successful execution have rightly earned it a prestigious Silver A' Design Award.