STATUS
IDEA
CLIENT
Terminus Group Co., Ltd.
TYPOLOGY
Work
SIZE M2/FT2
135,000 / 1,453,128
SHARE
The future home for Terminus Group, the world-leading smart service provider shaping the next generation of technology and cities, will be in AI CITY. BIG envisions the hi-tech campus as the new center of innovation for China, dedicated to Terminus Technologies’ ambitions in artificial intelligence of things, robotics, networking and big data.
AI CITY is located in Chongqing, also known as the “mountain city” for being a sprawling megacity that’s crisscrossed by rivers and mountains in southwest China. The site of AI CITY is specifically situated within the Chongqing Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, with the 75,000 m2 Cloud Valley anchoring the Science and Technology Headquarters in the first phase of the masterplan.
Cloud Valley takes its inspiration from the natural Wulong Karst in the Chongqing Wulong National Park, where valleys and mountain form stunning connections between the earth and the sky. BIG’s proposal for Cloud Valley is conceived as two plots along Xinzhou Avenue and Gaoxin Avenue, that mimic each other’s opposites. There is the Mountain, which forms a striking landmark in the area that gives shelter to a protected network of courtyards filled with inviting public functions. Then there is the Valley, which offers the largest publicly accessible green rooftops in China for open-air events. Below the roofscape, the building opens up to the surrounding public to invite visitors into this new neighborhood.
SITE
— The site is located along Xinzhou Ave. The topography gradually rises to the east and the total area of the plot is approximately 34,000 m2 GFA. There is a maximum ground coverage of 50% with a low Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 1.5.
GRID & AI
— BIG proposes a grid layout on the entire site. This will be the keystone identity for the campus, knitting together the parking basement, landscape, building and green roofscape, as well as adding a new, visible layer of AI-linking landscape, building, and future technology.
ACCESS, DAYLIGHT & VIEWS
— Since the tech park will be composed of mainly office spaces, it is important that the floorplates are shallow. This ensures adequate daylight conditions as well as maximum views and immediate access to nature, proven to improve healthy indoor environments.
PROGRAM
— Terminus HQ is located in the southwest corner of the site, while the Robot Museum sits on the opposite end in the southeast corner. The buildings to the north are office spaces with retail in the two lower floors.
SITE EXTRUSION
— The two plots are bounded by a maximum height limit, determined by flight restrictions from a nearby military airport. By only raising the outer façade line to its maximum height and keeping the central space closer to the eye-level, the buildings are adapted to the human-scale in the shape of a valley.
ROOF & BALCONY
— To protect the building façades and the exterior public spaces from sun radiation and heavy rain, the roof extends over the building façades by a significant distance, depending on the façade's orientation. The roof also drops all the way to the central courtyard in one place, creating access to the roof lush garden, and in other places, the roof lifts in two corners to create entryways from the inside.
CLOUD VALLEY AND THE GREEN ROOFSCAPE
— The roofscape is one of the most important components that shapes the spirit of the Cloud Valley. It allows for an abundance of nature to co-exist with the office programs, thus preserving the wild landscape experience that's traditionally difficult to access within the city limits. The green roof also embodies an ecological cohesive coexistence between human, nature, climate, and technology.
In Cloud Valley, the barriers between nature and buildings will be removed. The porous structure of the urban fabric will create generous green courtyards with natural light and ventilation throughout both plots. Each courtyard will be programmed to host specific public activities. Sports events, art exhibitions and product fairs will be hosted in the technological park spread between the buildings.
The barriers between human and artificial intelligence will also be removed. Newly created spaces including AI exhibition spaces, markets and cafés will invite the public to join under the roof. Under the same roof, professionals and robotics working in the most innovative companies of the country will develop future technologies. The traffic strategy focuses on a flexible transition towards a future re-balance of nature with development. Throughout Terminus Future City, e-bikes, robotic vehicles and self-driving cars will define a new, smart mobility system.
With Chongqing’s unique location between the mountains, impressive cloud formations shield the building from direct sun exposure and creates a special atmosphere condition that allows the façade designs to be more transparent than usual. To protect the façades and exterior public spaces from further sun radiation and heavy rain, the building’s rooftops are extended by a significant distance, depending on the façade’s orientation. The roof also drops all the way to the central courtyard in one place, creating access to the roof lush garden, and in other places, the roof lifts in two corners to create entryways from the inside.
The roofscape is one of the most important components that shapes the spirit of the Cloud Valley. It allows for an abundance of nature to co-exist with the office programs, thus preserving the wild landscape experience that’s traditionally difficult to access within the city limits. The green roof also embodies an ecological cohesive coexistence between human, nature, climate, and technology. To display the ultimate gesture of nature meeting technology, the green roof carpet shaping the valley and the mountain turns into the largest digital display in China at night.
Bjarke Ingels Jakob Lange Ole Elkjær-Larsen Erik Kreider Haochen Yu Jiakun He Annette Jensen Alexander Jacobson Ana-Maria Vindfeldt Andrea Hektor Andy Coward Biqin Li Bjarke Koch-Ørvad Carlos Ramos Tenorio Daniel Ferrara Bilesky Dimitrie Grigorescu Dominic Black Dora Jiabao Lin Eddie Can Eric Li Ella Coco Murphy Enea Michelesio Eva Seo-Andersen Ewa Zapiec Federica Fogazzi Filip Fot Filip Rozkowski Teodor Cristian Fratila Frederic Lucien Engasser Gabrielle Nadeau Henrik Jacobsen Ipek Akin Jan Magasanik Jesper Kanstrup Petersen Jonathan Russell Kamila Abbiazova Karolina Lepa-Stewart Katrine Juul Konstantinos Samer Zouraikat Lasse Ryberg Hansen Laura Wätte Laurent De Carniere Linnea Lujak Lucas Coelho Netto Mamak Mazaheri Marah Wagner Marcela Dominika Rydalska Mattia Di Carlo Milan Moldenhawer Miles Treacy Mussa Algasra Nandi Lu Nanna Gyldholm Møller Natchaluck Radomsittipat Norbert Nadudvari Paul Johann Henrich Kohlhaussen Per Bo Madsen Peter Høgenhaven Qingfeng Li Runke Luo Seda Yildiz Seonhwan Kim Sergiu Calacean Timo Harboe Nielsen Tore Banke Tristan Harvey Ulla Hornsyld Vladislav Saprunenko Yara Rahme Høgni Laksafoss Jean-Sébastien Pagnon Antonina Tsepurnohh Cheng-Huang Lin Maria Capuozzo Ian Law Kwang Hoon Lee Isaac Rodrigo Tejeira Sui King Yu Marcel Götz Bo Kuiper Kresimir Blazina Marija Cvijović Celia de la Osa Muñoz Filippo Cartapani Emil Westlin Ying Lin Zheng Liu
COLLABORATORS
Huiting
CMCU
Forster
