In designing the master plan for One Excellence in Qianhai, China, TFP Farrells have looked to improve upon similar typologies in the US and the UK, with their greatest innovation being the renewed attention given to pedestrian traffic and public spaces.

Great focus is placed on sensitive placemaking and coherently uniting commercial spaces, residences and seamless transportation connections within a new and invigorated urban quarter.

One Excellence is also well-integrated with the adjacent railway infrastructure. For example, the buildings are centred upon a multi-layered ‘retail avenue’, enabling commuters to complete the final leg of their public transport journey in a pleasant, leisurely pedestrian environment where they are welcome to stroll, shop, dwell and relax.

Great consideration is given to the everyday human-scale experience, with small storefronts housing coffee shops, restaurants with alfresco dining and shops fulfilling the daily needs of office workers, all fronting on a pleasant pedestrian-oriented axis.

In addition, with ambitions to become the ‘Manhattan of the Pearl River Delta’, the master plan offers striking architectural design that is well-integrated with the surrounding urban context and will include a pair of iconic landmark office buildings, another pair of office towers forming an urban-scale gateway, as well as residences, clubhouse facilities, retail spaces, government offices, generous green spaces and public amenities.

On the environmental front, the bayfront will become a hub of recreation, culture, and a showcase of green urbanism, and will be connected to a larger network of open spaces via a series of ‘water fingers’: lush riverfronts that divide the Qianhai area into distinct urban wedges, and which will be easily accessible to visitors. The ground level urban design also deftly blends a variety of unique landscape elements, including water features, green spaces, recreational nodes and creative gardens.

TFP Farrells
terryfarrell.co.uk