The Winland Center is Designed to Achieve a Harmony between Traditional and Modern Architecture
The Design and construction process of the Winland Center shows how the developer, when creating a modern mixed-use project, explored all possible avenues so as to achieve a harmony between the project and the history, religion, culture, and the surrounding environment of its urban location.
The project is located next to the embankments of the Grand Canal (inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014) in Hangzhou, China. The plot is just 24 metres across the road from the historically significant Xiangjisi Temple, which is a major part of the Grand Canal Historical and Cultural Block.
The highest point of the Xiangjisi Temple is 14.69 metres, while the height limit on the plot is 80 metres. Had it been built to the maximum limit, the project would have exerted irreversible visual pressure on the temple. Therefore, out of respect for the local history, culture, and natural environment, Winland decided to leave a 30-metre recess between the highest building and the boundary of the plot, where a few villa- like nine-metre architectures (“Gallery Street”) were arranged. Thus, a beautiful contrast and balance have been achieved between traditional and modern architectural styles minimising the visual pressure on the temple and the entire block by the comparatively larger and modern neighbouring project, preserving a clear skyline for the temple and a breathing room for the whole neighbourhood. The beautiful nine-metre villa-like buildings provide a gradual transition from a massive group of modern architectures to the relatively lower temple, and the Grand Canal a bit further to the west. The Gallery Street is designed to bring contemporary art, culture, and lifestyle into the block, facilitating the interaction between tradition and modernity.
In a sense, the plot was salvaged by Winland from its previous developer whose plan would have ruined the whole neighbourhood culturally and historically. It’s a perfect example of a responsible developer endeavouring to preserve cultural heritage and maintain a harmony between traditional architecture and modern real estate developments, which requires much perseverance and sacrifice of profits on the part of the developer in the time of an explosive real estate market.
A short story of how Winland acquired the plot will surely be conducive to better understanding the significance of the project: Adam Yu, Chairman of the Winland Group, discovered the site by serendipity during his tour in the Xiangjisi Temple. Prompted by his business acumen, he inquired about the designated use of the site across the road and was told that it was for a mixed-use development. One of the government officials in the entourage showed Mr. Yu the masterplan by another well-known Chinese developer. He was shocked by a revelation that, if developed according to that masterplan, the mass of the future development would gravely, and irrevocably, overshadow the temple, if not the whole neighbourhood. He therefore decided to do something for the good of the temple, and that’s when the design and construction of the project began.
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