Project Introduction

Liantang is a canal town located in the southwest of Qingpu, Shanghai. Instead of simply becoming a tourist town, Liantang's water-oriented culture is enjoying a vital renewal in the process of modernization. The project will carry on this direction of development and explore the art of inheriting and updating the internal structure of traditional Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze River) architecture and the internalisation of local architectural features.

As a basic executive body, the town government involves both public administration and community service, which requires an open and amiable image. We are endeavouring to create a diverse space while keeping the grand image of governmental buildings, in order to accommodate various requirements for functions, and to satisfy both public and private demand.

This requires breaking through the scale restriction of traditional courtyards space, applying combination of a variety and flexibility of scales. The site of the town hall is located at the center of the new town area and a canal on the western side connects with the old town area. A major courtyard is located in the center of this building which has a multiple courtyards structure, and smaller courtyards of different functions are scattered around it.

These independent courtyards form different spatial features in a harmonious way, which create a pleasant working environment. A three-storied main office building in two rows is located near the southern square. The ground floor of the southern row is partly elevated, which makes the entrance courtyard between these two rows widely open to the square. The cloister on the second floor, which features a double story height, functions as the main building's spatial frame.

Meanwhile, four independent offices units and three aerial gardens in the southern row create small pockets of space. In the east is the community service center. In the north is the conference centre and a cafeteria, with a veranda opposite the main courtyard in the south. In the west are the functional offices directly under the town government, which form three interlocked courtyards connected to the canal through a pierced tracery wall. A library and a recreational room are located in the major courtyard like a bright pavilion, separating the main courtyard into two distinct areas.

The building presents an image of continuous courtyards with white walls and single slope roofs with black tiles as its main characteristics. The delicate details require appropriate materials and tectonics with local style, as well as feasible creativity.

Fiche technique

Project Name : Liantang Town Hall, Qingpu

Architects : Zhang Bin, Zhou Wei / Atelier Z+

Project Team : Lu Jun, Wang Jiaqi, Ni Danfeng

Design Cooperation : Shanghai Jiusheng Architectural Design Co., Ltd

Location : Liantang Town, Qingpu, Shanghai

Client : The People’s Government of Liantang Town, Qingpu, Shanghai

General Contractor : Shanghai Xiaozheng Construction Development Co., Ltd.

Design Period : September, 2006

Construction Period : October, 2008

Site Area : 23,590m²

Building Area : 5,450m²

Gross Floor Area : 8,350m²

Structure : Reinforced Concrete Frame ; 3 Stories

Principal Use : Governmental Office, Conference, Community Service

Primary Material : Painting, Brick, Stone, Tile, Aluminum Sheet, Cast-Aluminum Shutter, Glass, Timber

Cost : 25,000,000 Yuan RMB