Jiuzhou Bay by SOM

Jiuzhou Bay

SOM’s design for Jiuzhou Bay—a new mixed-use neighborhood located along the Pearl River Delta in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province—will transform the waterfront of the Greater Bay Area’s burgeoning tech hub and create a blueprint for future development in China. The lively, low-carbon community is inspired by the city’s maritime history and features offices, residences, retail, and infrastructure for the city’s many new residents and visitors.

The design sets a new standard for public transit in the region, with plans for a robust transportation hub that offers connections to land, sea, and rail across more than 40 acres. It also features five modular canopies that envelop three sides of a 1.8 million-square-foot port, weaving together a landscape of towers rising behind it and creating a series of covered pedestrian alleyways, a lively retail environment, and interlinked courtyards along the waterfront promenade.

Complementing the site’s maritime heritage is a tower that rises at the heart of the neighborhood, creating a recognizable structure with a design inspired by the form of a lighthouse Fresnel lens. The tower comprises 35 floors of office space topped by a 20-story Ritz-Carlton Hotel complete with a skybar and observation deck. The tower is diagonally bisected by an axis that appears to peel open the facade, revealing a vertical atrium that offers visitors breathtaking views of the bay.

The new neighborhood is designed to utilize Zhuhai’s most abundant natural resources—the sea and sun—to reduce natural gas consumption, conserve water, and create a comfortable environment for residents, office workers, shoppers, and nightlife seekers, helping to activate the site both day and night. The canopies also increase interior comfort and building efficiency by filtering daylight, harvesting energy via photovoltaic panels, and capturing rainwater. Source by SOM.

  • Location: ‎Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China
  • Architect: SOM
  • Leadership Team: Leo Chow, Keith Boswell, Larry Chien, Sean Ragasa, Joanna Zhang, Michael Leung, Christopher Wollaston, Phil Obayda, Alexander Welsh, Alessandro Beghini (Structural Engineer)
  • Design Team: Mikolaj Adamus, Sonia Mak, Vivien Sin, Greg Williams, Yi Yuan, Nic Bornman, Mattia Collo
  • Client: Zhuhai Jiuzhou Bay Holdings Group
  • Area: 40 acres
  • Year: 2020
  • Images: ATCHAIN, Courtesy of SOM

1 Comment

  1. Hey. I just stumbled into your page while browsing Google . Ive saved it. Ill definitely be back. I was wondering, have you watched the new Shrek movie yet? I know this is from left field. I need to stop by the video store and rent it tonight. Its great. Bye.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *