Nanjing’s credentials as a pioneer in innovative architecture have received a shot in the arm, with the recent completion of a milestone in the development of the city’s Jiangxinzhou, the islet lying in the Yangtze River that is turning into Nanjing’s “Eco Hi-Tech Island”.
The project in question is a giant, pentagon-shaped complex that serves as a compliment to the Xinweiyi Technology Park, situated directly adjacent to the Jiangxin Bridge that takes Yingtian Da Jie into the tunnel under the Yangtze.
Architect for the project, NBBJ, has added a group of five interlocking buildings that form The Pentagon, which can be described as sustainable office research facilities to compliment the technology park next door.
Nanjing’s version of The Pentagon features a range of mixed-use spaces, including office buildings that serve as incubators for technology and environmental companies, as well as a flagship cultural venue and public promenades, according to digital architecture and design magazine, Design Boom.
The design aesthetics employed therein are intended to realise a campus that promotes creativity, collaboration and innovation. And somewhat needless to say, the roof of The Pentagon is green.
Further solidifying those ecological qualifications are the sustainability features of the project; water-saving with zero-water runoff, together with rainwater harvesting techniques that can reduce water utilised for irrigation by up to 50 percent, when put up against traditional systems.
Dating back to 1943, NBBJ bills itself as a “different kind of design practice, one that helps clients drive innovation by creating highly productive, sustainable spaces that free people to live, learn, work and play”.
According to the Eco Hi-Tech Island master plan, much of Jiangxinzhou is in the process of being transformed into an icon for 21st century Nanjing, one that consists of low-carbon, knowledge-intensive industries, while keeping the exceptional environment intact.
So far so good. But many questions remain, even 5 years after the master plan was first revealed. There is for example, the proposed Zero-Emission Transportation System (ZETS) that will see only electric cars permitted on the island. Then there are the “Water Taxis” that also have been suggested as a way of connecting new eco-friendly communities, as The Nanjinger reported in 2015.
Aiming for the stars it might well be, but the realisation of The Pentagon in Nanjing is undoubtedly a big help in driving the city’s future as regards her desires in the field of sustainable development.
