West Village is a maxi-courtyard that adopts an atypical design when compared to other commercial complexes in that its centrifugal layout encircles the entire block to maximize the inner area of sports and green like a park, echoing the form of a basin and encompassing a diverse public life. Smaller bamboo courtyards exist within bigger ones. They are open to the public and visitors are welcome to walk through freely. The spatial design carries on the ever-popular traditional leisure lifestyle under the shade of bamboo among locals in order to refresh their former collective memories. Its functional structure allows a miscellaneous forms of expression to utilize the customizable spaces at will, while the large scale of the courtyard harbors and displays a vernacular façade that encourages creativity of the vast public. An elevated runway tails along the silhouette of the courtyard all the way up to the rooftop and then back to the ground. This constant change of altitude activates a dynamic flow of energy within this architectural project and brings joggers and cyclists an unusual experience.
Jiakun Architects (Liu Jiakun)
Yang Lei, Jin Hongduo, Liu Su, Yang Ying, Cai Kefe
Qingyang District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Urban Complex
135,552 m²
Dec. 2009 – Sep. 2014
Jiakun's projects had been exhibited at the 15th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia and the 56th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. He won several awards including the Honor Prize of the 7th ARCASIA, Chinese Architecture & Art Prize 2003, Architectural Record Magazine China Award, Far East Award in Architecture and Architectural Design Award from Architectural Society of China, and Audi Arts Design Award.