REN People's Building, Shanghai, China.
The REN building is a proposal for a hotel, leisure and
conference centre for the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai. The building is
conceived as two buildings merging into one.
TWO BUILDINGS IN ONE
The first building, emerging from the water, is devoted to the activities of the body and houses a water culture centre.
The second building, emerging from land, is devoted to spirit and
enlightenment and houses the conference centre and meeting facilities.
The two buildings meet in a 1,000-room hotel and form the Chinese
character for 'People', becoming a recognisable landmark for the World
Expo in China.
Together, the two buildings become a tower and an arch at once. The
arch defines a square for gatherings and activities, exactly on the main
axis of the expo site overlooking the HuangPu River. The square is
sheltered from the rain but allows sunlight through, from the east in
the morning and from the west in the evening.
A PUBLIC SPACE
Large curved plazas border the pool and conference buildings,
creating a continuous recreational public space along the river. Round
openings and skylights bring light to the auditoriums and pools and
gradually become denser as they rise from the river, eventually becoming
windows and terraces for the hotel rooms.
The project questions whether architecture can embody the
schizophrenic political identity of the People's Republic of China at
once: Tao, Mao and Capitalism.
