U+ Design Partners, is collaboration with CRRC (the largest manufacturer of railway vehicles in the world) to provide conceptual design services for its new Sifang Institute Technology Innovation Park located in Jiangsu Provence, in Nanjing, China. This innovative Research & Development complex is championed to be a landmark within the SITC Park.
The design concept for the CRRC Building and Park is rooted in the principles of railway and harmony, coupled with the essence of speed and motion elicited from railway transportation, which rises upward to symbolize the elevation of knowledge and insight as cultivated within the CRRC vision.
The form and function of the building are deeply interwoven into the landscape by the marrying of the pure building form of the floating upper structure while encouraging circulation and activity at the base of the building and throughout the site through an extensively landscaped environment.
A triumphant central green space in the center of the complex marks the company’s commitment to sustainability, by connecting the outdoors with the inhabitants within and around the building. By creating fitness areas, wetlands and wide-open spaces within the volume the design intends to bring a sense of organic harmony to a company devoted to sophisticated technology.
This four-tiered design is anchored by its central park at ground level and is enlivened by an active exhibition and conference center. Vehicular circulation is efficiently directed below grade and includes parking for trucks and a full Distribution Center. Testing and Production Workshops occupy the four corners of the upper four floors of the 6-floor structure and are connected by the R&D Center Offices. This layered approach resolves the critical task of integrating workspaces with offices, which is a common challenge in the design of R&D facilities. Employees, staff and visitors are invited to engage with the natural landscape around them within environmentally fresh spaces, supported by the latest building technologies for first-in-class building performance.
