Hong Kong – The Aedas and Do Design consortium has recently won the competition for the New Hope Central China Regional Headquarters at the riverside of Yangtze River in Wuhan, China.

The project is perched at the northern end of the riverside business district. It overlooks the Erqi Yangtze River Bridge and is surrounded by convenient transportation network. In a superior geographical location, the New Hope Central China Regional Headquarters peers across the riverside greenery of excellent landscape view. Marked by its elegant flow lines that correspond to the surrounding Yangtze, the high-rise allegorically represents Wuhan as a vivacious cultural capital.

Director Fiona Chen describes, “Wuhan has a unique topography that one-fourth of it is covered by water. The architectural concept is a balance between hardness and softness, pointing to the juxtaposition between the fluidity of water and the resilience of Wuhan’s people. It reduces the negative impact of surrounding elevated overpasses to ensure systematic circulation."

Interpreting with contemporary architectural language, the design draws inspiration from the ancient guqin tune of “High Mountains and Flowing Water”, which is about friendship and community bond through music and art in Chinese culture.

"Wuhan’s culture emphasises on riverside culture and congregated living. We hope to reproduce traditional settlements in modern cities through dynamic and diverse forms of activities. The design generates internal public spaces through the enclosed tower disposition, and connects the development with the adjacent Bridge Park by setting permeable paths," explained Aedas Chairman and Global Design Principal Keith Griffiths.