schmidt hammer lassen architects designs Ningo Cultural Home

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schmidt hammer lassen architects has completely the design for a new cultural home for the city Labour Union in Ningbo, China. Known as the Home of Staff, the 100,000 m² project was the winner entry in an international competition in 2013. The proposed project features an eclectic mix of functions, split across two separate buildings. The Home of Staff provides support, health, education, culture and leisure facilities for almost 3 million Ningbo Labour Union members.

schmidt hammer lassen architects designs Ningo Cultural Home

Image © schmidt hammer lassen architects

The project is situated in the centre of Ningbo New East Town, on the edge of a new ecological wetland area forming the new cultural hub of the city, including the New Ningo Library, also designed by schmidt hammer lassen architects. The project was given the name Home of Staff, as the Ningbo Labour Union considers it as a second home for the members they represent.

Image © schmidt hammer lassen architects

We have designed the Home of Staff as a series of stepped building volumes that are linked by a landscape that rises from a central public park to become a series of accessible green roof terraces.

– Morten Schmidt – shl founding partner

Image © schmidt hammer lassen architects

The volumes, which from the air appear like a pixelated image, rise up at each end and form two individual buildings that are connected by a sunken walkway and a series of park pavilions.

– Morten Schmidt – shl founding partner

Image © schmidt hammer lassen architects

The Home of Staff contains an impressive list of functions. It has arts and performance spaces, sports, leisure, education facilities and offices – all built on a base of commercial retail and exhibition space. The cultural functions of the building include a 3-screen cinema, a 1,200-seat performing arts venue, an exhibition hall, a Union Staff arts club and service centre, and training and learning facilities for up to 600 students.

Image © schmidt hammer lassen architects

The sports and leisure functions include an aquatic centre with Olympic-size pool and large-scale wave pool, a full-size basketball court with spectator seating, 2 indoor tennis courts, 10 badminton courts, a fully equipped gymnasium and table tennis centre. Furthermore, the two buildings are linked with a series of retail courtyards and dedicated office space for the Ningbo Labour Union administration.

Image © schmidt hammer lassen architects

Ningbo Home of Staff and the City of Ningbo are an ambitious client. The client wants a project that defines the vibrant and lively city that Ningbo is. Our design will embrace the landscape of the city’s wetland setting and create synergy across all the services the Labour Union provides to their members in a single holistic project.

– Chris Hardie – shl associate partner – Shanghai Office

Image © schmidt hammer lassen architects

The Home of Staff is expected to be completed towards the end of 2016, and is the third project designed by schmidt hammer lassen architects in the city of Ningbo. In December 2013 schmidt hammer lassen architects won the competition to design the 30,000 square metres New Ningbo Library, and in October 2013 the ground-breaking ceremony took place for the 123,000 square metres headquarters for Ningbo Daily Newspaper Group.

Image © schmidt hammer lassen architects

Facts:
Architect: schmidt hammer lassen architects
Local partner architect: NADI (Ningbo Architecture Design Institute)
Client: Ningbo Labour Union, City of Ningbo
Area: 104,000 m2
Competition: 2013, 1st prize, invited international competition
Status: Construction 2014–2016
Landscape architect: GND Group
Local partner landscape architect: NUCI (Ningbo Urban Construction Design Institute)