Located in Guangzhou’s Tianhe district, this sustainability-oriented development has become a new leisure and commercial destination for the city. Designed around a sunken garden landscape, the 110,000 sq. m. site includes retail, leisure and dining facilities and creates a focal point for Guangzhou's Green Axis, ultimately providing a new central park in the heart of the city.
Parc Central was designed by Benoy in collaboration with RLP, with the core inspiration being the Chinese character for two fish, creating flowing yet permeable volumes of retail spaces which with garden spaces around and within their forms.
Green and sustainable elements appear throughout the complex. The design team sought to emphasise human-centricity by creating a place that people could enjoy all year round. ETFE roof panels were placed over exposed open areas to ensure covered access to the retail mall. Hard landscaping within the sunken garden was softened with vertical green walls and green planted routes throughout, while rainwater collection from the roof and low-e glass on the structure’s façades further improve environmental performance.
One of the primary objectives for Parc Central was to create a “green breathing space” for the city. As a multi-layered green complex, the landscape design enriches the entire neighbourhood through abundant greenery on the façades. This also acts as a connecting agent, tying together the different levels, creating a unified urban social space. The abundant green walls also help to reduce urban heat island effect, improve air quality and dramatically reduce surface temperature through evapotranspiration and shading.
With two upper levels and two lower levels of retail, one further basement level with carparking, the entire complex is connected on multiple levels to facilitate traffic flow and interaction. It is over-sailed by a partially covered and landscaped promenade, open to the public 24 hours a day. This walkway, coupled with ground level routes, connects to the adjacent city blocks and links into the MTR, BRT and APM transport interchange.
