Transferred from: Suzhou Design Federation
The 10th Zijin Award - Architectural and Environmental Design Competition
Occupational group
Silver Award Works
Title of work: 2025 Nine Alleys Around the House + Sky Roaming
Design unit: Suzhou Zhilang Architectural Landscape Design Co., Ltd
Winners: Yao Zhen, Cheng Zhu, Jiang Ruyi, Wang Xing
Awards:
- The 10th Jiangsu Province "Zijin Award - Architectural and Environmental Design Competition" Professional Group Outstanding Work Award First Prize and Silver Award
- 2023 Suzhou Cultural and Creative Design Competition (Architecture and Environmental Design) Professional Group First Prize Gold Award
Winners (from left to right): Wang Xing, Cheng Zhu, Jiang Ruyi
(Yao Zhen did not participate in the TV finals due to personal reasons)
Brief introduction of the creator
Yao Zhen
General Manager of Suzhou Zhilang Architectural Landscape Design Co., Ltd.,
Chief Designer and Senior Engineer
Personal honors
- Executive Director of Suzhou Design Industry Federation
- Suzhou survey and design industry expert database landscape architecture expert
- In 2019, the first Suzhou Zijin Talent Design Talent
- Suzhou Characteristic Pastoral Village Construction Designer (Landscape Architecture)
- External tutor of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
- External tutor of Jiangnan University and external tutor of master's defense
- Expert of Jiangsu Survey and Design Industry Association, expert think tank
Introduction to the creative team
Since its establishment in 2004, Suzhou Zhilang Architectural Landscape Design Co., Ltd. has become a professional company specializing in landscape design services. Adhering to the unique concept of "geographical awareness", we provide unique and creative solutions from a professional perspective to support the inheritance and development of "geo-culture", develop and continue the unique "geo-landscape", and establish a harmonious dialogue between landscape and architecture, landscape and city, landscape and nature, landscape and people in the overall context of the needs of modern society.
Team honors
- In 2015, he won the first prize of the professional group of the outstanding work award of the 2nd Provincial "Zijin Award" Architectural and Environmental Design Competition
- In 2019, he won the third prize of the professional group of the Outstanding Works Award of the 6th Provincial Zijin Award and Architectural and Environmental Design Competition
- He won the third prize of the professional group of the Outstanding Work Award of the 9th Provincial "Zijin Award" Architectural and Environmental Design Competition in 2022, and the third prize of the Excellent Survey and Design Award of the Urban and Rural Construction System of Jiangsu Province in 2022
- Won the first prize of the 18th Excellent Engineering Design of Jiangsu Province in 2018
- It won the first prize of the 20th Excellent Engineering Design of Jiangsu Province in 2023 and the first prize of Excellent Survey and Design of Urban and Rural Construction System of Jiangsu Province in 2022
- Won the second prize of the 20th Excellent Engineering Design of Jiangsu Province in 2023 and the second prize of Excellent Survey and Design of Urban and Rural Construction System of Jiangsu Province in 2023
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01
The origin of the design
As a part of the famous historical and cultural city of Suzhou, the existing overall layout of the Pingjiang Historical and Cultural District has gone through thousands of years, which is basically the same as the "Pingjiang Map" of the Song Dynasty, and still basically maintains the double chessboard pattern of "parallel water and land, adjacent rivers and streets" and the style of the Jiangnan Water City of "small bridges and flowing water, pink walls and tiles", accumulating profound cultural heritage and gathering extremely rich historical relics and cultural landscapes. Pingjiang Nine Lane is located in the historical and cultural district of Pingjiang Road, with Baita East Road in the north, Ganjiang East Road in the south, Lindun Road in the west, and Pingjiang Road in the east.
The project address Dongshengli Talent Community is located in the south-central part of Pingjiang Jiuxiang, north to Xiaojia Lane and south to Niujia Lane.
Project location
The design originated from the observation of the life of Nine Alleys and the reflection on the existing problems of the site:
1. The current living space of the laneway in Dongshengli Community, Pingjiang Lane 9, is cramped and cramped, and the left and right sides of the laneway are relatively narrow.
laneway
2. There is no daylight in the life of the residents, because the nearby houses are relatively low, so the upper space appears to be very open, which also leads to the local residents' lifestyle is relatively simple, we call the residents who have lived here for a long time "Pingjiang Lane people".
The sky of "Pingjiang Lane People".
3. Originally, the living scope of the "Pingjiang Lane people" was only on the ground, and the residents' passage and walking and leisure were all in the narrow lanes, and the intricate lanes constituted the daily life of the "Pingjiang Lane people".
Original way of life
The narrow lanes and adjacent buildings have deepened the desire for the sky in the hearts of the residents, so we have the idea of building an air corridor in the roof space, which not only enriches the living space of the residents, but also provides more functional places for the daily life of the residents, and improves the convenience of the residents' lives.
02
Design Highlights:
Taking advantage of the flat sky above Pingjiang Nine Alleys, we raised the public space in the site to the roof, and then connected it by a passage across the roof, releasing more activity space and adding more composite spaces, forming vertical farms and micro-lane boxes.
Public spaces in the grounds
With the flat sky above Lane 9, these spaces are raised to the roof
It is then connected by a passage across the roof
03
Design ideas
1. Overlay function
01
Micro Lane Box
We have placed several "small squares" in public areas such as courtyards and patios, which are irregularly distributed in the field and can be used as community libraries, public rest rooms, and chess and card rooms. The original lifestyle of the people of Pingjiang Lane is monotonous and unchanging, and we hope to provide them with different functional venues to provide them with more possibilities in their lives. Reading time alone, chatting with friends, walking the dog with neighbors...... And so on and so forth, it is going to happen in these little alley boxes.
Micro Lane Box
02
Vertical farms
The "Vertical Farm" is a vertical hydroponic urban farm housed in a glass box. Vertical farms are weather-free, crops can be grown in optimal conditions all year round, and they do not require pesticides and herbicides, which means there are no agricultural pollutant emissions. Vegetables and fruits grown on farms can be sold to local residents, grocery stores, restaurants, hospitals, etc., so that residents can buy fresh vegetables close to home, and vertical farms can also provide some jobs and solve the employment difficulties of some people, killing two birds with one stone.
Vertical farms
03
Skywalk
The sky corridor across the roof expands the scope of activities of the "Pingjiang Lane People" to the second floor, so that the "Pingjiang Lane People" can see more of the sky, and also plays the role of connecting the vertical farm and the functional box, once again expanding the activity range of the "Pingjiang Lane People" and improving the accessibility efficiency.
overpass
The sky corridor is erected on the roof and supported by columns connecting to the ground, and the lower building space will be recycled and transformed into public spaces such as tea rooms, cafes, and study lecture halls.
Sky Corridor
2. Spatial combination
Through the superposition of three functions, we get a richer life model:
The new life of "Pingjiang Lane People" - "Nine Lane Ring House"
The space on the second floor of Unicom greatly expands the living scope of "Pingjiang Lane people", and residents can easily reach the vertical farm through functional boxes and air corridors, which greatly improves the convenience of life.
Complex lifestyle
Sky Walk scene
04
Design Vision
The single street space is reorganized, creating new spatial nodes in a series of spatial twists and turns, and injecting new possibilities into the project. We hope to create a new venue that will provide a new way of life for the "Pingjiang Lane people" without breaking the original tradition, so that they can realize "sky roaming" in the future, and also fully demonstrate the "fifth façade" of Pingjiang Old Town.
The new life of "Pingjiang Lane people".
This is the end of today's wonderful work appreciation, so stay tuned for the next one!
Contributed by: Yao Zhen (Suzhou Zhilang Architectural Landscape Design Co., Ltd.)
Manuscript: Ren Lu
Editor: Ren Lu