West Village

Chengdu, China

Birdview of West Village

Photo © ArchExist

Tracks

Crossed Tracks

Multifunctional Arts Center

Movie Night at the Bamboo Square

Photo © ArchExist

Courtyard

Photo © ArchExist

West Village at Night

Photo © ArchExist

Architects: Jiakun Architects

Year: 2015
Team: Liu Jiakun, Yang Lei, JinHongduo, Liu Su, Yang Ying, CaiKefei, Hua Yi, Mao Weixi, Li Jing, Wen Feng, Lin Yihsuan, Wang Kailing, Luo Ming

West Village is a maxi-courtyard that adopts an atypical design when compared to other commercial complexes in that its centrifugal layout encircles the entire block to maximise the inner area of sports and green like a park, echoing the form of a basin and encompassing a diverse public life. Smaller bamboo courtyards exist within bigger ones. They are open to the public and visitors are welcome to walk through freely. The spatial design carries on the ever-popular traditional leisure lifestyle under the shade of bamboo among locals in order to refresh their former collective memories. Its functional structure allows a miscellaneous forms of expression to utilize the customizable spaces at will, while the large scale of the courtyard harbours and displays a vernacular façade that encourages creativity of the vast public. An elevated runway tails along the silhouette of the courtyard all the way up to the rooftop and then back to the ground. This constant change of altitude activates a dynamic flow of energy within this architectural project and brings joggers and cyclists an unusual experience.