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Nanjing International Youth Cultural Centre shortlisted for AIA UK ‘Excellence in Design’ Awards 2019

The Nanjing International Youth Cultural Centre was shortlisted for the AIA UK ‘Excellence in Design’ Awards 2019 that recognise work of the highest standards by architects, industrial designers, urban planners, landscape architects and interior designers based in Britain.

Harnessing the energy of the 2014 Youth Olympic Games to create project with a lasting legacy that has enhanced and also regenerated its setting, the centre acts as both an anchor and a catalyst for future investment in Nanjing’s Hexi New Town.

The centre’s design is a three dimensional calligraphic composition that resonates with Nanjing’s 1,600-year-old tradition of Yunjin - the name given to the intricate brocade threading used by local craftsmen to weave the region’s acclaimed gold and silver fabrics. Like Yunjin thread, a continuous line interweaves throughout the cultural centre connecting it with its earthquake-resistant towers and beyond to the new central business district, riverside park and Jiangxinzhou Island.

Comprised of two hotel towers that include the new Jumeirah Nanjing, a cultural centre with conference facilities, an urban plaza, offices and mixed-use areas, the development initially provided accommodation for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games. Now in its legacy stage, the centre has fostered investment in Hexi New Town on multiple levels; integrating additional infrastructure with new functions that include the hotels and a venue for Jiangsu Province’s annual conferences.

Photography by Zaha Hadid Architects