Line+ studio worked with RoboticPlus.AI to create China‘s first fully dynamic building, Lotus, on the Xiangjiang River in Changsha, Hunan province. The project functions as the city’s living room on the river’s banks, offering urban and regional landmark views.
The “environment-demand-space-technology” framework that is in place today is continually changing, providing dynamic architecture with new opportunities. With this project, designers want to create an interactive “people-activities/events-architecture-environment” structure by dynamically responding to the distinct spatial states needed for different activities or events.
Lotus-shaped dynamic building
The design aims to dynamically modify spatial elevation and the envelope’s transparency/privacy after honing several internal and external needs for the project. The design adapts flexibly and variably to the surrounding environment and spatial requirements through techniques like the vertical movement of the main space and the opening/closing of the outer skin, creating a multidimensional integration of architectural structure, landscape interface, and spatial experience.
The building’s overall concept entails elevating the main room to represent two different activities—viewing and meetings—and two different space forms—concealment and presentation. It is an integrated response system on a personal level. Using an industrial design approach, designers decided the building would comprise the main room and movable mechanical elements. The transition between the two circulations was subsequently made easier using vertical displacement to change the relationship between the main space and various east-side building floors.
The viewing hall unfolds its deployable skin as it rises from the corridor to the rooftop level, following the dynamic instruction of open display. This produces a clear point of view that faces the Xiangjiang River. On the other hand, in closed folding, the deployable skin compresses to create a private compartment, and the observation hall falls. The entire process, which shapes the project’s spatial form, is comparable to the dynamic unfolding of a flower.
The objective is to enhance resonance and contact with the urban public by pursuing morphological imagery that is universally recognizable within the modular design framework and standardized architectural components as form design advances. Using transparent ETFE membrane as the primary material, the deployable skin is divided into nine sections within the operable range and optimized based on the overlap of “petals” and the opening angle. This results in a combination of four outer pieces (7m5m) and five inner pieces (6m6m), all embellished with rounded hexagonal edges. Expanding from a truncated conical base, the central observation hall is completely encased in double-curved glass and responds to the vibrant spatial effect beneath the clustering of petals.
Intelligent design, structural integrity, and transparency
A load-bearing system that integrates glass curtain walls, a steel structure, and MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) components is used to maintain the integrity and visual transparency of the interior space. The basic structure consists of a strong chassis at the base, flat trusses around the perimeter, and top beams constructed using folding forms.
The columns combine with the glass curtain wall mullions to create a cohesive structure, maximizing transparency and pure space. Pipes for air conditioning, firefighting, drainage, and other equipment are channeled via holes in low-stress areas and integrated into the column system. The roof system is separated into zones to meet the needs of windows, ventilation, firefighting, smoke extraction, and other functions.
The dynamic lifting and lowering mechanical technology uses a “hydraulic scissor brace + flexible column” system to meet the demands of high-frequency daily use and guarantee the dependability of the mechanical systems, achieving comprehensive factors like stability, comfort, safety, and maintainability. The deployable skin system’s double-curved steel frame systematically connects each petal to the bottom hydraulic rod, enabling staggered opening and shutting.
An innovative linkage system made up of a “motor + reducer + big turntable” produces the skin’s dynamic effect by allowing for various degrees of petal opening depending on preprogrammed parameters for speed and angle. This satisfies the visual requirements of the adjacent office and residential units for the landscape while facilitating the transition between the building’s many usage scenarios.
Line+ works closely with RoboticPlus.AI to provide full-process digital design optimization, intelligent factory component manufacture, and prefabricated building installation during design refinement and production construction stages. This guarantees the project’s efficient precision and controllability throughout its whole lifecycle, from design to implementation.
Project Info
Project Name: Lotus by the Xiangjiang River in Changsha
Design Firm: line+ studio
Chief Architect/Project Principal: Zhu Peidong
Design Team: Li Binmiao, Bian Qian, Duan Xiajing, Xu Zifeng, Zhang Daozheng
Client: Greentown China
Intelligent Construction: RoboticPlus.AI
Project Location: Hunan, Changsha
Floor Area: 78m²
Structure: Steel Structure
Materials: ETFE Membrane, Curved Glass
Photography: CAAI_image · LI YI
