Terminus Group unveils BIG’s design for their future headquarters in Chongqing. AI CITY will be the new center of innovation for China, dedicated to Terminus’ ambitions in artificial intelligence of things, robotics, networking and big data.
The future home for Terminus Group, the world-leading smart service provider shaping the next generation of technology and cities, will be in AI CITY. BIG envisions the hi-tech campus as the new center of innovation for China, dedicated to Terminus Technologies’ ambitions in artificial intelligence of things, robotics, networking and big data. AI CITY is located in Chongqing, also known as the “mountain city” for being a sprawling megacity that’s crisscrossed by rivers and mountains in southwest China. The site of AI CITY is specifically situated within the Chongqing Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, with the 135,000m2 Cloud Valley anchoring the Science and Technology Headquarters in the first phase of the masterplan. Cloud Valley takes its inspiration from the natural Wulong Karst in the Chongqing Wulong National Park, where valleys and mountain form stunning connections between the earth and the sky. Our proposal for Cloud Valley is conceived as two plots along Xinshou Avenue and Gaoxin Avenue, that mimic each other’s opposites. There is the Mountain, which forms a striking landmark in the area that gives shelter to a protected network of courtyards filled with inviting public functions. Then there is the Valley, which offers the largest publicly accessible green rooftops in China for open-air events. Below the roofscape, the building opens up to the surrounding public to invite visitors into this new neighborhood.
Below the clouds and between the mountains, AI CITY is where Terminus and the world’s leading tech companies aim to advance the future of artificial intelligence and robotics, and build the foundations of a new sustainable development. In Cloud Valley, the barriers between nature and buildings will be removed. The porous structure of the urban fabric will create generous green courtyards with natural light and ventilation throughout both plots. Each courtyard will be programmed to host specific public activities. Sports events, art exhibitions and product fairs will be hosted in the technological park spread between the buildings. The barriers between human and artificial intelligence will also be removed. Newly created spaces including AI exhibition spaces, markets and cafés will invite the public to join under the roof. Under the same roof, professionals and robotics working in the most innovative companies of the country will develop future technologies. The traffic strategy focuses on a flexible transition towards a future re-balance of nature with development. Throughout AI CITY, e-bikes, robotic vehicles and self driving cars will define a new, smart mobility system.
With Chongqing’s unique location between the mountains, impressive cloud formations shield the building from direct sun exposure and creates a special atmosphere condition that allows the façade designs to be more transparent than usual. To protect the facades and exterior public spaces from further sun radiation and heavy rain, the building’s rooftops are extended by a significant distance, depending on the facade’s orientation. The roof also drops all the way to the central courtyard in one place, creating access to the roof lush garden, and in other places, the roof lifts in two corners to create entryways from the inside. The roofscape is one of the most important components that shapes the spirit of the Cloud Valley. It allows for an abundance of nature to co-exist with the office programs, thus preserving the wild landscape experience that’s traditionally difficult to access within the city limits. The green roof also embodies an ecological cohesive coexistence between human, nature, climate and technology. To display the ultimate gesture of nature meeting technology, the green roof carpet shaping the valley and the mountain turns into the largest digital display in China at night.
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Partners-in-Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Jakob Lange, Ole Elkjær Larsen
Project Leaders: Per Bo Madsen, Nanna Gyldeholm Møller, Dominic James Black, Gabrielle Nadeau, Dora Jiabao Lin, Enea Michelesio
Team: Biqin Li, Yara Rahme, Natchaluck Radomsittipat, Ipek Akin, Linnea Lujak, Laura Wätte, Peter Mortensen, Sergiu Calacean, Mattia Di Carlo, Høgni Laksafoss, Jan Magasanik, Eddie Can, Annette Jensen, Mussa Algasra, Marcela Dominika Rydalska, Laurent De Carniere, Cheng-Huang Lin, Nandi Lu, Henrik Jacobsen, Seda Yildiz, Lucas Coelho Netto, Marah Wagner, Vladislav Saprunenko, Jean-Sébastien Pagnon, Dimitrie Grigorescu, Alexander Matthias Jacobson, Kamila Abbiazova, Katrine Juul, Ella Murphy, Tore Banke, Cristian Teodor Fratila, Frederic Lucien Engasser, Ulla Hornsyld, Paul Johann Kohlhaussen, Eric Li, Erik Kreider, Karolina Lepa-Stewart, Tristan Harvey, Miles Treacy, Timo Harboe Nielsen, Andy Coward, Qingfeng Li, Milan Moldenhawer, Mamak Mazaheri, Daniel Ferrara Bilesky, Jesper Petersen, Andy Coward
