RSA to Design a 10-Tower Mixed-Use Project in China
By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorNanjing, CHINA–Los Angeles-based Rothenberg Sawasy Architects (RSA) has been chosen to design Venice Water City, a 2.3-million sq.-ft. mixed-use project overlooking the Yangtze River in Nanjing, China.Developed by Suning Corp., the project will include 10 high-rise residential towers and 53,000 sq. ft. of retail.“Because of the site’s proximity to the…
By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorNanjing, CHINA–Los Angeles-based Rothenberg Sawasy Architects (RSA) has been chosen to design Venice Water City, a 2.3-million sq.-ft. mixed-use project overlooking the Yangtze River in Nanjing, China.Developed by Suning Corp., the project will include 10 high-rise residential towers and 53,000 sq. ft. of retail.“Because of the site’s proximity to the Yangtze River, our primary goal is to harmoniously integrate this urban development with the natural beauty afforded by this nautical amenity,” says Mitchell Sawasy, RSA principal.To achieve this goal, Sawasy says, RSA’s plan calls for an elegant and sophisticated array of towers enhanced by surrounding gardens and a marina. “In effect, Venice Water City will establish a new paradigm for the area’s future urban renewal program. Greenbelts will abound in the new project in contrast to the densely populated, older adjacent developments.”Upon completion, the towers, ranging from 11 to 31 stories, will contain 1,867 units.“The design challenge was in blending Western design concepts with Chinese cultural and household patterns,” says Dwight Bond, RSA associate principal who is serving as project director. Sawasy adds that the construction cost of this project will only be about $68 million—about one-tenth of what it would cost in the U.S. “This project exemplifies why so much construction is occurring in China today,” he says.