MORE ABOUT: Linked Hybrid – Beijing, China

MORE ABOUT:
Linked Hybrid

Built: 2003-2009
Architect: Steven Holl Architects
Structural Engineer: Guy Nordenson and Associates, China Academy of Building Research
Mechanical Engineer: Transsolar,Beijing Capital Engineering Architecture Design Co. LTD, Cosentini Associates

Linked Hybrid is a multifunctional urban complex consisting of eight towers connected by skybridges in a semi-lattice-like form. The complex is described as an “open city within a city” which includes spaces for residential, commercial, educational and recreational use. The design promotes the use of shared resources while also diminishing the need for unnecessary transit.

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The eight towers have concrete exoskeletons that diminish the need for interior columns and allow the residential apartments to vary in size and design. The apartments also contain adjustable panels for reconfiguration.

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The skybridges connect to the towers by four roller mounts called isolators which allow for their own independent movement during earthquakes. The bridges all differ in slope and are designed to maximize transparency and allow for optimal light.

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Five multistory, steel cantilevers at 33 feet long rest on top of the towers and are supported by a reinforced concrete diagrid in the exoskeleton. Polychrome lights inspired by ancient Chinese temples line the undersides of the cantilevers, skybridges, and the window jambs.

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655 Geo-thermal wells each at 100 meters below the base of the structure provide an estimated 70 percent of all cooling and heating needs for the building. The placement of these mechanical systems underground reduces noise pollution, lowers CO2 emissions and opens up roof space for green landscapes.

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Linked Hybrid utilizes water recycling techniques that pipe used water from apartments and the greywater pond into ultraviolet filtered tanks and redistributes the water back to the apartments and also waters the surrounding landscapes. 220,000 liters of water are recycled daily and the building is credited with a 41 percent decrease in potable water usage.

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Case Study by: Brandon Long
ARE 320K, Fall 2010

Sources (UT Library):

Article:
“Steven Holl Architects: Linkwd Hybrid, Beijing 2003-08.” Lotus International Mar. 2010: 64-71.

Pearson, Clifford A. “Connected Living: Steven Holl’s Linked Hybrid in Beijing Provides a Vision of Mixed-use Development That Engages the City around It and Operates Sustainably.” Architectural Record Jan. 2010: 48-55.

“Linked Hybrid, Beijing, China.” GA Document Dec. 2009: 40-55

Photo Credits:
[1] Steven Holl Architects (website)
[2] Iwan Baan (website)
[3] Flickr (website)