With 2019 upon us, the Oval Partnership is delighted to celebrate the opening of Qujiang’s Creative Circle, our very first project in Xian, China.
The Oval Partnership has undertaken the masterplan, architecture and interior design of this first-of-its-kind cultural and creative park in Xian, the ancient imperial capital of China. Opened on 30 December 2018, the Qujiang Creative Circle is the culmination of years of our effort in researching and exploring street-based mixed-use developments. It is also our novel take on cultural creative clusters, through the provision of conducive live and work space for the creative industry.
Situated in the National Cultural Industry District along Yan Xiang Lu, the Qujiang Creative Circle provides 529,000 square metres of mixed-use space and encompasses all aspects of life — commercial, working, residential, recreational and performance — that the young cultural and creative professionals in Xi’an call for. The concept is all about work-life integration. The design thus breaks away from the conventional enclosed prototype.
“Experience” is the design keyword here. By knocking down the walls and creating a walkable street environment, people are liberated from the physical confines and encouraged to engage and enjoy a stronger connection to the outdoors. Walkways, footbridges, civic plazas, sky gardens, sunken terraces and green landscapes weave through the entire complex, converting the public realm into truly open co-working space. These are places where creative works are exhibited, and the exchange of ideas takes place. For the cultural and creative millennials, it also means more possibilities for place-making, thereby encourages more social interaction and chance encounters. The result is an inclusive, sustainable urban ecosystem which caters to the live-work-play lifestyle eagerly sought after by the new generation in Xi’an, if not in the world.
Find out more here.
