In the Chinese metropolis, the Panlong neighbourhood redevelopment project chooses Zintek for the roof of the Panlong Tiandi Cultural and Arts Centre.
The Panlong Tiandi Cultural and Arts Centre is a building that houses an art museum with a futuristic and immersive design, contemporary and traditional at the same time. It is at the heart of a redevelopment project involving an entire neighbourhood of Shanghai, Panlong, once a water town, ancient village of rice fields.
Zintek® has been chosen for the roof of the art museum. In the eyes of the architect that designed the building, Zhu Xiaofeng, from the Studio Scenic Architecture firm, founded in Shanghai in 2004, the art museum is the point of union between tradition and modernity, the past and the present. Indeed, the redevelopment of the area aims to recover the identity of the past, rice fields, waterways and parks, merging tradition – the old restructured buildings – and modernity; that is, modern buildings or others inspired by the traditional style. The zintek® roof gives the museum a unique light and futuristic layout while at the same time it respects the traditional architecture of the ancient villages around the rice fields. The use of zintek® alongside glass and other materials creates a space which is fascinating, elegant and never overpowering, where visitors can relax and enjoy the indoor and outdoor environments.
The neighbourhood development and reclamation project includes a central hub with the recovery of the old water town where stores, restaurants and bars will be built. Around this central hub there will be a ring of parks and green spaces for recreational activities such as sports, children’s playgrounds and vegetable plots. Finally, around this green ring there will be a residential area with luxury homes and apartments.
The colour and consistency of zintek® makes it the ideal material for Panlong
A precise point of grey, neither too light or too dark, was the “plus” that convinced the architecture firm Scenic Architecture to choose zintek® from the range of titanium zinc panels available on the market. “When assessing the other companies that make titanium zinc – says the architect Zhu Xiaofeng – I was not happy with the colours they proposed, above all the shade of grey, which was always either too light or too dark, or tended too much towards blue. I, however, had a clear idea in my mind of the colour I wanted: a specific shade between blue and green which in Chinese we call Qīng. That’s why, when I saw the Zintek products I said: this is exactly what I need, what I want.”
But it was not just the colour of the Zintek® that he appreciated: the architect Xiaofeng’s firm found in the panels made by the Venetian company a particular consistency which was ideal for the project. In fact, the titanium zinc proposed by Zintek has a highly precise and recognisable texture that can be noticed from afar and guarantees elegance and purity of the lines. If the colour is too light or too dark, it is difficult to appreciate its texture. Instead, with the Zintek product, even from many metres away it is possible to clearly perceive the consistency of the texture. The project needed this specific quality to remind people of the traditional building and to build a bridge between the new roof and the traditional tiles that have an extremely full consistency in terms of texture.
Since it was established in 2004, Scenic Architecture has created many exceptional works in China, above all in the Yangtze river delta. These works reflect Zhu Xiaofeng personal design concept: using ontological architecture as a language to answer the needs of the people, of nature and of society, establishing a balance through new architectural orders. Scenic Architecture’s projects have been widely published in international and local trade journals and have been sent to many international architectural exhibitions.
Interview with the architect Zhu Xiaofeng
from the firm that developed the Panlong Tiandi Cultural and Arts Centre of Shanghai project
Presence on the Asian market: Zintek for public buildings
Schools, museums, universities, theatres. Many new public buildings for social uses in China choose the most innovative and cutting-edge architecture. They embody the taste of the new generations that pays greater attention to modern and linear shapes and layouts. Zintek, with its products, colours and textures, meets all needs; zintek® is pliable, sustainable, appealing and long-lasting and, thanks to these characteristics, it contributes to the creation of cutting edge works.
The recent project developed in the city of Shenzhen, in Guandong province, on the border with Hong Kong, confirm this: the roof of a pedestrian bridge connecting two areas of the city, crossing over an important main road. Titanium zinc panels from The Colored Ones line were used for the roof of the “H” shaped bridge. The “natural earth brown” hue blends in perfectly with the warm yellow colour of the wood used for the walkway and creates a play of light and shadow that make the pedestrian bridge a light structure that fits in perfectly with the surrounding landscape.
One of the things most appreciated in China is the fact that zintek® titanium zinc is easy to use: it is soft, easy to treat and cut. It is also available in a range of colours that fully reflect the colours that are appreciated by the Chinese culture.
