Leigh & Orange (L&O) is pleased to announce its appointment to deliver the new Zhejiang World Trade Center (WTC) in Hangzhou. The original building was first established in 1987, designed as a key venue to facilitate foreign trade, during the early years of the Chinese economic reforms.
Bearing the concept of a transit oriented development, or TOD, the new design will help re-zone the existing hotel-office-convention clusters, and to inject a new commercial catalyst for the business community.
Located in heart of the Huanglong financial district, and close to the famous scenic West Lake, the project is primarily an underground redevelopment with a total construction area of 79,250 sqm, including 24,700 sqm of new commercial spaces. The basement retail will be seamlessly connected to the metro forming a public gathering space, a focal point for the surrounding community. Central to the design is the concept of a “retail park”, where retail space will be intertwined with two major circulation experience: an indoor sport-themed arcade and an outdoor park trail. The retail complex will also house two major anchors, a sports-themed concept store and a major flagship bookstore.
Kelvin Li, L&O’s Project Director said: “L&O is honoured to be working on what is a very prominent scheme which will help shape the future of Hangzhou’s Huanglong district. With the upcoming 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, we hope to work hand-in-hand with Hangzhou Metro to transform this into a world class mixed-used facility. ”
Construction will begin in April 2018 and is expected to complete in 2021.