Woods Bagot recently shared the design thinking behind Wenling Center, a waterfront mixed-use development, at DAF 2026 – Domain of Architectural Forum in Hangzhou. Presented under the theme Biophilic Architecture: The Natural Principles of Green Habitation, the project was also recognised with the 2026 DAF Golden Scale Award, acknowledging its integrated approach to architecture, facade design and natural context.
The session was jointly presented by Director Pearl Huang and Jerry Li, Technical Director at Meinhardt Facade Technology (Shanghai). Together, they outlined the collaborative process behind this near‑300‑metre, hospitality‑led landmark, where early coordination between architecture, structure, facade engineering and wind analysis shaped both form and performance.
Located on a peninsula site in Wenling, Zhejiang, with wetland on three sides, the project responds simultaneously to the waterfront, parkland and distant skyline. Rather than addressing a single primary frontage, the facade was conceived as a 360 degree architectural system, ensuring clarity and legibility from multiple viewpoints.
The overall massing is articulated into a hotel tower, a serviced apartment tower and an active public podium. This approach refines vertical proportions while establishing a clear logic for facade zoning. Programmatic transitions—from public and semi-public spaces to private accommodation and an iconic crown—are expressed through a gradually evolving facade language that supports wayfinding and user experience.
A segmented facade strategy was adopted for the supertall hotel tower, maintaining a rationalised system through most of the building height while introducing curvature and tapering at upper levels. This balance enabled architectural expression while supporting constructability and long-term performance.
Sustainability is addressed as an integrated facade strategy, extending beyond energy metrics to include water management, drainage, rooftop landscaping and the potential integration of shading and photovoltaic systems. Enabled by early, cross‑disciplinary collaboration, the facade operates not simply as an exterior skin, but as a system that connects civic identity, environmental performance and real-world use over time.
Following her presentation at the event, Pearl Huang answered the following Q&A about the project:
“Architecture and façade design are most effective when they are conceived as one system rather than two separate parts, especially in the context of a 300‑metre‑tall tower.
When we designed the Wenling Center, building massing, function zoning, structural logic and façade strategy were developed together to reduce energy demand, manage wind and daylight, and support long‑term adaptability. This integrated approach allows sustainability to be embedded in the building’s fundamentals.”
“Located at the transition between wetland and city, Wenling Center draws lessons from how natural systems operate across changing conditions and scales.
Like wetland ecologies, the building and façade act as filters, modulating light, wind and heat from the podium to the tall tower crown. This approach allows biophilic principles to enhance comfort and resilience in dense urban living environments, while maintaining a strong connection to the surrounding landscape.”
“Designers need to move from designing fixed architecture outcomes to creating adaptable systems. Enduring places are those designed with change in mind from the beginning.
At Wenling Center, a clear tower geometry, a façade strategy developed alongside massing, and a mixed hotel–residential programme allow a 300‑metre high‑rise to evolve in use while retaining a strong identity.”
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