Society & Media Condenser.

Wuhan, China

Can a high-rise remain part of the street?

On the southern plaza of the Minzhong district, the proposal brings cultural, commercial, and working spaces into a connected urban complex. Blocks shift upward and downward around shared routes. Public space extends from an open ground level to platforms and terraces, giving the building several points of contact with the city.

Physical model of two unequal towers joined by elevated platforms and a lower public base — A connected section / Building around shared space
The model shows how distinct volumes can be linked without filling every space between them.

01 / The urban ground

Leave room for the city to pass through.

The site plan sets the project within the surrounding streets. At ground level, the building is conceived as a continuation of the plaza, with space between the volumes for movement and public activity. This open base is the starting point for connections higher in the building.

Site plan locating the proposal among the surrounding urban blocks — 01 / The site and its edges
The building addresses a shared urban ground within the Minzhong district.

Ground-floor plan with separated building volumes around a large open space — 02 / An open base
The ground plan shows the relationship between enclosed functions and the space left between them.

02 / Interlocking volumes

Move the blocks. Connect the gaps.

The massing is divided into levels, with some blocks lifted and others lowered. Shared platforms bridge those shifts. The sections show how horizontal connections and vertical circulation join the separate volumes, making their differences part of a continuous route.

Tall section with offset volumes and diagonal circulation routes — 03 / Across heights
The vertical section follows connections through the stacked volumes.

Cross section through the towers and lower shared platforms — 04 / Across the site
The wider section relates the internal connections to the open ground below.

03 / Shared levels

Make more than one ground.

Mid-level shared workplaces and green terraces introduce places to gather above the plaza. Rooftop spaces extend that sequence toward the skyline. The cutaway and detailed model focus on the platforms themselves: inhabitable connections between working spaces, outdoor areas, and circulation.

Cutaway rendering exposing floors and shared spaces in the interlocking tower complex — 05 / The occupied section
The cutaway reveals the succession of enclosed rooms, open floors, and links between them.

Detailed model of an elevated glazed platform and the open space beneath it — 06 / A platform to inhabit
The connection becomes a place with its own depth, enclosure, and relationship to the spaces below.

Street / Platform / Terrace

Public space has more than one level.

The proposal uses a connected section to explore how a tall building can participate in urban life, from its ground-level opening to its shared spaces above.

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Location: Wuhan, China
Studio: HUST studio project
Instructor: Gangyi Tan
Collaboration: Ruoxi Li

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