Liquid gold

Safdie Architects to design statement residential block on Qinhuangdao seafront Following the success of the adventurous Marina Bay Sands complex in Singapore, Safdie Architects have been selected for a new 2million sq ft residential and retail complex in Qinhuangdao, China. Renderings of the new facility suggest that Golden Dream Bay will encompass much of the bold and ambitious design work that we have come to expect from Moshe Safdie, with more than a passing reference to the aforementioned project in Singapore. The Golden Dream Bay project attempts to tackle the increasing demand for quality, affordable housing in China, with 2,200 residential units spread over 3.5million sq ft of internal space. Alongside this will sit 74,000 sq ft of recreational clubhouses and 73,000 sq ft of retail space. Similar to Marina Bay Sands, Golden Dream Bay will look to frame stunning views in the local vicinity, with towers arranged to form 'large-scale “urban windows” that break down the mega-scale of the project'. Whilst many parallels can be drawn between this and Safdie's Marina Bay Sands complex, there are also similarities with BIG's recently completed 8 House in Oerestad. Both projects incorporate interconnected residential blocks stepped around large architectural frameworks, anchored by green public spaces and recreational facilities. Safdie's towers are organised across a beachfront boardwalk which intersects an east-west retail pathway drawing the public's attention to the new amenities. Renderings show private balconies and terraces on each level, interspersed with communal parks and swimming pools facing seawards from many storeys up. Safdie Architects claim that these sky-high facilities create 'a resort-like ambiance and a feeling of community cohesiveness within the complex' but one wonders whether such an ambitious design will allow the sense of community the architect is attempting to achieve.