Safdie Architects announced that it has been selected to design a 10-million-square-feet mixed-use complex for a historically significant site at the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, in the inland Chinese city of Chongqing. The project, which is spearheaded by development partners CapitaL and, CapitaMalls Asia, and Singbridge, will feature residential and office space as well as retail and cultural facilities, a service residence, a hotel, restaurants and clubs, a park, gardens, and hubs for land and water transportation, including ferry docking and landscaped boardwalks.

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Chongqing Chaotianmen project, Chongqing, China. Aerial View. Rendering courtesy of Safdie Architects.

Safdie Architects
Chongqing Chaotianmen project, Chongqing, China. Upward view of towers. Rendering courtesy of Safdie Architects.

The project is a little resemblance to Safdie's previous Marina Bay Sands project in Singapore and in contrast to Marina s' three glittering pillars, Safdie's latest creation comprises six key columns - two identical towers in the centre and two shorter towers in a semicircular arc on either side.

chongqing chaotianmen project
Chongqing Chaotianmen project, Chongqing, China. Balconies. Rendering courtesy of Safdie Architects.

Chongqing Chaotianmen Restaurant
Chongqing Chaotianmen project, Chongqing, China. Restaurant. Rendering courtesy of Safdie Architects.

The design for this gateway site, by international architect Moshe Safdie, is inspired by the image of sailing ships on the river, and is intended to serve as a symbol of both Chongqing's noble past as a trading center and its fast-growing future as one of China's largest and most important modern cities. The outer curving glass facades of the project's six towers, placed in a prow-like arc, will face the water to the north, while decked hanging gardens and a generous public park will link the complex to the city immediately to the south. As a whole, the complex will consist of:
Moshe Safdie
Chongqing Chaotianmen project, Chongqing, China. View from water at dusk. Rendering courtesy of Safdie Architects.

Chongqing Chaotianmen China
Chongqing Chaotianmen project, Chongqing, China. Aerial view (modal view). Image courtesy of Safdie Architects. Chongqing Chaotianmen project, Chongqing, China. Aerial view at Night (modal view). Image courtesy of Safdie Architects.

Chongqing Chaotianmen Yangtze River
Chongqing Chaotianmen project, Chongqing, China. View from Yangtze River at night (modal view). Image courtesy of Safdie Architects.

All four residential towers terrace to the south, forming a continuous green façade toward the city. Beneath the park, the project will also feature four levels of shopping gallerias, as well as a conference center, theaters, and other cultural spaces.

The project, which is expected to have a total development cost of about $3.1 billion, will front upon what was once the foremost of Chongqing's traditional city gates, where officials received imperial decrees from the Emperor. As the city's initial dock area on the Yangtze, the location also represents the great tradition of the shipping highway, which has stoked this major inland city's development from its beginning and now drives its contemporary evolution.