YIIIE Architects has successfully completed Building No. 4, a remarkable addition to the Yangjia River Rainbow Lake Small Architecture Series in Jinan, China. Located at the strategic intersection of Kechuang Road and Kewen Road in the central area of Jinan High-tech East District, this 1,694-square-meter project represents a groundbreaking approach to integrating commercial architecture with natural landscapes. The project, completed in 2025, was developed as part of a comprehensive urban renewal initiative led by Jinan Dongsheng Urban Renewal Development Co., Ltd.
The architectural design, spearheaded by lead architects Zhang Tang and Zhou Yuhan, embodies the principle of "making the landscape beheld, creating spaces in between." This innovative concept seeks to blur the traditional boundaries between architecture and natural environments, exploring how built structures can foster mutually beneficial relationships between public life and commercial activity. The project challenges conventional approaches to urban greening projects with commercial components, where buildings and parks are typically sharply separated.
The building's most distinctive feature is its hyperbolic plate truss system, which creates an elongated corridor that makes the landscape experience tangible and extends it throughout the structure. These corridors establish multiple contact points between the river, surrounding lawns, and interior spaces, activating diverse programs and experiences for visitors. The design breaks away from conventional segregated circulation patterns, with corridors weaving through eaves spaces, pedestrian paths, and seamlessly connected walkways to enhance interaction between architecture and landscape.
Following the natural topography of the site, the corridors intersect, converge, and guide movement patterns that lead visitors from the first floor to the second level before flowing out of the building. In the gaps formed by these undulating, interlacing corridors, plants take root naturally, and the convergence of paths creates a central courtyard that serves as an organic gathering space. This design approach generates multiple interlacing flows that serve both as transitional gray-space corridors and functional interior spaces.
The construction of the project presented significant technical challenges, particularly with the double-curved plate truss corridor system. The curved roof with elongated corridors required far greater precision in structural calculations and on-site welding compared to conventional flat roof designs. The double-curved corridor spans nearly six meters while maintaining a completed structural thickness of only 100 millimeters, demonstrating remarkable engineering achievement.
Shanghai TANDD Technology Co., Ltd., the fabrication company, employed cutting-edge digital lofting technology to enhance the precision of cutting irregularly shaped panels. The team designed custom packing frames for transportation to ensure that all twelve large double-curved components arrived on site without any deformation. During the construction phase, TANDD's project team remained stationed on-site to resolve complex issues related to positioning irregular components and their intersection with the main structure.
The project represents a broader vision for the Yangjia River Ecological Corridor and slow-mobility network, aligning with the East District Construction Headquarters' directive to "strengthen supporting facilities, enhance urban quality, foster innovation vitality, and improve the district's capacity to radiate development." The design team, including landscape designers from CSWADI and structural engineers from iStructure, collaborated to create a space where commercial functions extend beyond individual consumption to become an integral part of public life.
This architectural achievement demonstrates how contemporary design can successfully integrate commercial functionality with environmental consciousness, creating spaces that serve both community needs and ecological preservation. The project stands as a model for future urban development projects that seek to harmonize built environments with natural landscapes while maintaining commercial viability and public accessibility.
