Zaha Hadid Architects won the design competition for the Jinghe New City Culture & Art Center in Shaanxi province, China. The project is located within the Jinghe Bay Academician Science & Technology Innovation district of the city.

Jinghe New City is growing as a science and technology hub, driven by the research linked to environmental issues. The city is soon developing into a center for industries that primarily research new energy sources and materials, aerospace, and artificial intelligence. With all this in mind, the project is designed as a passive building, integrating technologies for on-site power generation.

ZHA’s design recalls the landscape of Shaanxi province, with fluid lines echoing the meandering valleys sculpted over time by the Jinghe River. Jinghe center appears as a network of flowing layers, opening onto courtyards and gardens. These volumes and surfaces become a series of interior and exterior cultural and recreational spaces, all accessible to the community. The project integrates sloping ramps, in order to allow access from the district’s network of elevated public walkways.