Raffles Chongqing activates Chaotianmen city function

With the closing of the Crystal Corridor, the much-anticipated Raffles City Chongqing is getting closer and closer to its full bloom. It has been 6 years since it acquired the land. On September 10, Tencent Real Estate saw at the construction site that the project was nearing completion, with eight buildings rising from the ground, looking very majestic and promising to set sail.

Raffles City Chongqing is located in the heart of Chongqing, at the intersection of the Yangtze River and Jialing River - Chaotianmen, a cultural landmark that has witnessed the development of Chongqing for thousands of years. It was jointly developed by CapitaLand and Ascendas-Singbridge. The land price at that time was as high as 6.536 billion yuan, with a volume of more than 1.12 million square meters. It was also Singapore's largest single investment project in China, exceeding 24 billion yuan.

Perhaps because of the above factors, the development and construction process of Raffles City Chongqing has been accompanied by controversy, focusing on "inconvenient transportation and changing the skyline of Chaotianmen". In this regard, Michael, the China director of Moshe Safdie Architectural Design Office, said frankly that these disputes will be resolved with the completion and delivery of the project. For example, the optimization of traffic patterns, the design of diversion of people and vehicles, and the construction of viaducts will effectively avoid traffic congestion.

A relevant person from the Yuzhong District Historical and Cultural District Construction and Management Committee said that Chongqing Raffles City is located in Chaotianmen Square. The relationship between the two is that one is a landmark geographical attraction and the other is a project. "Chaotianmen as Chongqing The logo and geographical location will not disappear. "Currently, relevant government departments are also upgrading the Chaotianmen Square environment and Chaotianmen Market.

Behind the public opinion is a hot topic nowadays, urban renewal. This is also the business that CapitaLand has focused on since entering China 24 years ago. How to rejuvenate the old city and give it new era content? How to maintain the urban context and texture and improve the city’s service functions? When Raffles City Chongqing opens, it may be the time to test CapitaLand’s answers.

Integrating history and culture from the beginning of the design

Ancient Chongqing Xiongguan, the four-character road shows the historical significance and status of Chaotianmen in Chongqing. Chaotianmen is the largest of the seventeen ancient city gates in Chongqing. From here, you can have a panoramic view of the natural wonders of the confluence of the clear blue Jialing River and the turbid Yangtze River.

Chaotianmen is not only the largest waterway passenger terminal in Chongqing, but also has the largest comprehensive trading market in Chongqing - Chaotianmen Market, which brings a huge flow of people to Chaotianmen. In September 2005, Chaotianmen Square, which is not directly connected to any main highway, became the "zero kilometer" landmark in Chongqing, and its significance as a landmark was once again enhanced.

Such a superior geographical location is naturally rare for real estate companies, but no matter which real estate company, it will be a very challenging project to renovate Chaotianmen. In November 2011, a new plot of land was launched in Chaotianmen, which had not had land on the market for five years, triggering competition among many developers. In the end, CapitaLand and Singbridge Holdings won the project for NT$6.536 billion, creating a sensation.

Someone related to CapitaLand said that they had already decided to make a good project when they acquired the land. This is where Raffles City Chongqing comes from. It is CapitaLand’s ninth Raffles City in the world and its eighth in China. Just as every Raffles City invites world-renowned designers to design, Raffles City Chongqing invites well-known Canadian designer Moshe Safdie.

Habitat', the iconic building of the World's Fair in Montreal, Canada

67. The famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore are both representative works of Moshe Safdie. While traveling along the Liangjiang River, Moshe Safdie discovered that the entire Yuzhong Peninsula looked particularly like an ancient sailing ship from the side, and his inspiration was immediately triggered. He designed Chongqing Raffles in the shape of a sailboat. The sails firstly integrated Chongqing's shipping culture, and secondly, he hoped that Chongqing Raffles could lead Chongqing to ride the wind and waves and move forward bravely.

Another detail is that Deng Xiaoping, the chief architect of the "Reform and Opening Up", set off from Chaotianmen in 1920 and embarked on a ship to study in France. In Michael's view, this was a way to go to the world. The symbol of "sailing sailing towards the world and heading towards the future also represents the absorption and accumulation of cultures from all over the world and local cultural exchanges."

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Huang Ruicheng, general manager of Raffles Chongqing, further explained, "We have had many communications with the design team and the government on how to integrate the project into the shipping culture of Chaotianmen. The roof, including the podium, slopes upward at five degrees to represent the upwards of a sailing ship deck. "In addition to its symbolic significance, the project is also integrated with the Chaotian Gate based on the colors of the intersection of the two rivers.

The entire Chongqing Raffles City consists of 8 super high-rise towers, a bottom podium and an aerial link across the sky. It consists of five core business types: high-end residences, shopping malls, office buildings, five-star hotels and service apartments. In terms of shopping mall design, the one close to the Jialing River is named Jialingjiang District, and the color matches the cool tone of the Jialing River; the one close to the Yangtze River is named Jialingjiang District. It is named the Yangtze River District, and the color matches the warm tones of the Yangtze River. Huang Ruicheng said: “We hope that this project can bring Chongqing to the world and become a must-visit place for domestic and foreign tourists. ”

Revitalizing urban functions around regional positioning

Initially, Raffles City Chongqing was expected to cost 21 billion yuan. However, as the project progressed, the geological structure and soil composition became more complex, and municipal Regarding project setting and other issues, the budget is constantly being increased. One detail is the protection of the ancient city wall. For the excavated ancient city wall, Raffles City Chongqing will build an exhibition area centered on the ancient city wall in accordance with the requirements of the Yuzhong District Government. It is currently in compliance with cultural relics protection. According to the requirements of the law, a protection display plan will be prepared, which will be implemented after the approval of the relevant competent authorities.

During the visit to the Raffles City Chongqing project, the most concerning thing was the transformation of Chaotianmen due to its geographical location. , here is a natural transportation hub, and also has the Chaotianmen Market, which is crowded with people. Congestion is a common occurrence. The market is bounded by Chongqing Raffles City in the north, Minzu Road, Datong Street, Chaotianmen Tunnel in the south, Changjiang Binjiang Road in the east, and Changjiang Binjiang Road in the west. On the west side of Xinhua Road.

Before the construction of Chongqing Raffles City, this area used Chaotianmen Pier as a turntable and was very congested from the upper half of the city to the lower half of the city, said Wu Huanzhong, general manager of Chongqing Raffles City Project Development. , in order to alleviate the congestion in Chaotianmen, CapitaLand, together with domestic and foreign professional traffic consultants and design teams, is determined to improve the traffic flow.

First, the traffic flow will be diverted. “Only those who specifically enter Chaotianmen Square will be diverted. Only when you enter the area where Raffles City is located, the flow of people in the wholesale market does not pass through Chaotianmen. For those who pass by Chaotianmen, they only need to pass by Changbin Road and Jiabin Road. "The second is to invest over 100 million yuan in the construction of viaducts, subways and bus stations to improve traffic efficiency.

It is not difficult to find that urban renewal is not only a technical activity, but also a sentimental one. The process requires strong strength from investors, but also a passion for cultural inheritance and innovation, and continuous investment to awaken the urban functions of old neighborhoods. A CapitaLand insider said, “While doing a good job as a developer, , CapitaLand is also more involved in municipal planning and construction to activate urban functions. ”

In addition, under the positioning of upgrading the Chaotianmen business district’s “brand commerce, creative offices, and cultural tourism”, Chongqing Raffles City will also use 30% of the area to build its first store , if it is a brand that has settled in Chongqing, it will also set up a different concept store or flagship store here.

Of course, Chongqing is famous for its food, and a food street is essential. Raffles City Chongqing will. Create a food street and introduce well-known local internet celebrity restaurants to attract domestic and foreign tourists. “We not only want to be as outstanding as possible in terms of hardware, but also want to be as outstanding as possible in terms of business planning and software. " Huang Ruicheng said.

A young Chongqing girl expressed her thoughts, "I hope that Raffles City Chongqing will not only be a business card and a commercial complex, but also a business complex for the new generation. A reason that can attract everyone back to Chaotianmen. ”