Deji Plaza Xuzhou | Xuzhou, China | 2025

Architects: LMCA Design - Li Min Ching Architecture Design, D.P.C.
Lead Architect: Li Min Ching
Associate Architects: Nanjing Yangtze River Urban Architectural Design Co., Ltd.
General Contractor: China Construction Fifth Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd.Client: Deji Plaza (Xuzhou) Co., Ltd.
Photographers: LMCA Design (Li Min Ching Architecture & Design)

This mixed-use program includes twin 60- story, 259 meter (850 feet) tall towers with high-end residential condo space. The podium is a luxury retail mall which also contains a large art gallery, IMAX cinemas, exhibition spaces and a variety of restaurants. Referencing the city's central green axis, the design is inspired by the Banyan Tree.

A Banyan tree is not born of its own seeds, but rather it seeds an existing older tree and rebirths it in an elegant and organic new form, which is appropriate since most of the remnants of the previous structural foundation and slab design were repositioned. This project was originally partially constructed and lay abandoned for years before the new developer purchased the property and required a redesign. At that time, the twin tower foundations and core had already been set, and the podium was partially constructed.

While the tower foundations could not feasibly be altered, anything above the 11-story height of the tower could be modified within reason, all the way up to the crown. In respect to the retail podium, only the portion connecting the towers had been built, with the bulk of the spaces still left to be developed. The programming was reimagined and required different floor to floor heights, while the existing slabs/structure was repositioned and repurposed to save on natural resources and embodied carbon already used in the prior construction. The new design and massing are inspired by the organic forms of the Banyan root structures.

The Podium massing twists as it rises and includes natural Jura limestone consisting of parametrically fixed rotated panels which allow the buildings mechanical systems to have proper airflow while allowing natural ventilation into the building. The MEP louvers are mostly situated behind these panels with the airflow passing through the gaps created by the panel rotations. The horizontal Jura limestone elements represent the strata of the soil from which these roots emerge.

At the podium rooftop, there are also elements inspired by nature such as leaf shaped skylights above each massive atrium, and glass egg shaped elevator enclosures at the larger exterior terraces. The towers incorporate sunscreens which are reminiscent of fern-like vines and shade the operable windows from direct sunlight allowing fresh air into the condo units, thereby reducing the need for mechanical cooling & heating. In the corners of each tower, there are organically shaped structural elements to support the cantilevered glass panels that reduce vortex wind loads, which weave their way upwards to the top crowns.

These vine-like structural elements are visible at an urban scale and continue the podium's motif vertically along the towers, creating a distinct landmark on the skyline. The landscaped public spaces change use & form between each pedestrian zone at the ground floor and multiple terraces on the podium rooftop.

A variety of terraces at the podium rooftops provide open unobstructed views and are located at multiple levels. Each is programmed with a unique function such as observation platforms, lifestyle, bars, gardens, and art galleries. The main urban green space includes cultural promenades, water features, art walks, and a variety of gathering spaces. The center of the site includes an underground connection to the main metro lines which converge at the central point of Xuzhou.