Galaxy Soho - Research

- January 31, 2023

Galaxy Soho is an office and commercial building designed by architects Zaha Hadid and Patrick Schumacher. It was built in 2009-12 and it is located in Beijing, China. This building is made out of 4 "dome" structure parts and they are connected by ongoing bridges and curved platforms that create a "central canyon", designed like this to create a sense of "immersion and envelopment" with flowing dynamic movement structures. It is 67 meters and 332857m² and covers 46,965m² of land, each block is 15 floors, 12 being office floors and 3 retail floors with cafes, restaurants, and entertainment. It was inspired by Chinese architecture, specifically "Classical Chinese courtyards".

"Fiberglass-reinforced plastic", "glass-reinforced concrete" and "shipbuilding steel plates" materials were used to create a clean curve-looking exterior with an organic form structure. Aluminum and stone were also used for the exterior "cladding" as they were easier available for local materials. Because of the ongoing structure, the center and other blank spaces allow natural light to enter from the skylights and windows from every corner. The flowing bands of white aluminum and glass lining the interior give the look of the building an incredible sight from the outside and that continues throughout the building with the white block floors followed by grey outlines that are separated by a black stripe that also match the the walls and ceilings.

The process of creating this after the completion of the final designs was to first study and analysed how could the construction of the complex structure could be created. 9% of the curved exterior parts were double-sized and the rest were single-sized because the parts had to be transported by trucks to the site. They converted most of the exterior "curtain wall" into single-sized components and later on the regional construction was invited to help build the aluminum and glass parts/units of the design.

The structure of the building was designed with environmentally friendly features which resulted in receiving "LEED certification" for its environmental programs and also influences visitors to travel in a sustainable manner. There's a "cooled roofing" system on the roof that makes sure the "microclimate" is ideal for the guests to enjoy, and there are also water-saving systems that recycle greywater which results in 20% reduction in general water usage. By having "highly efficient lighting fixtures, air ventilation systems, and a double glazing exterior envelope", the energy consumption is reduced by 14%.

This building is an excellent design that shows innovative ideas with its futuristic and bold structures and the use of materials and plans for sustainability worked great to complete this within the team's ideal budget. This design inspired me to research and find better materials and create better sustainability plans for my project as well as to be a little more creative with the structures of my design.