西安火车站概念竞赛 | YAC Xi'an Train Station

China.

It is not just a geographical horizon. It is an oneiric horizon too. China is a country of legends and ancient mysteries and spirits. While Rome was tracing the first signs of Western civilization, in the East the third dynasty of a thousand-year old empire was declining.

For centuries, the city of Xi’An has been the heart of the East and the residence of thirteen emperors’ dynasties. It has been a firm and stark heart pulsating with ruins and restorations, splendors and following declines. For 3,500 years, this heart has been expanding and contracting according to the rhythm of the events of the Middle Kingdom.

Xi’An is majestic and evasive. To this date, it is a wealth of treasures and sublime contradictions. Here, ancient and contemporary elements seem to compete for the soul of the city. In Xi’An stone dragons provide counterpoint to neon signs and paper lanterns guard the thresholds of glass skyscrapers.

Xi’An is tireless and adaptable to the needs of the times. By 2030, this city will experience an expansion of more than 17km2. This is the outcome of a measure that has been implemented by the central government of Beijing. It aims at maintaining the city as the hub of the relationships between China and the Western world.

In this context, Manni Group and YAC srl are pleased to present Xi’An Train Station.

A new rail terminal will define the meeting point between East and West. It will be located at the end of the Silk Road. For centuries, generations of geographers

and merchants had considered this place the most remote destination. This new rail terminal will be at the crossroads of the old and the new, the Yin and the Yang of the opposite poles that generate the future of human society on a daily basis.

Here, millions of roads will intersect. Millions of journeys will start and end. Millions of lives, expectations and hopes will meet in the frantic and unaware atmosphere of travel-related places. This is because a station is more than a simple railroad platform, travelling is more than an experience. After all, the journey is the most real and genuine metaphor for the human condition.

YAC thanks all the architects who will take part in this challenge.

Xi’An is contaminated by contemporaneity, yet it preserves an ancient fascination thanks to its tall pagodas and mighty bastions, the banks of the Feng River and the smooth peaks of Mount Hua. At nightfall, lights and iridescent flashes illuminate congested roads. A river of people flows into the streets of the historical city crowding among screaming vendors and shopkeepers. Vapors and strong smells rise up from the small shops towards a pitch-black sky. Any kind of food is made and displayed in front of thousands of distracted passers-by: pecking ducks, sheep paws and confectionery with an exotic taste and a flamboyant look. Xi’An has all the elements to be defined a contemporary city, yet these scenarios evoke a thousand-year old memory. The same screams, the same smells used to rise up towards the same sky when people used to gather around the fire to tell stories about Pan Gu and the 4 mythical beasts before the ascend of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. However, Xi’An is not just about folklore and legends. Today more than ever, Xi’An is about contemporaneity and innovative visions. In a city that hosts more than 8 million inhabitants, huge outlines of cement towers stand out against the sky among wooden porticos and courtyards of ancient buildings. In order to ensure a contextualized design aiming at proposing feasible solutions, hereby follows a list of main constraints and features to take into account for the design.

1. International town; China is an economic miracle that is difficult to fully understand. Starting from the end of the Second World War, contemporary China has been constantly developing and growing. This country alone accounts for one sixth of the global population. According to numerous statesmen, currently it is a significant international superpower. It is progressively establishing itself also thanks to an increasingly open relationship with the rest of the world. This is way to interpret the project of the International Town. It is an initiative promoted by the central government aiming at turning Xi’An into an international center where to debate, exchange and meet. Xi’An already boasts more than 5,000 leader companies situated in the Hi-Tech district and some of the most prestigious Chinese Universities. In addition to that, the city will increasingly enhance its international excellence in education and trade. It will become the epicenter of production investments and the international economic elite’s meeting point. Here, business opportunities will have to go hand in hand with an extremely refined lifestyle in order to meet the most sophisticated needs of major foreign investors. Stadiums, cinemas, hotels, shops and residences will be the counterpoint to offices and corporate buildings, which will stand for the economic heart of modern China. Therefore, the new railway station will have to dialogue with such ecosystem. It will have to properly reflect its qualities and meet the expectations of a demanding and international public.

2. Historical city; originally, Xi’An used to be named Chang’An meaning “perpetual peace”. Its history is so ancient that blends with legend. Actually, it includes events, which time frame is too long to be properly analyzed. Xi’An dates back to around 1,000 BC. It is connect to the events of the Western Zhou Dynasty. In the west part of China, such dynasty created an extremely refined feudal empire. Zhou populations boasted a remarkable criminal law based on financial penalties rather than physical or corporal punishments. Moreover, they achieved an outstanding expertise in bronze-making and hydraulic engineering. Here, about 800 years later, Quin Shi Huang built his own gigantic mausoleum giving to mankind one of the most renowned symbols of ancient China: the terracotta army. He was the first unifier of China that proclaimed himself Divine Emperor. Nevertheless, the zenith of Xi’An’s success occurred during
the Han dynasty. Between 200 BC and 200 AD, this dynasty boosted the growth of the city. In 600 AD, with the Tang Dynasty, the city became the largest metropolis of the Ancient world. Therefore, even if the intervention will be carried out in a modern and new context, architects will have to consider and respect the thousand-year old history of this city. Nowadays, such history is reflected by numerous temples with sacred Buddhist relics and 4,000 archaeological sites, many of which are world heritage sites. 

3. Mount Hua; Mount Hua is situated a few kilometers from the suburbs of Xi’An overlooking the Yellow River and its vast plains. This is one of the most iconic places of traditional China. Its ranges covered in fog and its smooth peaks cloaked in conifers evoke the ancient paintings of the feudal period. Wooden temples with scarlet columns cling to steep slopes. Tortuous steps carved in stone help creating a surreal yet fascinating scenario. Among the five sacred Taoist mountains, Mount Hua welcomes thousands of pilgrims and visitors every year. All these people chose its winding paths in order to overcome their limits entrusting the spirits of the mountain with their hopes. Such benevolent spirits reward all those who venture into these places by granting them a long life and great success. Embrace the beliefs of Mount Hua or not, including the most distracted visitor cannot help but be overwhelmed by a spiritual perception due to the tangible fascination of one of the places where it is still possible to experience the deepest mystery of traditional China.

4. The terracotta army; in 221 BC in Mexico people were building the Teotihuacan’s pyramids and in Alexandria the ancient lighthouse was still standing out against the sky. In the same year, thanks to Qin Shi Huang the “Warring states period” came to an end and Xi’An’s area was chosen as the capital city of the newborn Chinese empire. Back then, the Divine Emperor started to build the most glorious grave goods in history nearby the city. Throughout the “Spring and Autumn period” the great sovereigns of China used to die with their courts in an extended voluntary or forced human sacrifice where hundreds of notables used to join their king in his last journey. With its scourges and continuous conflicts, the “Warring States period” had made life highly valuable so much so that no dynasty could afford to bury its members together with their entourage. That is why a new trend started to become established. People began to create terracotta miniatures to represent the court that had served the feudal lord during his life. Therefore, it seemed natural for the greatest king of China to want the most majestic grave goods in history. He commissioned an army composed by 8,000 terracotta colossuses. They were not miniatures. They had to be infantrymen, archers and knights. Each one had to be about 2 meters tall and different from the others. Each statue had to be painted and conveniently equipped. Together with the Great Wall of China, this huge terracotta army is one of the symbols of China in the world. It is a privileged and breathtaking destination for all the people visiting this area of the country. In order to design remarkable architectures able to dialogue with an ancient land of traditions and outstanding memories, architects will have to delve into the splendor of Xi’An’s history and tradition.

5. Feasibility and construction technologies; consistently with the size of the intervention and the modern vision that the new railway station will have to convey, when designing the district, it is essential to adopt feasible and consistent technological solutions. In this sense, due to the extent and ambition of the project, architects will have to privilege the use of steel structures and dry construction technologies to design the new architectures. This will enable a more reasonable use of resources and the protection of the quality of the buildings. This attitude is compatible with any composition or expressive idea (architects can choose any kind of architectural or formal solution). Through such attitude, the new intervention will rely on a better control of the construction process and of the performance result in terms of safety, durability and eco-efficiency. In this respect, please make a careful reading of the “requested material” section.

6. Sustainability; consistently with the ambitions of the district, each intervention will have to take inspiration from the most common principles of energy sustainability and environmental compatibility. Virtuous technical solutions, eco-compatible design strategies and a refined integration of architectural and natural elements will be essential elements to provide projects an intrinsic added value. In this regard it must be pointed out that according to point 5 of this paragraph the use of steel structures and dry construction technologies will be considered a virtuous sustainable approach, since they favor the use of a perfectly recyclable material.

7. Construction restrictions; As long as architects stick to the square footage stated in the “program” chapter of the description of the competition, given the nature of the area and the used technological typologies, there are no limitations regarding:
a. earthmoving; b. creating underground architectures; c. planting trees; d. height of the buildings; e. covering the canal; f. designing bridges or raised structures on railways to generate spaces at a higher level compared to the traffic level, as long as the rail circulation is guaranteed at a minimum height of 6,5 meters; g. technological choices (even a partial abstraction
from any local regulations).

Differently, it is not permitted:
a. moving the canal (it can only be covered); b. redesigning or moving the railways that are drawn in the competition dwg; c. changing the level of the railway line.

1. Hall; it is the core of each railway station. It is the place where passengers are in transit. It also plays the role of urban foyer. It will be a covered space that will constantly experience crowding/abandonment moments. It will be the first visitor’s approach to the city of Xi’An. It goes without saying that in the hall there will have to be adequate service spaces for travelers;

2. platforms; they will have to be at least 200 meters long and 7 meters wide. They can be connected to the hall through underground or elevated routes. There will have to be 4 platforms for 6 tracks. Of course, all the platforms will have to be equipped with a covering system in order to enable travelers to comfortably arrive to the railway station. Moreover, this will also ensure an esthetic and perceptual added value since they are the first element visitors will see from the train;

3. shops; max. 14.000 sqm of floor area; shops can be located around the hall or nearby the platforms. However, they will also have to be placed in one or more specific buildings outside the railway station. This way, they will be an elegant and pleasant diversion for all the people that have to wait before taking the train;

4. offices; max. 21.000 sqm of floor area; in a world where interaction and information exchange move extremely quickly, it is essential for any company and startup company to place their offices nearby the station. They will have to host specific workgroups or serve as temporary places where travelling businessmen can hold their meetings. For this reason, the station will have to include several offices;

5. hotel; max. 21.000 sqm of floor area; consistently with the previous points, the new railway station will also have to include an adequate accommodation. It will have to be designed for a demanding business target, which is the one that will assiduously frequent the new Xi’An railway station;
6. square; nowadays, large terminals are considered exchange places between means of transportation. A railway station has to ensure effective links with (public or private) road transport and specific cycle and pedestrian routes. A large square in front of the railway station will enhance the architecture but also provide a sorting platform. Through innovative services, it will enable travelers to decide which mean of transportation to use to visit the city.

23/09/2019 “early bird” registration – start
20/10/2019 (h 11.59 pm GMT) “early bird” registration – end
21/10/2019 “standard” registration – start
17/11/2019 (h 11.59 pm GMT) “standard” registration – end
18/11/2019 “late” registration – start
15/12/2019 (h 11.59 pm GMT) “late” registration – end
19/12/2019 (h 12.00 pm – midday - GMT) material submission deadline
07/01/2020 jury summoning
10/02/2020 results announcement

Fulfilling an “early bird”, “standard” or “late” registration does not affect the submission deadline, which is uniquely set on 19/12/2019.

The whole procedure is computerized:

• open: www.youngarchitectscompetitions.com;

• enter registration area;

• fill required fields;

• at the end of the procedure the first member of the team will be notified with a validation mail containing the team ID number (“teamID” is a randomly and automatically assigned number); if no mail arrives check the “spam” folder;

• a username, a password and a link will be received; open the link to confirm the preregistration;

• once the pre-registration confirmed, enter personal area and fulfill fee payment;

• once pre-registration and fee payment are fulfilled, uploading will be enabled;

• open personal area, insert username & password; upload the materials; the first member of the team will be notified with a validation mail; if no mail arrives check the “spam” folder.

It is highly recommended to be early on deadlines with subscriptions and payments.

1st   PRIZE 10,000 €；
2nd  PRIZE 6,000 €；
3rd  PRIZE  3,000 €。

https://www.youngarchitectscompetitions.com/competition/xi-an-train-station

邮箱：yac@yac-ltd.com

其他详情请见：https://www.youngarchitectscompetitions.com/competition/xi-an-train-station

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