The Sunken Spine

This project reinterprets the site's topography by carving out a vibrant art axis at the −3.00 level, transforming the lower ground into a public sculpture garden and an open-air museum. This sunken plaza acts as the heart of the social fabric, seamlessly connecting the urban flow to the artistic soul of the complex.

To enhance spatial dynamism, the commercial and gallery zones are designed as 1.5-story volumes, bridging the −3.00 and −1.50 levels. This double-height transparency creates a visual and physical continuity between different programs, accessible from multiple datum lines — these galleries foster an interactive environment where commercial activity and contemporary art coexist within a fluid, biophilic architectural language.

The massing follows a three-step logic: defining a boundary-based stepped form, dividing the mass to create a central passage, and evolving the rigid boxes into fluid, organic architectural forms that carry planting and light down to the sunken level.