JNBY HEADQUARTERS

Maria Antonietta Santangelo

JNBY is one of the projects completed in 2020 by the international RPBW studio founded by the Pritzker Prize architect and Italian “Senator for Life” Renzo Piano. Far more than just a building, it is a “super block”, i.e., a full-fledged urban neighborhood for the city of Hangzhou, China.
Chinese super blocks are entire city sections, large areas of about 500 meters by 500 meters, bound by wide busy streets and covering at least ten floors. The construction of the new JNBY headquarters has involved professionals from all over the world guided by an architectural design that seeks to be more than a headquarters to become an urban oasis.

The design layout is configured through a large internal courtyard with gardens and a public square. All the tall buildings are set on three sides, leaving free a view of the green park on the Yan Shan river. On the inside diagonal, the project includes cultural and social spaces such as an art gallery and an event space, which fosters a full dialogue with the city and makes it easier to circulate inside. The retail spaces and buildings can be accessed from the natural area, stretching about nine floors but with a rhythmic organization of heights to ensure natural light year-round. The architecture’s key feature is how it aims to lessen the artificial aspect of the built object through the use of natural greenery on the facades and in the public spaces of the metropolis.