OMA and Urbanus win Shenzhen Creative Center competition

The Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), in collaboration with Shenzhen-based architects Urbanus, has been awarded first prize in the design competition for a major new cultural centre, transport hub, and public landmark in Shenzhen, southern China.

The Shenzhen Creative Center, designed to compliment Shenzhen's newly acquired status of "City of Design", awarded by UNESCO in 2008, will be situated on the city's Crystal Island project in front of Shenzhen's iconic city hall and provides a "focal point" for the city's creative industries.

Above ground, Shenzhen Creative Center consists of 20-ha of landscaped parks and gardens, populated by clusters of pavilions and small buildings - Design Villages - surrounded by an elevated pedestrian walkway or "Ring Connector".

Below ground, a system of "Shortcut Connectors" will link the site's existing and future train and subway stations and provide access to buses, taxis, shopping areas, city hall, and the Creative Center.

At the heart of these two systems is the "Shenzhen Eye", a new landmark for the city.

The collaboration of OMA and Urbanus includes Ole Scheeren, Rem Koolhaas and Urbanus partner Meng Yan, together with a team lead by OMA Associates Dongmei Yao and Anu Leinonen.