Deji Plaza Phase 3 is located in the heart of the city’s historic Xinjiekou central business district of Nanjing, China. Designed to exceed the stringent environmental code of China Green Star's 2-star rating, the project totals 95,080 square meters (1,023,000 sq. ft.). This mixed-use program includes a 37-story, 225 meter (758 feet) tall tower with luxury condo space. The podium is a high-end retail mall that includes art galleries, Imax, cinemas, restaurants, and upper-level connection bridges to Phases 1&2 to create an urban skywalk between all 3 phases.
A large publicly accessible sunken plaza will be placed in the center of the masterplan that will be programmed with various uses during the different seasons. Deji Plaza Phase 3 is the latest part of a large masterplan spanning over a decade of design and construction totaling 319,080 square meters (3,434,549 sq.ft.). The masterplan was inspired by the historic city wall & gateways which are recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The ancient gateway entrances of the city wall are located on the main grid of the city.
An all-glass unitized curtainwall system is used for the tower which is shaped as a crystalline form representing a “jewel” within the center of the masterplan block. This is in contrast to the all-glass tower of Phase 2 which conforms to the city grid and has a pattern evoking the punched windows of the surrounding context. Following the crystalline motif, the podium also features a parametric folding stone pattern which reinforces the massing of Phase 3. The masterplan references the historic gateways to the walled city with functional enclosed pedestrian bridges linking the solid stone podiums from Phase 1, 2 & 3, thereby creating grand entrances into the main plaza.
The underground transportation intersection is linked to the retail and creates a centralized below-grade connection to the adjacent sites.