Located at the junction of Yuejiang Middle Road and the Convention and Exhibition East Road in Haizhu District, Guangzhou City, Pazhou Ferry Terminal Guangzhou is next to the Pearl River, adjacent to the Canton Fair Pavilion, and 600 meters away from the Pazhou Bridge. The port’s shoreline is 280 meters long, with five 500-ton berths, which are distributed between the 100 meters from downstream of the Pazhou Convention and Exhibition Tower port and 470 meters from upstream of the Pazhou Bridge. The joint inspection building and other supporting facilities are set up on the north side of the Yuejiang Middle Road.
As Guangzhou's first cross-border and cross-city water transportation port complex with island functions, the port, with an innovative way of sea-air intermodal transport, opened Pazhou - Hong Kong International Airport round-trip routes. It means that tourists cost only 2 hours to experience fast travel of "holding a ticket in Guangzhou and boarding in Hong Kong". The project not only fills the gap in cross-border ports on the water in the central city of Guangzhou, but also realizes the seamless integration of three-dimensional transportation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area with a window to the world, greatly enhancing regional cohesion and radiation.
Since the site is located on the riverside green belt, with necessary setbacks for flood protection, the main body of the building is erected on top of the existing tram tracks. Under the complex site conditions, the architects had to confront and resolve the impact of the building body on the continuation of the riverfront landscape, the obstruction of the view between pedestrians and the river, and the co-existence with the tram. In order to overcome a series of challenges, the architects considered the city characteristics, traffic positioning and the natural environment, and then designed the project on three levels: "permeability, lightness and harmony", proposing a simple and efficient modernist design concept, and minimizing the impact of the main building on the surrounding environment.
A light boat passes by both sides of the long Pearl River. Pazhou Ferry Terminal Guangzhou overlooks the Pearl River with a unique wave shape, showing a natural and spreading form like flowing water. In order to make the multi-story riverfront building still give a lightweight and comfortable visual impression, the design extracts the morphological characteristics of the waves and uses light and corrosion-resistant, glossy and textured silver-gray aluminum panels to shape the flowing and stretching facade curves without restrictions.
At the same time, the roofs at the two ends are appropriately lowered to form a gentle curved surface with a high center and low sides, subtly weakening the visual oppression of the building in terms of height. From a distance, the building looks like a light boat, undulating with the waves on the river, and from a closer view, it is very modern. Not limited to the shape, the dynamic flowing curve is also reflected in the functional layout, with the main inspection area in the center of the main body, while the office and traffic space being distributed on the north and south sides, in combination with the curved ramp shape structure of the building.
The two ends of high hall improve the public space, which was originally of a relatively restricted height. The curves distributed on both sides of the façade along the street and along the river are used as force-bearing structures, while vertical traffic evacuation systems such as pedestrian escalators and evacuation ramps are also installed at the same time, so that the combination between façade elements and use functions is fully achieved. The public enjoys the view from the ramp and platform without affecting the indoor view.
To ensure that the tram passes freely through the main building, the first floor of the main building is overhead and the second floor is raised to 7.5 m. The gracious and clever design dispatches each functional area, placing the main passenger entry and exit facilities and supporting functions on the second and third floors, and connecting the temporary joint inspection building with the fixed platform on the water at the port through a corridor. The new building, the terminal operation area, the external space for the public to walk and the tram leading to the city are seamlessly connected, with cross-border and intercity integration, improving the regional operation efficiency and enriching the form and level of the three-dimensional transportation life of the public.
The main body of the building features a large number of glass curtain walls to provide a transparent view, and natural light pours into the waiting hall, making the indoor and outdoor view space open and clear. With a superior 38-meter distance from the Pearl River, passengers can look up and see the unparalleled riverfront view and the continuous city skyline while waiting for boarding. Pazhou Ferry Terminal Guangzhou façade continues the order of the interface along the street and along the river.
The dynamic wave shape brings a wealth of light and shadow to ease the building volume, and the overall architectural color coordinates with the Pazhou area, while establishing a landmark to attract visitors and citizens to stay, as well as being embedded in the urban fabric. The curved ramp along the river side introduces a public viewing platform, which matches the overall building form and extends downward, forming part of the semi-outdoor space into a continuation space of the green belt along the river, leading the line of sight to the more open riverfront promenade, making the whole and the surrounding environment echo each other and coexist harmoniously, and becoming an excellent place for citizens and tourists to experience rapid transportation, leisure and entertainment, and to enjoy nature.
Project informations