mixed use building case study archdaily

• Hispanoamérica
• Work at ArchDaily
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Policy
• Mixed Use Architecture

Mixed Use Architecture: The Latest Architecture and News

Shaping china's future: foster + partners designs mixed-use development within shanghai's 2035 masterplan.

Foster + Partners has unveiled plans for the Changfeng mixed-use development in Shanghai , China . Designed as a component of the Shanghai Science and Technology Finance cluster in Putuo District, the project is part of the broader Shanghai 2035 Masterplan . The mixed-use scheme integrates with existing public green spaces to promote well-being and revitalizes an industrial area into a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood.

• Read more »

Ngói Space / H&P Architects

• Architects: H&P Architects
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  510 m²
• Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2021
• Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers:   Viglacera

MVRDV and Orange Architects Design an Adaptable Mixed-Use District in Kyiv, Ukraine

MVRDV and Orange Architects collaborate on the NUVO project, a new mixed-use complex to be built in Ukraine ’s capital, the team of architects has revealed their design for three of the buildings that will become part of NOVO. Commissioned by Kovalska, the project is now restarting after work was put on hold due to the active conflict in Ukraine. The two firms are collaborating to refine the master plan initiated by APA Wojcehowski Architects .

5 Ways to Create More Liveable Cities: Insights from TV Show "Tale of Two Cities" with Dikshu Kukreja

Cities are the bedrock of civilization. For millennia, they have attracted people with the promise of superior standards of living — from better economic and educational opportunities to easier access to quality public infrastructure such as housing, healthcare, and public transport. Today, however, many cities around the world are finding it challenging to live up to this promise. With urban migration accelerating at a dizzying rate – the United Nations projects that over two-thirds of the world's population will live in cities or urban centers by 2050 – existing resources and services in cities are coming under increasing pressure, rendering them dysfunctional and leading to glaring inequities.

There is no singular way to define or assess liveability; every city has a unique set of characteristics, from its history, culture, geography, and demographics, to how it is governed and what urban issues plague it. Therefore, improving liveability requires concerted efforts from multiple stakeholders including people, governments, and experts, to identify critical problem areas and opportunities, and devise contextual solutions. The TV show Tale of Two Cities , where Indian architect and urbanist Dikshu C. Kukreja sits down with global leaders, brings out great insights into what some major cities in the world are doing to create more liveable environments for their inhabitants. Here we present five examples: from Bogotá , Kolkata , Hannover , Tirana , and Washington, D.C.

UNStudio Unveils Design for Mixed-Use Complex in the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Area in China

On a site that also hosts the Olympic Sports Centre , the 2023 Asian Games complex , UNStudio has unveiled the design of the new Hiwell Amber Centre, a complex of four high-rise towers planned to add a mix of offices, apartments, hotels, art spaces and retail to the city center of Hangzhou , China . Responding to the area’s rapid economic and cultural growth, the new development aims to provide a wide range of services to residents and visitors alike. To open up towards the city, the smooth glass curtain wall of the towers peels apart to reveal a tapestry-like facade that envelops the main plazas and civic spaces, creating an ‘urban living room.’

Mixed-Use Housing: A Tool for Urban Activation

In recent decades, China's residential landscape has undergone a transformation setting primarily informed by social community ties now prioritizes the needs of rapid urbanization and modern lifestyles. Traditional courtyard houses of China once activated the urban realm, harmoniously blending private residential zones with public areas of the neighborhood. Today, the country is speckled with private developments and gated communities that have severed the connection between residential areas and the urban realm. Amidst this transformation, MAD Architects' Baiziwan Social Housing in Beijing emerges as a visionary attempt to reimagine urban living. By embracing a mixed-use program, this residential complex integrates itself with the surrounding neighborhood , fostering a renewed sense of unity with the bustling metropolis. Not limited to China alone, numerous housing endeavors worldwide have embraced this approach, reclaiming their ties to the urban realm.

70 Years of Unite d'Habitation Captured by Paul Clemence

The infamous Unite d' Habitation , the first in Le Corbusier 's new line of housing projects that emphasized community living for all the residents, was completed in 1952. For its 70 th anniversary, world-renowned photo artist Paul Clemence reveals a unique photo series of the building as it stands today. The photographs honor the construction that initiated the brutalist movement and showcase the infamous project's current condition.

What Would Jane Jacobs Do? Toward a New Model for Houses of Worship

This article was originally published on Common Edge .

Cities need to prepare for a wave of declining houses of worship. While faith institutions, at least the Christian ones, have been asking WWJD (What would Jesus do?), municipalities need to get them to ask another question: WWJJD (What would Jane Jacobs do?). Doing so might lead to a new model for true community houses of worship.

Mario Cucinella Architects To Shape Vienna's Skyline with Two Multifunctional Towers

Mario Cucinella Architects has started constructing two multifunctional towers to shape Vienna’s skyline. Situated in the 2nd district in Vienna, where a dynamic urban development “Viertel Zwei”, has been in the works for some time, the project consists of two highrises, both of different architectural languages and made for different purposes, together providing a complex urban image inserted into context.

Snøhetta Unveils Design for New Innovation Hub and Elevated Gardens in Bangkok, Thailand

Snøhetta , in collaboration with MQDC, has released the design for Cloud 11, a large-scale mixed-use complex in the South Sukhumvit district in Bangkok , Thailand . The new development addresses the pressing need for urban green spaces in the densely built neighborhood. The project, measuring a total of 250.000 square meters, also aims to help transform the Sukhumvit into a hub for innovation and tech companies in the city while providing the area with a large, green public space and spaces for artists, makers, and tech entrepreneurs. Construction has already started, and the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

MVRDV and GRAS Complete Phase One of Project Gomila in Mallorca, Spain

MVRDV and GRAS announced the completion of five of the seven buildings of Project Gomila in Palma de Mallorca , Spain . The residential complex was originally comprised of four existing buildings, adding three new ones for a total of 60 new dwellings and new commercial spaces. The project aligns with revamping the historic neighborhood "El Terreno" as a vibrant and sustainable residential site, home of bohemian nightclubs that hosted iconic musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, and Tom Jones.

RSHP Reveals Design for Office and Mixed-Use Tower in Shenzhen

Architecture office RSHP has unveiled the design for the Shenzhen - Hong Kong Innovation Integrated Service Centre, a 45-storey tower in the Futian Free Trade Zone in south Shenzhen. The building features an integrated floating podium which provides spaces for retail, cultural events, and green roof gardens. It also connects to the existing metro station and articulates the street-level plaza. The design results from a negotiation between two distinct briefs asking for a tower and a mixed-use podium on neighboring plots. RSHP’s proposal was to merge the briefs by integrating the podium into the south side of the tower, thus creating a distinct identity and creating a better relationship with the surrounding public space.

OMT Architects Designs Africa's Tallest Timber Tower in Zanzibar City, Tanzania

German-based architecture firm OMT designed Africa's tallest hybrid timber tower in Zanzibar City, Tanzania . In partnership with Birk Heilmeyer Frenzel Architects , engineering firm Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineers , and CPS Developers, the "Burj Zanzibar" will rise 96 meters tall to accommodate 266 residences and recreational and conferencing facilities. The mixed-use tower will promote the locally available wood and support the growing urban infrastructure that, according to the government plans, expects to attract tech companies to turn the island into a leading hub for Africa's technology companies.

Kohn Pedersen Fox Designs Texas' Tallest Building

The 311 meters high Mixed-Use Tower in Downtown Austin designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) , will become Texas ' tallest when it opens in late 2026. Called Waterline, this skyscraper is intended to define the skyline of one of the U.S.A's most dynamic and growing cities. Targeting LEED Gold certification, the 74-Story project will include apartments, offices, hotel rooms, and a ground-floor paseo. The development will also add two new pedestrian bridges and three additional public pedestrian and bike access points.

NBBJ is Transforming Boston's Iconic Hurley Building into a Mixed-Use Development

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has announced that Boston’s iconic concrete Government Center, the Hurley Building, will be getting a complete renovation by architecture firm NBBJ . Originally designed by Paul Rudolph , the brutalist building and its site were listed for sale in 2019. The new mixed-use development will "catalyze substantial economic development on the underutilized and uninviting site with a new life-sciences building, renovated state offices, ground-floor retail, improved public open space, and 200 units of mixed-income housing as part of a dynamic mixed-use development which will enliven and reactivate 5 acres in Downtown Boston".

MVRDV Wins Competition to Design Nature-Inspired Oasis Towers in Nanjing

MVRDV has won a competition to design a mixed-use residential and commercial complex on the edge of Jiangbei New Area’s Financial District in Nanjing , China . Dubbed "Oasis Towers", the two 150-metre-tall towers are surrounded by lush landscapes, and will provide residents a green haven within a dense and rapidly developing part of the city.

Frank Gehry's Long-Delayed Ocean Avenue Project in Santa Monica Finally Gets City Council Approval

After nine years of design changes and updates, Frank Gehry's Ocean Avenue project has finally been given the approval by the Santa Monica City Council . Initially proposed in 2013 , the mixed-use development was originally conceived as as 22-story hotel and residential tower, but was shortened to 12 stories in 2018 to meet restrictions imposed by the city’s Downtown Community Plan. Construction is expected to begin shortly after receiving the complete building permits, with an official opening date set within the next three years.

Kozy's Canvas / KWCA - Kosala Weerasekara Chartered Architects

• Architects: KWCA - Kosala Weerasekara Chartered Architects
• Area Area of this architecture project Area:  2420 ft²
• Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2019
• Professionals: Kinwes Private Limited

India House, Pune by Christopher Charles Benninger: Inspired by Traditions

The term ‘mixed-use’ developments in the context of a quintessential modern Indian city like Pune is a fittingly appropriate concept, as it advocates flexibility in space design and helps maximize the scope of sustainable development. 

Mixed-use properties cater to and comprise commercial, residential, cultural, and sometimes even industrial functions. These properties are often designed on compact pieces of land and deemed to be a resourceful way of utilizing and revitalizing certain underdeveloped areas. 

Set in a mixed urban fabric,  India House , one such remarkable mixed-use building designed by Christopher Charles Benninger (Principal Architect, CCBA), houses the firm’s corporate architecture studio, a guesthouse, an art gallery, public spaces, and even the architect’s residence. 

This article sheds light on the design philosophy , planning, concept, and highlights of this structure. 

Concept and Style 

Sitting on a modest urban plot of 1000 sqm, the design of India House is based on the concept of the Maharashtrian courtyard dwelling, also known as  wada . While most wadas today are being conserved or adaptively reused, Christopher Benninger has managed to keep their essence alive in India House by drawing inspiration from their design characteristics. 

The massing of this building is a well-ordered configuration of three almost equal-sized volumes, the middle volume acting as an atrium to admit sunlight and breezes. The atrium also acts as a unifying element in the anatomy of the structure, seamlessly tying together the various degrees of privacy of the spaces that surround it. 

It is especially noteworthy that, despite being a mixed-use establishment, the utmost care has been taken to ensure that none of the functions clash with the others. This means that the building can simultaneously function as a full-capacity architecture studio while entertaining an artists’ group in the art gallery equally efficiently without the functions of either being disrupted.

The planning of India House owes its flexibility to the wholesome and meticulous area program. Akin to the hierarchy of spaces followed in a  wada , the public, semi-public and private spaces in this building are organized clearly. 

Christopher Charles Benninger designed the central courtyard as the main public gathering space where many festivities, pujas, and community events are often held. It also serves as an inviting plaza for people who enter the space from the outside hustle of the city. The house also has assigned private spaces like offices that are subtly given a layer of privacy with the street area and the courtyard. 

The street forms a breakout space and adds character to the complex. Landscaping has been used as a tool with the dual purpose of beautification and also acts as a buffer space while establishing said hierarchy. The architect has used water liberally as an element in the form of lap pools and lotus ponds, which also help optimize the microclimate of the premises.  

Within the building, jack-arches with concrete frames coupled with double-height spaces advocate a level of porosity through the building. The elevation facing the approach road is solid and makes the composition look strikingly modern. The facades are either solid or are regulated with windows in granite frames to bring sunlight and ventilation into the spaces within. 

Christopher Charles Benninger has adopted the concept of traditional screens or  jaali , lining the internal elevations of the main courtyard with operable louvres, which help to cut off unnecessary glare and regulate north light. The jaali louvres also attribute a sense of privacy to the atrium space. 

Clad in sandstone, the external façade facing the arterial road is adorned with hand-carved emblems and motifs of all beliefs and religions as an ode to secularism and also to serve as a reminder of the dwindling crafts in the country. 

Additionally, the sandstone façade facilitates the blocking out of sound, making it an internal-reflecting space. A believer in critical regionalism, the architect has used locally sourced Indian stones like kadappa and marble extensively in the building. 

Noteworthy Characteristics

Entrance portal.

Christopher Benninger highlighted the entrance by providing a contrast to the sandstone façade, in the form of an eighteenth-century wooden door, or  Mahadwara , which was salvaged from an ancient haveli in north India. 

Upon entering the  Mahadwara , following the line of sight of the user, one’s gaze automatically becomes fixed upon a large bust of Shiva which was crafted in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.    

Local Arts and Crafts

The interior and exterior spaces are interspersed with bronze statues, paintings, and crafts from all over the sub-continent. Murals that bring out Indian values and sentiments also accent the spaces. Bhutanese prayer wheels introduced near the entrance portal with lush planting, flanked by a lotus pond, transport the user to a space that is significantly different from the chaos of the urban life outside. 

Internal spaces are adorned with many traditional and contemporary artworks and folk crafts by various artisans from around India. Some artisans also live in the residences for short periods to help revive the fading craftsmanship and skills of the traditional arts and further contribute to the ambience of the building. 

A landscape architect with a great zeal for writing, Manali believes that spaces shape our behavior and our fundamental understanding of reality. She loves to travel and then paint her travels with watercolor and words. She is a hopeful realist who thinks sustainability is the answer to most issues.

Architectural firms involved in designing the IIT Gandhinagar campus

The CEPT University Library, Ahmedabad by Rahul Mehrotra: Spaces within the spaces

Related posts.

Kopeshwar temple, Khidrapur

Shipping Container Skyscraper for Mumbai Slum by Ganti + Asociates (GA) Design

Gyan Museum, Jaipur

Community Architecture: Stoneleigh Terrace

Kariba Dam: Engineering Marvel and Environmental Impact

School for Blind and Visually Impaired Children by SEAlab

• Architectural Community
• Architectural Facts
• RTF Architectural Reviews
• Architectural styles
• City and Architecture
• Fun & Architecture
• History of Architecture
• Design Studio Portfolios
• Designing for typologies
• RTF Design Inspiration
• Architecture News
• Career Advice
• Case Studies
• Construction & Materials
• Covid and Architecture
• Interior Design
• Know Your Architects
• Landscape Architecture
• Materials & Construction
• Product Design
• RTF Fresh Perspectives
• Sustainable Architecture
• Top Architects
• Travel and Architecture
• Rethinking The Future Awards 2022
• RTF Awards 2021 | Results
• GADA 2021 | Results
• RTF Awards 2020 | Results
• ACD Awards 2020 | Results
• GADA 2019 | Results
• ACD Awards 2018 | Results
• GADA 2018 | Results
• RTF Awards 2017 | Results
• RTF Sustainability Awards 2017 | Results
• RTF Sustainability Awards 2016 | Results
• RTF Sustainability Awards 2015 | Results
• RTF Awards 2014 | Results
• RTF Architectural Visualization Competition 2020 – Results
• Architectural Photography Competition 2020 – Results
• Designer’s Days of Quarantine Contest – Results
• Urban Sketching Competition May 2020 – Results
• RTF Essay Writing Competition April 2020 – Results
• Architectural Photography Competition 2019 – Finalists
• The Ultimate Thesis Guide
• Introduction to Landscape Architecture
• Perfect Guide to Architecting Your Career
• How to Design Architecture Portfolio
• How to Design Streets
• Introduction to Urban Design
• Introduction to Product Design
• Complete Guide to Dissertation Writing
• Introduction to Skyscraper Design
• Educational
• Hospitality
• Institutional
• Office Buildings
• Public Building
• Residential
• Sports & Recreation
• Temporary Structure
• Commercial Interior Design
• Corporate Interior Design
• Healthcare Interior Design
• Hospitality Interior Design
• Residential Interior Design
• Sustainability
• Transportation
• Urban Design
• Host your Course with RTF
• Architectural Writing Training Programme | WFH
• Editorial Internship | In-office
• Graphic Design Internship
• Research Internship | WFH
• Research Internship | New Delhi
• RTF | About RTF
• Submit Your Story

Looking for Job/ Internship?

Rtf will connect you with right design studios.

Located four blocks from the San Francisco Bay, The Avery will be an important anchor along the eastern end of Folsom Street. Comprised of a 618-foot tower (OMA) and two podium buildings (Fougeron Architecture), OMA’s masterplan for The Avery defines a residential development with an urban gesture.

Collaborators

Nansheng Center | MUDO Architects + Do Design Group

Pavilion E4. Efficient Outdoor Educational Space | Juan Gavilanes Veláz de Medrano + Ferran Ventura Blanch

Osaka Umeda Twin Towers South | Takenaka Corporation

OurDomain Student Housing | OZ Architects

Pharo Office Building | Park Associati

Atlantis The Royal | KPF

Mercado in Groningen | De Zwarte Hond + Loer Architecten

Thaden School | Marlon Blackwell Architects

Hangzhou East Railway Station Garden International | goa

Arcloud | Carve

The Canyon | MVRDV

AEME Building | Paz Arquitectura

• Next Page »

UNStudio appointed to design sustainable mixed-use development in düsseldorf

Unstudio to develop ‘new heart’ in düsseldorf.

On August 30th 2023, die developer, the state capital Düsseldorf (LHD), and the jury selected UNStudio’s design proposal as the winner for the mixed-use Düsseldorf competition. The practice is set to give shape to the New Heart mixed-use development on the Kennedydamm in the northern city center. This space, set to undergo major transformations in the coming years, will welcome two sustainable, mixed-use towers rising 120 meters from the skyline and encircling a green, low-rise community pavilion.  

Featuring a broad mix of uses on the 10,000 square meters site, the development has been designed to meet the future needs of an urban and sustainable city to foster a more cultural future, enhance accessibility, and promote individuality and diversity. The design concept therefore aims to set an important impulse, not only in this key urban quarter, but also for the entire district. Ben van Berkel, Founder and Principal Architect at UNStudio, notes : ‘Our design… supports a highly diverse mix of functions that will enliven the site around the clock and add a cultural edge to this area of the city.’

sustainability features utilizing smart design

UNStudio’s proposal has been designed to be highly ecological and future-proof, demonstrating high and comprehensive sustainability standards and a tailored approach in technology use and smart design for natural resources. This includes a sustainable structure concept that enables significant CO2 savings of approximately 34%, an energy generating facade with integrated PV surfaces, alongside prefabricated, recyclable and circular facade modules. The studio has also developed a future-oriented, sustainable, and innovative energy supply concept that includes the use of geothermal heating and cooling, district heating supply, PV as both a roof and facade system and E-mobility charging infrastructure. Further, an indoor climate concept has been proposed that offers optimal comfort and flexibility with an energy and area-efficient design.

Providing a bustling green heart for the district, the two core skyscrapers will house residential, commercial, and entertainment facilities. Their massing will enhance ventilation and wind comfort, while visually defining the New Heart development against the cityscape, creating a clear center for the neighborhood. Opting for an open spatial design to promote links within the surroundings and create areas in which residents, visitors, and office workers can come together, deep balconies and terraces, a public park, a generous neighborhood square and a community centre will enliven the public space. Facilitating this, UNStudio has proposed to extend the bridge spanning the Kennedydamm into the development, creating an experience path on the first floor that connects all the buildings with each other. This enables improved connection to the city of Düsseldorf and enables access to the surrounding areas.

a community center fosters inclusivity

The community centre offers a wide range of cultural, gastronomic, leisure and social activities and forms the central social place for the entire neighbourhood. Its flexible facades which can be opened up over a large area to create space wider, accessible space. A mobility hub extends over the three-story office tower. This hub connects the pedestrian bridge on the first floor with the with the bicycle highway on the ground floor and the neighbourhood garage on the first basement floor, offering space for a wide variety of special shared mobility devices.

In the unanimous opinion of the jury, ‘UNStudio’s design creates an architecturally outstanding and identity-forming project in a central location. The vision includes a mix of uses that, in addition to office and residential, also includes multifunctional uses in the community pavilion – the so-called Urban Hub – and on the upper floors, which will be partially accessible to the public. In the future, the users of the quarter will be able to organize their daily lives centrally in one place, as the offer will also include gastronomy, medical services, sports, fitness, a mobility hub, day care center, local supply as well as cultural offers or edutainment. Placing the residents in the center of the agenda, the project will meet future requirements for working, living, and housing conditions . ’

project info:

name: New Heart

location: Düsseldorf, Germany

architecture: UNStudio

design team: Ben van Berkel, Jan Schellhoff with Julia Gottstein, Alexandra Virlan, Jürgen Heinzel, Gautam Tanwar, Nathan Ngo, Yvonne Yuen          

landscape advisor: Mahl Gebhard Konzepte

facade, structure, MEP, sustainability advisor: Drees & Sommer

client: die developer Projektentwicklung GmbH

visualizations: Engram

architecture in germany (299)

Skyscraper architecture and design (341), unstudio (118), product library.

a diverse digital database that acts as a valuable guide in gaining insight and information about a product directly from the manufacturer, and serves as a rich reference point in developing a project or scheme.

• architecture in vietnam (377)
• residential architecture and interiors (3888)
• aluminum architecture and design (65)
• MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY (17)
• temporary pavilions (426)
• architecture in new york (586)
• architecture in the US (1501)
• SO – IL (39)
• iF design (21)
• NYCxDESIGN 2024 (8)

designboom will always be there for you

• Hispanoamérica
• Work at ArchDaily
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Policy

Mixed-Use Building

Join ArchDaily's global architecture community! Create your account to save inspiring projects and photos

Alphabetically

Check out our newsletters and stay up-to-date with the best in global architecture