丨中国北京丨Steven Holl Architects

Linked Hybrid Beijing, China

The 220,000 square meter pedestrian-oriented Linked Hybrid complex, sited adjacent to the site of old city wall of Beijing, aims to counter the current privatized urban developments in China by creating a new twenty-first century porous urban space, inviting and open to the public from every side.

Filmic urban public space; around, over and through multifaceted spatial layers, as well as the many passages through the project, make the Linked Hybrid an “open city within a city”. The project promotes interactive relations and encourages encounters in the public spaces that vary from commercial, residential, and educational to recreational. The entire complex is a three-dimensional urban space in which buildings on the ground, under the ground and over the ground are fused together.

The ground level offers a number of open passages for all people (residents and visitors) to walk through. These passages ensure a micro-urbanisms of small scale. Shops activate the urban space surrounding the large reflecting pond. On the intermediate level of the lower buildings, public roofs gardens offer tranquil green spaces, and at the top of the eight residential towers private roof gardens are connected to the penthouses. All public functions on the ground level, – including a restaurant, hotel, Montessori school, kindergarten, and cinema – have connections with the green spaces surrounding and penetrating the project.

The elevator displaces like a “jump cut” to another series of passages on a higher levels. From the 12th to the 18th floor a multi-functional series of skybridges with a swimming pool, a fitness room, a café, a gallery, auditorium and a mini salon connects the eight residential towers and the hotel tower, and offers spectacular views over the unfolding city. Programmatically this loop aspires to be semi-lattice-like rather than simplistically linear. We hope the public sky-loop and the base-loop will constantly generate random relationships. They will function as social condensers resulting in a special experience of city life to both residents and visitors.

Geo-thermal wells (655 at 100 meters deep) provide Linked Hybrid with cooling in summer and heating in winter, and make it one of the largest green residential projects in the world.

Client: Modern Green Development Co., Ltd. Beijing

Location: Beijing, China

Years: 2003–2009

Size: 2,383,797 sq ft

Status: Complete

general contractor: Beijing Construction Engineering Group

architect: Steven Holl Architects

Steven Holl, Li Hu (design architect)

Li Hu (partner in charge)

Hideki Hirahara (senior associate in charge)

Yenling Chen (assistant project architect)

Chris McVoy, Tim Bade (technical advisor)

Garrick Ambrose, Yimei Chan, Rodolfo Dias, Gong Dong, Peter Englaender, Guido Guscianna, Young Jang, Edward Lalonde, JongSeo Lee, Richard Liu, James MacGillivray, Matthew Uselman (project designer)

Jason Anderson, Lei Bao, Christian Beerli, Johnna Brazier, Cosimo Caggiula, Kefei Cai, Guanlan Cao, Shih-I Chow, Sofie Holm Christensen, Frank-Olivier Cottier, Christiane Deptolla, Mike Fung, M. Emran Hossain, Gyoung-Nam Kwon, Eric Li, Tz-Li Lin, Clark Manning, Maki Matsubayashi, Giorgos Mitroulias, Daijiro Nakayama, Olaf Schmidt, Judith Tse, Li Wang, Ariane Wiegner, Lan Wu, Noah Yaffe, Liang Zhao (project team)

structural engineer: Guy Nordenson and Associates, China Academy of Building Research

associate architects: Beijing Capital Engineering Architecture Design Co. LTD

mechanical engineer: Transsolar, Beijing Capital Engineering Architecture Design Co. LTD, Cosentini Associates

lighting consultant: L’Observatoire International

curtain wall consultant: Front Inc., Xi’an Aircraft Industry Company LTD, Yuanda Curtain-wall, Jianghe, Xi-Fei

landscape architect: Steven Holl Architects, EDAW Beijing, TSLD

interior designer: Steven Holl Architects, China National Decoration Co., LTD

2025 – SHA’s Beijing office has moved to the Linked Hybrid!

Timeline

SHA Beijing office moves into Linked Hybrid May 21, 2025

AWARD: Linked Hybrid Tower was named as part of the 50 Most Influential Tall Buildings of the Last 50 Years which was announced at the 2019 CTBUH 10th World Congress October 8, 2019

Linked Hybrid Wins 10 Year Award of Excellence at 2019 Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Awards April 23, 2019

Linked Hybrid by Steven Holl Architects named 2009 “Best Tall Building Overall” by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat October 26, 2009

Linked Hybrid by Steven Holl Architects named 2009 “Best Tall Building” in Asia & Australia Category by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat July 2, 2009