Architectural Cases

Connecting Communities: Where Transit Meets Public Life

Reimagining Rail Terminals: From Transit Zones to Civic Hubs

The Xuzhou East Station Plaza, a visionary creation by ARTS GROUP, redefines the purpose of a high-speed rail forecourt, transforming it into a vibrant urban public space. Situated at the critical intersection of the Beijing-Shanghai and Longhai rail lines, Xuzhou East Railway Station serves a staggering 13.8 million passengers annually, linking 181 cities within China's extensive national rail network. While the original station efficiently managed vehicle flow, it lacked clear spatial identity, pedestrian access, and a sense of civic presence.

The East Plaza's Multifaceted Urban Integration

As an integral part of the larger High-Speed Rail New City initiative, the East Plaza is strategically positioned atop a multi-level underground parking facility. It seamlessly connects with three metro lines, various station entrances, arrival halls, and an elevated departure deck. The design ingeniously weaves circulation through several vertical layers, embracing this intricate infrastructure as the fundamental structure for a three-dimensional public realm. Within the overarching master plan, a significant green corridor extends towards the station, culminating at the plaza. This pivotal point reconfigures the forecourt from a mere transfer area into a distinguished civic gateway. Distinctive linear landform architecture frames the station building, providing intuitive navigation and enhancing spatial depth. Precisely crafted paving patterns radiate outwards towards the station's facade, underscoring its function as an urban entry point while subtly referencing Xuzhou's historical significance as a regional nexus.

Fusing Movement, Nature, and Urban Character

To ensure sustained vitality beyond peak transit hours, the design team at ARTS GROUP ingeniously incorporated two commercial street zones within the plaza's framework. These structures, laid out in an hourglass configuration, skillfully adjust the scale of the expansive forecourt and introduce everyday conveniences for both commuters and local residents. These commercial avenues not only shorten perceived walking distances but also offer sheltered pedestrian paths and create engaging frontages along key edges. Above these commercial volumes, the project unveils a multi-layered landscape park. The rooftops of the commercial buildings are transformed into accessible green slopes that blend harmoniously with the plaza's topography. This seamless fusion of architecture and natural elements blurs the lines between built form and landscape, allowing commercial infrastructure and open spaces to coexist within a cohesive spatial ecosystem.

Layered Public Spaces and Enhanced Connectivity

The elevated park serves as crucial ecological infrastructure, integrating features such as stormwater absorption, shaded seating zones, and connections to adjacent residential podium gardens. Public spaces are thoughtfully distributed across the ground level, various terraces, and expansive roofscapes, creating a dynamic, layered environment where the flow of transit and the rhythm of daily urban life intertwine. A core objective of this project is to achieve seamless integration between the station and the city. The design establishes clear pedestrian pathways to neighboring areas, significantly reduces the dominance of vehicular traffic at ground level, and aligns spatially with broader urban planning directives. Consequently, the station forecourt evolves from a peripheral mobility zone into a defined and vibrant civic node within the High-Speed Rail New City.

A Blueprint for Integrated Urban Development

Completed between 2020 and 2022, the Xuzhou East Station Plaza masterfully functions as both essential transport infrastructure and a dynamic civic landscape. This project exemplifies how large-scale transit platforms can successfully meet operational demands while simultaneously nurturing civic identity and facilitating public engagement. Through meticulous coordination among transportation engineering, architectural design, and landscape architecture, the plaza emerges as an exemplary model where infrastructure and urban space operate as an interconnected, continuous system.

British designer Max Lamb has partnered with the luxury brand Bottega Veneta to produce a distinctive seating arrangement for its Winter 2026 fashion presentation in Milan. Utilizing expanded polystyrene, a material commonly associated with disposable food packaging, Lamb meticulously crafted 421 chairs. These unique pieces were thoughtfully arranged in precise rows within the historic Palazzo San Fedele, serving as both functional seating for the audience and an integral part of the show's aesthetic. The collaboration also featured artist Poppy Jones's Woven Shirt painting, which Bottega Veneta's creative director, Louise Trotter, incorporated into the event's invitations.

The chairs, presented in a subtle cream tone, created a striking visual contrast against the rich red velvet carpeting of the venue. Each seat's surface displayed distinctive, uneven textures, a testament to the individual hand-cutting and finishing processes employed by Lamb and his design team. The fabrication of these chairs began with four-inch-thick slabs of expanded polystyrene. To minimize material waste, Lamb meticulously planned the cutting process, dividing each slab into precise components. The final chair design incorporated separate parts for the seat, back, and legs, demanding thousands of individual pieces to complete the entire collection of 421 chairs. Every leg and support structure was also fashioned from the same foam material.

The creation of these chairs followed a structured sequence: cutting, bonding, assembly, and protective coating. Lamb employed specialized hot wire tools for precise cutting of the polystyrene. Drawing inspiration from his previous project, the Economy Chair (01) for Salon 94 Design gallery, he refined his hot wire cutting techniques to achieve the intricate shapes required for the Bottega Veneta collaboration. These precise cuts were instrumental in defining the chair's geometric form, with straight lines and flat surfaces contributing to its ultimate structure.

Following the assembly stage, each chair received a layer of unpigmented polyurethane rubber. This coating, applied directly from its container, effectively sealed the foam surface, creating a seamless and durable exterior. The result was a chair featuring a foam core enveloped by a rubber shell. The commitment to craftsmanship extended to every detail, with each chair being meticulously hand-cut and hand-finished. This project underscores Max Lamb's extensive 15-year exploration into expanded polystyrene, a material he has consistently utilized in his 'Poly' and 'Scrap Poly' series. Through this collaboration with Bottega Veneta, Lamb not only scaled up his design approach but also maintained the integrity of his signature techniques, showcasing his ongoing innovation in material use and design.

This innovative collaboration between Max Lamb and Bottega Veneta highlights the potential of reimagining everyday materials for high-fashion contexts, showcasing both aesthetic appeal and a conscious approach to design. The chairs served not just as seating, but as a conversation piece, reinforcing the brand's commitment to artistry and unique expression within the fashion landscape.