Nanjing has some cracking architecture. The best in China we argue; whether it be the Republican-era charms of former embassies or the modernities of space travel. Soon though, we will have another contender which really takes the biscuit.
This Monday, 15 June, saw the news emerge that the winner had been chosen in an international competition to design a mixed-use, residential and retail development for our city’s Jiangbei New Area.
6 月 15 日星期一，有消息称，优胜者在一项为我市江北新区设计综合用途、住宅和零售开发项目的国际竞赛中被选出。
Judging by the winning design, the client, Nanjing Jiangbei New Area Financial Centre Development Co, Ltd., surprisingly appears to have something of a refreshing outlook as to modern architecture.
从获奖设计来看，业主南京江北新区金融中心开发有限公司对现代建筑有着令人耳目一新的看法。
And that’s because the competition’s winning entry, by Rotterdam, Netherlands-based architects, MVRDV, is nothing short of 166,000 square metres worth of far out.
这是因为由荷兰鹿特丹建筑师 MVRDV 设计的竞赛获奖作品的面积高达 166,000 平方米。
It’s being called the Oasis Towers. But let’s be honest; it looks nothing like a palm tree plonked on a pile of sand. More like something dystopian out of “Bladerunner”, but with better lighting. “Planet of the Apes” might get a look in too.
它被称为绿洲塔。但说实话；它看起来一点也不像一棵棕榈树落在一堆沙子上。更像是《银翼杀手》中的反乌托邦，但灯光更好。 《猩球崛起》也可能会被关注。
But the name becomes a little more appropriate when we learn the exciting project is intended to be a “haven” for residents of Jiangbei New Area, where the pace of development, even by China standards, is on steroids.
但当我们了解到这个令人兴奋的项目旨在成为江北新区居民的“避风港”时，这个名字就变得更合适了，即使按照中国的标准，江北新区的发展速度也在加快。
The most eye-catching part of the design is undoubtedly the two 150-metre-high, “L”-shaped towers, which are excavated out to provide Grand Canyon-style cliff faces that descend to a park and shopping mall below.
该设计中最引人注目的部分无疑是两座150米高的“L”形塔楼，它们被挖掘出来，形成大峡谷式的悬崖面，一直延伸到下面的公园和购物中心。
According to a report by E-Architect, “Peppered with trees and other greenery, the oasis forms a green landscape on the building’s cascading terraces, a lush environment for shopping in the building’s commercial floors from ground level up to the third floor”.
根据 E-Architect 的一份报告，“绿洲点缀着树木和其他绿色植物，在建筑物的层叠露台上形成了绿色景观，为建筑物从地面到三楼的商业楼层提供了郁郁葱葱的购物环境”。
MVRDV founding partner, Winy Maas, was quoted as saying, “The contemporary architecture of Nanjing takes its inspiration from nature in form and appearance. … With Oasis Towers we wanted to push this trend to the max, not only emulating nature with curving, stratified ‘cliffs’, but also to literally incorporate nature into the design with the greenery and by tapping into natural processes”.
MVRDV 创始合伙人 Winy Maas 表示：“南京的当代建筑在形式和外观上从自然中汲取灵感。……通过绿洲大厦，我们希望将这一趋势推向极致，不仅用弯曲、分层的‘悬崖’来模仿自然，而且还通过绿色植物和利用自然过程将自然融入到设计中”。
So yes, the Oasis will also be an ultra-green building. Balconies shall be clad in recycled bamboo and biodiversity maximised through the planting of a variety of species on inaccessible rooftops. Also featured is a grey-water recycling system, contributing to which shall be two 500-square-metre reed beds to naturally filter and clean water from showers, baths and washing machines. Energy consumption shall also be further reduced by a water-source heat pump making use of an adjacent small river.
所以，是的，绿洲也将是一座超绿色建筑。阳台应采用再生竹子覆盖，并通过在难以到达的屋顶上种植各种物种来最大限度地提高生物多样性。此外，还有一个灰水回收系统，其中有两个 500 平方米的芦苇床，可以自然过滤和清洁淋浴、浴缸和洗衣机的水。利用邻近小河的水源热泵也将进一步降低能耗。
As a computer-rendered animation of the Towers posted on YouTube shows, the development stands out in stark, breathtaking contrast to the slick and shiny skyscrapers surrounding it. If the video is anything to go by, local people will surely be in dire need of some kind of oasis therein.
正如 YouTube 上发布的塔楼计算机渲染动画所示，该开发项目与周围光鲜亮丽的摩天大楼形成鲜明、令人惊叹的对比。如果从视频中可以看出，当地人肯定迫切需要其中的某种绿洲。
One thing is for sure. The Oasis Towers will surely be Nanjing’s most distinctive piece of real estate, for better or worse (despite our tone, The Nanjinger thinks it’s genius). Then… we just have to wait until they finish it.
有一点是肯定的。无论好坏，绿洲大厦肯定会成为南京最具特色的房地产（尽管我们的语气是这样的，《南京人》却认为这是天才）。然后……我们就只能等他们完成了。
