BEIJIN – CHINA Lakeside Plugin Tower
Lakeside Plugin Tower is a residential prototype designed by People’s Architecture Office (PAO) in collaboration with the Shenzhen Institute of Building Research for the new area of Xiong’an, 100 km south east of Beijing. The central government wanted to test a series of innovative and sustainable interventions as an alternative to concrete and to the gridlock of the capital.
Pop-up architectures, mobile devices, reversible and low-cost interventions are part of the vocabulary of PAO that, in this case, interprets the idea of “plug-in”. This word, which is borrowed from the IT sector, represents the programs which expand and integrate the features of a specific system.
In their case, it is a modular and prefabricated structure, intended to be installed quickly and with no need for skilled workers. Over time, the building can be enlarged in a flexible way and without jeopardizing the use of those parts where people live in already.
Despite its aspect, Lakeside Plugin Tower is a building respectful of environment and at zero net energy. The residential areas are raised to have a minimum impact on the ground, helping the absorption of rainwater and the continuous growth of greenery.
Among the strategies implemented to manage efficient resources, we find solar panels on the roof, a sewage system with off the grid water treatment and Plugin Panels, which integrate the thermal insulation, as well as full height windows to optimize natural ventilation.
