We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Xiyao Wang about their original and creative Mixed Use Towers design work. Xiyao Wang is an award-winning architectural designer, that makes our world a better place with their original mixed use towers works.
Xiyao Wang ("XW") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Quzhou Landmark Mixed Use Towers. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
XW : The central principle of the Quzhou Landmark Towers design was the synthesis of urban symbolism and ecological integration—a convergence of cultural resonance, technological intelligence, and environmental sensitivity. Situated in a rapidly evolving urban context in Quzhou, China, the project draws inspiration from classical Chinese cosmology, particularly the notion of “Heaven as Courtesy, Earth as Culture.” This duality is reflected in the two towers that rise like celestial markers from a cultivated green landscape, forming an iconic silhouette on the skyline while remaining rooted in the earth through a network of undulating parkland and cultural programming. The design is inspired by natural geological formations and mountain ridges, but abstracted into architectural form to create a futuristic, dreamlike composition. Ultimately, the project aims to symbolize a dialogue between modernity and heritage, acting as a beacon for Quzhou’s aspirations in sustainability, innovation, and cultural identity.
XW : The main focus was to create a holistic urban prototype that seamlessly blends vertical architecture with horizontal public life. I aimed to design not only two landmark towers but also a new civic destination where architecture acts as both a spatial and symbolic interface between people and their environment. I wanted to achieve a form of architecture that is performative on multiple levels—urban, environmental, cultural, and social. The towers had to command presence on the skyline, yet their base needed to dissolve gently into the public realm, inviting interaction and creating continuity with the surrounding urban fabric. I also focused heavily on passive and active sustainable strategies, integrating vertical green systems, shading techniques, and data-responsive façade treatments to enhance environmental performance.
XW : The award serves as a platform to further build institutional interest and public visibility for the design. While the concept was initially developed for a competition, its structural logic and cultural resonance make it adaptable for real-world implementation. I hope to collaborate with municipalities or private developers to refine and possibly realize the design or adapt its principles to other landmark projects around the world. Furthermore, I plan to publish the work in architectural journals and present it in exhibitions that focus on future cities, hybrid typologies, and the relationship between verticality and landscape.
XW : The initial design phase, including concept development, site analysis, massing studies, and narrative framework, took approximately six months. However, the process was iterative, involving numerous rounds of refinement across architecture, landscape integration, and urban systems.
XW : This was a competition-based design, but I was personally drawn to the brief because of its potential to reimagine how landmarks operate within a city—not just as icons but as catalysts. I saw an opportunity to translate some of my ongoing architectural research—particularly around hybrid urban systems and vertical public life—into a realized form. Although commissioned as a competitive proposal, I pursued the concept with the energy of a personal exploration, pushing the boundaries of what landmark architecture could mean in the context of smaller but rapidly growing Chinese cities.
XW : At present, the design remains a conceptual yet highly developed prototype, and I retain full authorship rights. I am open to discussing production or licensing rights with forward-thinking developers or city authorities. If realized, I envision collaborating with a multidisciplinary team of engineers, developers, and urban strategists to faithfully translate the design into a built reality.
XW : As an architect deeply interested in the intersection of verticality and public life, I have long been exploring how skyscrapers can evolve beyond their traditional roles as private monoliths. I designed this type of work because I wanted to challenge the dominant paradigm of isolated high-rises by creating towers that are integrated, porous, and symbiotic with their surroundings. The Quzhou site was ideal for testing these ideas in a context where tradition, rapid urbanization, and environmental pressures converge.
XW : Yes, the work of Kenzo Tange and Kisho Kurokawa—particularly their visions for Metabolist cities—inspired the idea of modularity and urban megastructures. Additionally, the layered landscape of SANAA’s Rolex Learning Center and the futuristic tectonics of MAD Architects informed how I approached the base condition. Conceptually, I was also influenced by Lebbeus Woods’ visionary architecture, which emphasized the poetic dimension of structure, as well as traditional Chinese landscape paintings, where mountains and clouds are often rendered in abstract harmony.
XW : The target client is a forward-thinking municipality or developer interested in cultural placemaking, sustainability, and architectural innovation. At the user level, the design serves multiple publics: residents, tourists, entrepreneurs, artists, and civic institutions. It’s meant for a diverse urban demographic that values both symbolic and experiential architecture, where landmarks become stages for daily life, cultural events, and ecological regeneration.
XW : What distinguishes this design is its synthesis of tower and topography, creating a continuum from earth to sky. While many skyscrapers aim to stand apart, this design reaches out and folds into the city, allowing nature, people, and structure to co-exist in a layered ecosystem. Moreover, the use of algorithmic façade articulation, adaptive landscape belts, and a multi-sensory ground plane sets it apart from purely commercial or symbolic towers. It is both monumental and participatory, a rarity among vertical structures.
XW : “Quzhou Landmark Towers” is intentionally straightforward to reflect the project’s role as a civic anchor, but the deeper meaning lies in the design’s aspiration to define identity through form and function. The name emphasizes “landmark” not just as a visual or geographic feature, but as a cultural and ecological marker—a point of orientation both physically and spiritually for the city of Quzhou.
XW : I used a combination of Rhino + Grasshopper for parametric massing and environmental analysis, Autodesk Revit for technical modeling and spatial coordination, and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) for visual storytelling. Enscape and Lumion were used for real-time rendering, and GIS mapping tools aided in analyzing site and urban context. Grasshopper scripting also played a role in optimizing façade porosity, views, and sun-shading geometry.
XW : The most unique aspect is the fusion of vertical and horizontal typologies, where the towers grow not from podiums but from a flowing terrain of public programs, gardens, and walkable slopes. This design challenges the conventional high-rise model by dissolving its base into a living landscape—a feature that is as symbolic as it is functional. The towers do not dominate but emerge organically, as if sculpted by wind and time.
XW : While I led the conceptual design, I collaborated closely with structural engineers and sustainability consultants, particularly during the refinement phase. Their input shaped aspects such as wind-load optimization, structural core configuration, and passive ventilation strategies. I also consulted with urban ecologists to determine plant species and water retention systems suitable for the park belt. The work benefitted from a tight-knit team of specialists who believed in the vision of integrated urban design.
XW : Technology plays a critical, enabling role in both the design and the experience of the project. From parametric modeling for façade optimization to real-time environmental feedback systems embedded in the towers, the project relies on cutting-edge digital tools to enhance sustainability and occupant comfort. Smart systems are integrated into lighting, HVAC, and irrigation to minimize ecological footprint. Furthermore, the towers are designed to host media facades that can respond to environmental conditions or community events, turning them into living beacons.
XW : Yes, the design was heavily influenced by data-driven site analysis, including wind flow studies, solar orientation, pedestrian traffic modeling, and urban heat island effect mapping. I also conducted comparative typological research on landmark towers in cities with similar climate and scale to identify pitfalls and opportunities. Surveys and demographic analysis of Quzhou’s growth projections also shaped the programmatic mix, ensuring the towers serve real future needs.
XW : One of the main challenges was negotiating the tension between iconicity and accessibility. It’s easy to design an iconic form; it’s harder to ensure that the icon is also livable, adaptable, and community-oriented. Another major challenge was the engineering feasibility of the topography-tower integration, especially the structural transitions at the base. Balancing the visual lightness of the towers with the technical demands of vertical circulation and lateral stability required numerous iterations.
XW : I submitted the design because I believe Quzhou Landmark Towers embody a future-forward vision that merits international dialogue. Competitions provide a valuable platform not only for exposure but also for benchmarking one's work against global standards. I also wanted to test how the project's core ideas—symbolism, sustainability, and social engagement—resonated beyond local or regional contexts.
XW : Designing Quzhou Landmark Towers deepened my understanding of ecological urbanism and hybrid architecture. I learned how to better use digital tools not just for form generation but for data synthesis and environmental simulation. It also pushed me to think about storytelling—not just in visuals, but in how space narrates identity. Most importantly, it reminded me that architecture must be courageous enough to imagine futures, yet grounded enough to serve the present.
XW : I would only add that Quzhou Landmark Towers is not just a project—it’s a thesis about how architecture can become a cultural compass in an age of urban acceleration. It redefines what it means to be a landmark: not merely an object in space, but a node of meaning, ecology, and encounter. It’s a vision I hope to evolve across different cities and contexts, wherever architecture is called upon to inspire both skyline and street life.
