Bus Terminal, Beijing, China

Bus Terminal and Rainwater Harvester, Beijing


[myoo-tuh-buhl]   mu•ta•ble
–adjective
1.
liable or subject to change or alteration.
2.
given to changing; constantly changing;

The urban proposal 'Mutable Layering' is a bus and metro transport interchange that links Beijing’s expansive 2020 masterplan with the city’s increasing problem with water shortages and drought.

The bus terminal redefines the transport interchange typology by removing the existing insignificance and monotony of travel through Beijing. By creating a dramatically layered landscape each visit to the interchange creates a different experience than the last - a mutable landscape.

The harvesting of rainwater celebrates the importance of water within Chinese tradition and culture by creating a series of interior and exterior cultural gathering spaces as an oasis within the dense urban fabric of central Beijing.

Mutable Layering's architectural agenda is to choreograph people’s movement vertically and horizontally through a stacked / layered space between the bus terminal and the metro line. The most exciting ‘moment’ for the visitor will be travelling through an undulating, topographical building landscape where the rainwater harvesting roof meets floor level creating spaces for waiting, resting, eating and social encounters.