The German architects HENN Architekten in collaboration with HENN StudioB won the first place in the international competition for the new “Nano-Polis Masterplan” located in Suzhou, China. The implicit inspiration emerged from the traditional Chinese urban planning & modern science for their idea of the development and research park for Nanotech. Guests & employees have the unique advantage of visualising & experiencing distinctive areas within the entire Technology Park that is calculated approximately 1300 m². Standing on a central square, the pavilion develops an astoundingly deliberate juxtaposition to the powerful right-angled articulation and aesthetic of the surrounding architecture. 
The Masterplan of Nano-Polis utilizes a variety of environmentally responsible mechanisms applied in the planning process. Innovative technologies such as solar harvesting and rainwater collection cooperate together with simple strategies of pedestrian access and public transportation to diminish energy expenses while establishing and forwarding a spacious place for living & working conditions. The organisation of the curved building pursues the classical inner courtyard typology and its form references the intereaction of 3 ellipses. The largest ellipse of all determines the outer size of the construction, the roof edge, the smallest in proportions, the inner courtyard and the middle.
By Depy Charalampidou
