The newly opened Xi’an Centre Culture Business District (CCBD) in Xi’an, China, designed by Heatherwick Studios, is a dynamic urban development that celebrates the city’s rich heritage in ceramics while introducing a modern and sustainable urban environment. Located between the Temple of Heaven ruins and the Shaanxi TV Tower, this 155,000-square-meter district integrates retail spaces, offices, residential areas, green spaces, and cultural elements.
The Xi’an tree offers 56 terraces with gardens inspired by the Silk Road biomes
At the heart of the design is the Xi’an Tree, a 57-meter-tall vertical park with 56 cascading terraces inspired by the diverse biomes of the ancient Silk Road. The park offers panoramic views of the district and blends seamlessly with the surrounding urban landscape.
Over 100,000 glazed tiles were crafted with input from local artisans.
The district’s design honors Xi’an’s iconic ceramic heritage, with its facade, columns, and beams clad in over 100,000 handcrafted ceramic tiles, developed through collaboration with local artisans. These tiles, inspired by the Terracotta Army, offer both tactile and visual connections to the city’s history.
Heatherwick Studios has crafted a layered design that balances the scale of the city with the intimacy of human-scale details. The district features interlocking frames, terraces, and varied textures, offering residents and visitors a unique space to gather, explore, and experience the essence of Xi’an’s past and future.
This development is a tribute to the city’s craftsmanship, combining traditional cultural references with contemporary urban design to create a vibrant, accessible, and sustainable public space for the people of Xi’an.
