A Mixed-Use Megacomplex In China, Built On Humanism

Six years in the making, Steven Holl’s design eschews the strict rationality of his predecessors. This month, Steven Holl completed construction on what may become the definitive building of his career. Sliced Porosity Block, a Chengdu supercomplex with a name that only sounds wordy until you know what it’s called by its developers (CapitaLand Raffles City Chengdu) had been under construction since 2007. If you’re familiar with Holl’s other high-density projects, Sliced Porosity will feel familiar. The 3.3-million- square-foot complex is clad in a white concrete exoskeleton very similar to Simmons Hall, Holl’s 2005 dorm at MIT. Inside its perforated envelope, a series of interconnected apartment residences, stores, and restaurants mingle in a carefully planned internal ecology, reminiscent of the architect’s 2009 Linked Hybrid in Beijing. There&r...