Yixin Lake Dream City, in Chengdu, China, is a new paradigm for the workplace—one that negates the inside/outside, public/private, daytime/nightime binary. At Yixin Lake Cream City, the public realm is a part of the workplace, rethinking how vibrant and productive the work environment can be. The many places and district identities attract the new, young, and talented workforce. This is a place to bump into others and collaborate. This development proposes a new vision for the 21st century workplace—one in which central plaza is used as workspace, courtyards become conference rooms, and coffee houses serve as teaming spaces.

The urban fabric at Yixin Lake Dream City is stitched with pedestrian promenades connecting three major transit nodes and drawing pedestrians to the lake; a Main Street linking adjacent residential development to the site; and a secondary street system creating more addresses and “front doors” deep within the site. Infrastructure, at both the urban and pedestrian scale, and common spaces are utilized to create a unique public setting that provides multiple “places.”