The Springs, Shanghai
The architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners (gmp) have completed an office campus in the northern part of Shanghai with a dynamic arrangement of high-rise slabs arranged in windmill formation and an organically shaped plinth landscape with shops and restaurants, forming the core of the new urban district called The Springs.
Over 200-plus acres, this broader district offers office spaces, residential areas, hotels, as well as retail outlets, eateries, and entertainment facilities. It has been developed in phases by the real estate company Tishman Speyer over almost 15 years.
For gmp’s site within The Springs, high-rise slabs in repeating patterns create a high-density center of the new urban area. Two of the six office towers are connected by three-story bridges, slightly offset from one another, and they reach to over 435 feet in height at the southern end of the site, near “The Axiom” twin towers designed by Büro Ole Scheeren.
A pedestrian bridge designed by gmp connects the areas. The site to the northeast, alongside the office towers, features a four-story ensemble of three organically designed buildings, which are also interconnected by bridges. This creates a transition to an area designed by Henning Larsen to the east.
Facade structures consisting of horizontal aluminum slats extend along the long sides of the individual office towers, reaching beyond the building edges. The copper-colored sun and glare protection elements give the ensemble a warm appearance. The sky gardens, formed by recesses at the ends of the high-rises, provide natural ventilation to the interiors, and in addition offer special amenities for the offices.
This major development, located in Jiangwan New Town in the Yangpu District of Shanghai, presents the commercial quarter of Wujiaochang to the south and the green spaces of the university town to the north. Its open urban design with a wide range of pathways, sightlines, and mix of functions, has created a busy hub in the center of “The Springs,” pulsing with activity at all times of the day. Restaurants and shops are facing both the street and the interior promenades, complementing the office spaces currently predominantly occupied by social media company the Douyin Group.
China Institute’s Flexible, Serene Places for Study and Art
PEI Architects has completed the final phase of the firm’s design for China Institute in America in New York City, a memorable and adaptable place for learning about Chinese language, art, literature, cuisine and history.
“Founded in 1926 by a group of American and Chinese educators, China Institute aims to advance a deeper understanding of China through programs in education, culture, business and art,” said Rossana Gutiérrez de Lubetsky, AIA, principal with PEI Architects, adding that this urban cultural hub was established in 1966 and frequently hosts blockbuster art exhibitions and cultural events.
The China Institute headquarters at 100 Washington Street occupies 30,000 square feet on two floors of a building not far from the World Trade Center Memorial Park. The project allows for an expansion of the Institute’s growing Chinese language program, as well as its renowned art gallery exhibitions and lecture series.
PEI Architects’ memorable, adaptable spaces include an exhibition gallery, a library, classrooms and offices on the 2nd floor. A 16-foot height multi-use space for exhibitions, lectures and banquets and a demonstration kitchen — housing the first culinary school for haute Chinese cuisine in the United States — are located at ground level.
“With a building setback created by a privately owned public open space, or POPOS, and an all-glass façade, the institute now has a stronger street presence, and a more distinguished main entrance,” said Gutiérrez de Lubetsky, whose work includes The Six Dynasties Museum and The Grand Mansion Hotel in Nanjing, China, the Museum of Islamic Art Park in Qatar, and the new Chateau Lynch-Bages winery in Pauillac, France.
The recent work for China Institute connects the two levels by means of a grand staircase. Throughout, the simple finishes include wood, concrete and white painted surfaces. PEI Architects’ design makes the most of the generous height the space provides by exposing and whitewashing the existing coffered concrete slab, to great effect.
A carefully designed and modern lighting track system is supported by custom-made trapezes hanging from the coffers’ ribs. All of the HVAC system is hidden at the perimeter and above the foyer ceiling at 12′-8″ height.
“The ground floor level is completely flexible,” added Gutiérrez de Lubetsky. “Visitors can pass from the exterior’s plaza through a new entrance into the multiuse space where the demonstration kitchen, a commercial kitchen, a tea house counter and supporting program are found at the perimeter.”