Location: Shanghai, China.

Architect: Aedas.

Aedas has been commissioned by the Kingboard Group to design a multi-functional commercial complex at Kingboard Culture Plaza in Shanghai. The complex is located at the heart of the Yangtze River Delta and is a key nod and starting point of the central axis of Shanghai Hongqiao Business Zone. The design is a grand “Gate” in a staid yet dynamic form responding to the brief of a prestigious commercial complex. The iconic form comprises two office towers linked by multiple interweaving platforms at upper and lower floors. The diagonal platforms address constraints of the irregular plot and add a sense of changeability to the clean and monolithic building outline. The multi-layered complex integrates abundant civic functionalities to serve as an urban stage and public parlour, seeking to draw pedestrian flow and commercial value to the area. The platform connecting ground and third level is not only a pleasant walkway but also a large stage for exhibition and performance, flexible for future developments. The facade embraces an aesthetics of sedateness and simplicity, dominated by glazed curtain wall and stone louvres. The vertical stone fins block out heat and glare for the interiors and create a playful rhythm of lights and shades on the facade, injecting vibrant expressions and additional textures to the architecture.

Photo credit: Aedas.