Shanghai, China
American Prize for Architecture laureates Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates together with Tongji Architectural Design Group have created a new building for SOHO China with its distinctive zig-zag form and a dynamic silhouette that extends the urban character of the new Hongqiao Central Park in Shanghai.
SOHO Gubei’s design was short-listed for a 2021 International Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The project consists of a 38-story office tower and a 12-story podium with retail and basement parking.
The landscape design takes advantage of proximity to the park, extending the experience of resting and strolling in a lush natural environment into the project.
Taking advantage of its central position in views across the park, the architectural form is at the same time rational and expressive.
Inspired by the proportions of Constantin Brâncuși’s Endless Column, the tower presents itself as an undulating obelisk featuring a diagonally canted zig-zag profile.
Each side of its sculptural form consists of four stacked volumes.
A series of shifted grids create a density of wall surface that shades from the sun, reduces glass glare, and creates a sense of urban solidity.
The podium massing complements the tower with a simpler articulation.
The angle on its vertical planes places emphasis on the street experience by reflecting the residential neighborhood.
On the top level, a sky garden is placed, offering dining and outdoor spaces to both the building tenants and the general public.
Project: SOHO Gubei
Architects: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC.
Associate Architects: Tongji Architectural Design Group
Client: SOHO China
Structural Engineering: Tongji Architectural Design Group
MEP Engineering: Meinhardt
Interior Design: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
Design Land Collaborative: Landscape ALT
Façade: Tillotson Design Associates
Lighting: DotDa
Contractor: China State Construction Third Engineering Bureau Company
