Designed by BAU Brearley Architects + Urbanists

Futurism revisited

Shanghai’s new gateway is a 450,000 sqm perimeter building with op art façade. Feeding off its context of planes, trains and automobiles the building exploits motorists’ dynamic viewpoint to dramatic effect. Zaha Hadid’s SOHO makes the other half of the gateway: SOHO a frozen moment; Zoom Oasis a machine producing kinetic delirium.

informed by context

Responding to the context of large-scale road infrastructure the design is a super scale perimeter block, a typology rarely found in contemporary Shanghai. The exterior of the perimeter block responds to the scale and speed of the ring road, whilst producing a quiet, welcoming, green oasis within.

The long curved edge of the perimeter block responds to the kinetic energy of the adjacent fly-overs and ramps and their constant flow of traffic. Modular façade elements shift and rotate, as if moved over time by the slip-stream. Elements of the two-toned zig-zag façade disappear from sight as the viewer’s position proceeds, giving motorists a sense that the building itself is moving. Across the curving 280m façade is a single diagonal of magnified modules, furthering both the kinetic experience and the frozen moment.

It's getting hotter

The façade modules are self-shading. The vertically inclined glazing provides passive solar control to the office spaces. The modules’ west-facing short facades are screen printed to reduce solar gain. Elsewhere horizontal louvres and vertical screens provide passive solar protection to south, east and west facades.

 designed for people

Gateways of various sizes puncture the perimeter buildings to provide access to the interior of the perimeter block. Passing though the gateways a different design is revealed. While the exterior of the perimeter responds to the scale and speed of the traffic, the interior of the block relates to the scale and speed of people. While the exterior is dominated by roads and infrastructure, in the interior is filled with landscape – lawns, trees, paths, small plazas, and intimate places.

Inner circulation paths conveniently link all buildings in the shortest manner. Large seating stairs, escalators and lifts provide smooth access to the commercial and hospitality premises located in a linear sunken courtyard at the centre of the project. A large seating stair links the sunken courtyard at its western end with a sports and community building. The seating stair and the sports centre’s sheltered plaza with overhanging canopy provide a popular space with views of the entire inner perimeter block.

A series of large-scale framed portals provide identity and a place to step outside, for each of the buildings. Like excavations or caves, the portals reveal the building’s structure and exhibit another materiality. The façade portals are oriented to the centre point of the development. They contain balconies on each floor to provide all occupants with the opportunity to step outside for a break.  Each portal frames a view of the entire inner perimeter block and green courtyard.

viewed form the air

Being located close to the Shanghai-Hongqiao, the building will not only be seen for the ground, but also from approaching passenger planes. The roof, the building’s fifth façade, reflects the building’s modular design by way of a zig-zagging roof screen. A large radial graphic pattern on this screen, scaled to match the modules, creates a design legible from kilometres in the air.