UNstudio's SOHO hailun plaza towers over shanghai

UNStudio’s ‘SOHO hailun plaza’ towers over shanghai
all images courtesy of UNStudio

the foundations have been laid for a 33-storey tower designed by UNStudio, at the ‘SOHO hailun plaza’ in shanghai. located at the intersection of two metro lines, the edifice is well situated for office and retail. 70m piles have been driven as foundation below the 6 level basement. above ground, the skyscraper and a series of multi-use pavilions are arranged according to the flow of commuters from the subway station into the city. ample greenery clads rooftops and infill between the street and buildings, thereby providing a series of stages for urban activity. both the tower and the smaller surrounding constructs are enveloped in a skin composed of faceted panels which double as shading screen and window. the facade is divided into segments that ease construction of the double curved forms. the color, texture, and strong verticals establish a distinct place in the skyline, and create a variety of visual effects throughout the course of the day, and as viewed throughout the city. the dynamic tectonic is reinterpreted indoors in form of select finished partitions. construction began in november of 2012, and is slated to be completed in 2016.

the constructed figures are orchestrated based on the circulation of commuters and pedestrians through the site

although the tower and pavilions have distinct forms, their multi-faceted skins unite them as a cohesive complex

entering ‘SOHO hailun plaza’ tower

the geometric tectonic of the building envelope is expressed by the interior finishes

ground floor plan of tower
image © UNStudio

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project info:

client: SOHO china, beijing
location: shanghai
building surface: 112,132 m2 (GFA)
building volume: 500,550 m3
building site: 28.103 m2
programme: 130m office tower and 5 retail-office pavilions
status: under construction
UNStudio design team: ben van berkel, caroline bos, astrid piber with hannes pfau, markus van aalderen and luis etchegorry, ger gijzen and cynthia markhoff, veronica baraldi, joerg lonkwitz, shuojiong zhang, severin tuerk, paxton sheldahl, tomas mokry, nanthan melenbrink, caroline smith, dan luo, yue zhou, alan chin che hung, nan jiang
consultants:
LDI: TJAD
facade: inhabit
lighting: a-g licht