Shanghai Changning International Development Plaza

The project is located at the intersection of Kaixuan Road and Huaihai West Road in Changning District, at the exit of the Hongqiao Road metro station on Line 10, adjacent to cultural and creative landmarks such as the Shanghai Sculpture Art Center and Red Town Creative Park, but relatively far from Shanghai's central CBD areas. The primary challenge for the designers at the outset was how to activate the site's commercial value, attract diverse tenant groups and citizens, while integrating the building into the surrounding urban fabric. We hope to create Changning International Development Plaza as a unique, recognizable destination, says Ken Lam, Global Design Director at Aedas. We aim to create a social gathering complex inspired by mountain terrain that promotes human interaction in the age of the networked world. The design draws inspiration from mountain landscapes to create a vibrant streetscape featuring cliffs and winding ravines, compensating for Shanghai's lack of mountain scenery with sculptural architectural silhouettes. One cultural building, three office towers, two exhibition halls, and five commercial buildings are shaped like mountain peaks and rocks. The office towers feature diagonal cuts that create tapered openings like weathered rock formations with sharp edges, drawing the eye toward the mountain peaks and subverting conventional office environment design. The design captures the essence of ink wash painting, with layered vertical facade lines resembling the brushwork of varying density and tone, vividly expressing the rugged contours of mountain rock. The exhibition halls and commercial buildings are simple rock forms, while the rooftop gardens connect the volumes into a continuous landscape.