NEW PROJECTS

Cadillac House in Shanghai translates the automotive brand's identity into an immersive architectural experience developed by Cadillac China and Gensler's Shanghai team. Set on a peninsula surrounded by reflecting water, the three-storey building resembles a precisely cut metallic object emerging from the landscape. Its exterior is assembled from approximately 7,000 rectangular stainless-steel panels, producing a textured surface that changes with daylight. After dusk, concealed LED lighting and the illuminated Cadillac emblem give the enclosure a different character. Solar panels generate electricity, while rooflights introduce natural light into the interior. Beyond the entrance, an open lobby establishes a generous setting for vehicle displays, encounters, and exploration. Products can be viewed in the main hall and beneath a large spiral staircase, while a coffee offering introduces an informal hospitality element to the visitor experience. Combining timber and concrete, the staircase rises through the building without interrupting its continuous ribbon-like movement with conspicuous vertical supports. It acts as both a circulation route and a prominent spatial feature, linking exhibitions distributed across three levels. The exhibition narrative explores the relationship between Cadillac's past, present, and future, assigning a distinct theme to each floor rather than treating the building as a conventional showroom. The middle level focuses on future possibilities through multisensory interaction, virtual reality, and three-dimensional printing. These technologies invite visitors to engage with ideas about design and production through direct experience. A digital forest of screen-equipped elements extends the technological narrative, while a corridor conceived as a time tunnel presents the development of the brand. Throughout the project, architecture, exhibition design, lighting, and digital media operate together to connect an established automotive heritage with contemporary interests in individuality and self-expression. The result is a brand environment in which the building itself participates in storytelling, providing a sequence of physical and digital encounters rather than relying solely on vehicles or promotional graphics to communicate Cadillac's character.