Yangpu Riverside Community (2011)

Project Data
 
Total GFA:   190.000m2
Location:   Shanghai, China
Function:   New Community (Office, Residential, Hospitality, Commercial)
Features:   Conversion of heritage shipbuilding workshop as riverside Landmark
Scope:   Urban Design, Architectural Concept Design
Status:   Planning
 
 
Project Summary
 
The project consists of a riverside site with industrial heritage and the adjacent, now already vacant lot. Located in perfect visibility from Yangpu Bridge and forming the northern end of the North Bund Development, the retained warehouse structures are re-used to give the project a unique sense of place and establish it as a new Yangpu center and city-wide destination.

At the core of the business concept is a Wine Market within a 120m long warehouse structure. In the present state, the warehouse’s city side facade has been largely demolished, revealing it’s steel structure beneath, while the riverside facade still stands as a patchwork of original brickwork and decorative elements, later fillings, re-fittings and multiple alterations. Using these impressionist patterns in order to break down the scale of the warehouse, the seemingly random current openings in the facade were envisaged to be filled with shining copper panels and frames creating an assemblage of contrasting old and new textures, equipping each riverside shop unit with a unique geometric expression within the entire warehouse facade. 
 
The city side is nearly entirely clad with small, square copper panels creating a stunning super-size billboard right in the sight line of arrival, opening up on ground floor to an open plan wine market. On second floor, the Wine Academy and Grand Ballroom complete the experience and allow for a larger variety of events, promotions and performances attracting a wider range of customers.

The adjacent city-side lots were developed as Gateway Towers, an iconic set of office buildings in a park, prominently visible from nearby Yangpu Bridge.