Tall & Urban News

The first office tower of the Suhewan area of Shanghai, which has been recently redeveloped, has been completed by Foster + Partners. A strategy to maximize resources includes recycling rainwater for irrigation, intelligent systems for optimizing the indoor environment and air quality monitoring, bicycle parking and charging spaces.

Gerard Evenden, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners, said: “The Suhe Centre plays a central role in activating Suhewan and creating a vibrant new piece of the city...Its flexible floorplates allow for a range of different layouts to support contemporary ways of working.”

Undulating wall panels inside the tower lobby visually elongate the 11-meter-tall lobby space, creating a grand sense of arrival for the building’s occupants and visitors. Daylight filters through louvres above the entrance canopy to produce dancing shadows across the walls and floor. A unique reception desk is imprinted with a historic map of Suhe River. 

The lower levels of the tower capture views of the park to the west. As the building rises above the surrounding low-rise residential fabric it opens up to 360-degree views. Every corner of the tower is a full-height glass space. 

Column-free, flexible office floor plates suit a variety of layouts and at every level, a detachable floor slab allows for travel between each other suite with ease. Along the western façade, the middle section of the building is recessed to allow natural light to flood the office spaces with a row of scenic lifts located within this recess to maximize views of the park and river. 

For more on this story, go to Foster + Partners.