Shanghai, China
Primarily consisting of office spaces, as well as art and community amenities, Minscheng Wharf Block E15-3 project by Atelier Ping Jiang / EID Architecture, H&A Horizon & Atmosphere Landscape, and Shanghai Tianhua Architecture Planning & Engineering is a new contemporary development that aims to create an urban structure that mediates and reconnects the complex urban conditions reestablishing a new spatial order for the precinct.
With a GFA of 38,240 sqm, Minsheng Wharf Block E15-3 is Surrounded by century-old industrial silo warehouses, historical houses with landmark status, and a luxurious neoclassical residential neighborhood designed by American architect Robert Stern.
Reflecting the urban reality of Shanghai’s juxtaposition and urban reality, Minsheng Wharf Block E15-3 has been recently awarded a 2022 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
By carefully addressing the complexity of these site conditions, the design of Minsheng Wharf Block E15-3 reestablishes a spatial order for the wharf.
Negotiating an L-shaped site configuration, the master planning includes not only the addition of a new office building but also a temporary pavilion for arts and communal activities, along with the renovation of three historical colonial houses.
Working with strict site constraints, the organization of the new addition stems from the spatial relationship to surrounding buildings and the urban environment; the voids are as critical as the solidity of the buildings.
By correlating both mass and void with the existing urban fabric, a spatial fugue is created with new meaning and purpose, reactivating the industrial waterfront district.
The project understands itself as “urban in-fill as acupuncture” creating a mitigating architecture for the city.
The design ambition does not lie in creating an eye-catching spectacle, on the contrary, it is intended to address the urban conditions in a restrained manner, providing a monolithic, minimal response that correlates to its surroundings.
Inspired by the vertical rhythm of the silos, the building mass is articulated by four vertical tiers. To maximize the views toward the river and Lujiazui Financial District skyline, an offside core layout is adopted.
A lower wing of the office/retail is placed between the opening of the silo warehouse, allowing for a better river view and frontage.
This also creates a pedestrian-friendly urban experience. Porosity and permeability are introduced to the mass, allowing for connectivity and interaction between the street and the enclosed courtyard.
Inside the office space, the design optimizes the overall height and creates a small floor area ideal for taking in daylight.
A series of landscaped gardens and terraces are placed throughout the office building, offering outdoor activity and interaction and promoting workplace wellness.
For such considerations, among others, the office building has achieved a LEED Gold certification.
In addition, the low-rise wing of the building addresses the preserved historical colonial houses, forming an intimate street scale within the courtyard side of the block.
The superimposing of old industrial buildings and new architecture creates a dialogue in space and time with the waterfront sites – a dialogue between the old and new, history and modernity, preservation and inheritance.
Some design features are inspired by the surrounding heritage buildings in terms of scale and materiality.
The tower and the podium are connected by a slender horizontal corridor, which not only facilitates circulation in the building itself but also pays tribute to the industrial elements of the silos on the wharf.
The four vertical volumes of the tower correspond to the verticality of the silo; the high one on the east and the low one on the west echo the scale of surrounding buildings.
The clear geometric division of the horizontal and vertical grids on the building facade takes cues from the rich attributes of the industrial site. Within the voids of the new building, a casual glance by tenants and visitors allows for clear views of the surrounding landmark buildings.
The old and new mutually frame views to each other. The framed scenery in Chinese traditional gardens as a counterpoint to architecture is also apparent in this project.
Unique from the traditional office building, Minsheng Wharf Block E15-3 selected Moroccan gray limestone and pressure-treated wood panels for the podium base storefront facade, which is consistent with the concrete material palate of the silo.
Meanwhile, the vertical grooved line details on the tower façade adopted warm-tone materials, such as metal copper, that reflect the materiality of the surrounding historical buildings.
In addition to Minsheng Wharf Block E15-3, a holistic design approach has been adopted to further integrate the development with the adjacent neighborhoods, i.e., Block E15-1, Vanke Residential Complex, among others.
The architect also designed a clover-shaped, temporary exhibition center, as well as a renovated office building.
While fulfilling the functional requirements of the buildings themselves, this project, not only stitches together the urban fabric and improves the urban structure of the precinct, it also activates the previously deserted urban environment.
These interventions have connected new commercial spaces, cultural/communal venues, and residential neighborhoods along the riverside.
Through strategic urban in-fill and mitigation, Minsheng Wharf is becoming a lively urban hub and cultural destination.
Project: Minsheng Wharf Block E15-3
Architects: Atelier Ping Jiang / EID Architecture
Lead Architect: Ping Jiang
Local Design Institute: Shanghai Tianhua Architecture Planning & Engineering Ltd.
Landscape Architects: H&A Horizon & Atmosphere Landscape Co., Ltd.
Historic Preservation Consultants: Arcplus Historic Building Preservation Design Institute
Interior Consultants: DU Studio
Lighting Consultant: LEOX Design Partnership
General Contractor: Shanghai Construction No.5 Group Co., Ltd. Design Institute
Clients: Chinese Enterprise Co., Ltd. And Shanghai Real Estate (Group) Co., Ltd.
Photographers: Schran Image, Yijie Hu, and CreateAR
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