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Now two of them have even joined forces: London-based studios Thomas Heatherwick and Foster + Partners collaborated on the designs for the Bund Finance Center (BFC) in Shanghai. At the heart of this 420,000-square meter mixed-use development featuring offices, a boutique hotel and shopping malls is an art and cultural center. In addition to the exhibition spaces and function rooms, it boasts a stage whose design has been inspired by the open sets of traditional Chinese theater. The exterior cladding of the building is reminiscent of lavish draped fabric, a playful nod to opulent theater curtains. In fact, the cladding consists of bronze tubes that – seen up-close – look like organ pipes. Although they “cover” part of the building, they also allow a direct view of the stage area on one side. The Bund Finance Center is prominently located on the famous Bund riverside promenade that runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River. To some extent, the buildings mark one of the end points of this world-famous Shanghai street. The development has been designed to ensure pedestrian permeability; its architecture highlights the point where the city’s old town, the Bund and the new financial district meet. hether in Berlin, Hong Kong or in the U.S., British architects have been raising the bar around the world for many years.
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TEXT: UTA ABENDROTH; PHOTOS: LAURIAN GHINITOIU (1), HAYES DAVIDSON (1), EARL WAN (1), © RUDI MEISEL (1)
Thomas Heatherwick (top) collaborated with Foster + Partners (senior executive Gerard Evenden, bottom) on the new Bund Finance Center in Shanghai.