The future Linkong Economic Park is favourably located within the Great Hongqiao Business Zone which lies adjacent to Hongqiao Transportation Hub and in proximity to Hongqiao Airport and Shanghai’s city centre. The Great Hongqiao Business Zone enjoys access to the Transportation Hub’s high speed rail, subway and airport transportation systems and benefits from the nearby airport’s attraction for global and local enterprises wishing to settle down in the region.
Zaha Hadid Architects’ proposal for the new Linkong SOHO building aims to provide a strong visual and programmatic identity which establishes it as a unique destination in its own right. Such identity consists of an exclusive programmatic mix consolidated in three different destinations (thematic “Courtyards”) representing distinct clusters of activities, and an exceptional architecture that moulds such a programme into a landmark. Linkong SOHO is an iconic presence, standing out from the retail context of its neighbouring plots and possesses high visibility within the larger context of the Economic Park. The building’s dynamic, curvilinear form continues through its internal spatial experiences, dramatic courtyards and flowing public spaces.
The concept for the new mixed-use building consists of the underlying simplicity of the set of four parallel slabs. The design provides the convenience and flexibility of a simple modular system based on a 8.4 meters grid and a building depth of approximately 18 meters. The building envelope is defined by four main components: four elongated elements tied together by a sinuous retail podium and continuous metallic ribbon that wraps them, and a green roof, a calligraphic gesture which will be highly recognizable. Such simplicity is made complex by a “squeeze” applied to the middle area and by adding filaments which tie the bars together. These moves have the double advantage of configuring intimate courtyards framed by bridges branching off the slabs, and providing a dramatic and dynamic view from the neighbouring outer ring road and from the plane.
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