1700 Huangxing Road

Shanghai, N/A / China

The Huangxing Road office tower provides a unique contrast to the ubiquitous glass and metal towers peppering the Shanghai skyline. With the client desiring a “solid looking” structure that reflects their company mission, the design team developed the body of the tower in terra cotta. The repetitive grid work of clay fins reinforce the “solid looking” aesthetic driven by the client, while the red terra cotta creates a distinctive façade.  

The primary sustainability strategy in Huangxing is providing protection for the façade against the surrounding environment. This is achieved through the vertical and horizontal terra cotta fins that wrap the building, reducing glare in all directions and providing shade from the sun. The high performance glass enclosure provides acoustic and climate protection from the surrounding urban landscape, and its series of individually operable windows allow for natural ventilation. At the top of the tower, the glass is protected by a series of staggered vertical and horizontal mullion fins. Inside the tower at the lobby level, the “heavy” stone façade provides environmental and acoustic relief from the surrounding neighborhood. The sustainable strategy focuses on environmental protection that reinforces the clarity of the architectural design concept.