Goettsch Partners and Lead 8 win design competition for Shanghai mixed-use complex

Two firms won a design competition for their concept for a Shanghai mixed-use development.

Goettsch Partners, an architecture firm based in Chicago, and Lead 8, a multidisciplinary architecture and design studio in Hong Kong, created a 264,000-sm complex that will have plenty of features to entice people to visit, work, or even live there.

The complex consists of two parcels. The western parcel will have five buildings that will contain 131,000 sm of office space, 54,000 sm of retail, 22,000 sm of apartment space, and a 5,000 sm cultural center. The eastern parcel has 45,000 sm of loft apartment space above a 15,000 sm podium. The complex’s 15,000-sm headquarters will also be located on the eastern side. Parks, indoor-outdoor workspaces, green walkways, fountains, and pavilions are also planned.

The development will be situated just north of the Shanghai Railway Station, which will connect the complex to the rest of the city. To accommodate visitors, the complex put a premium on a walkable layout. It will have above multiple bridges and below grade pedestrian routes that will link up with public transit systems and neighboring developments.

GP is leading the planning and design of the offices and residential buildings, while Lead 8 is handling the design and planning of the retail podiums. Construction is set to begin in the second quarter of this year.