Shanghai’s T20 stacks office and community space atop a plant-filled parking garage

Built on the site of a former hotel, Shanghai’s T20 combines office, civic, commercial, and cultural space with elevated green ribbons of public walkways at China’s busiest intersection.

The 215,000-sf building divides its uses by floor. Two underground levels are set aside for commercial space, with one of the levels connecting to the Metro City building by an underground gallery. Floors 1 and 2 house a few hundred square meters of community space. Floors 3 through 7 house the public parking garage. The garage unfolds in the form of a continuous spiral to serve the surrounding offices and businesses. 

Photo: Jacques Ferrier Architecture / Photo Luc Boegly.

Floors 8 and 9 are shared office space arranged around a large raised garden. These floors also include a reception area, cafeteria, meeting rooms, auditorium, and spaces for relaxation. Floors 10 through 15 were designed as user-friendly office spaces. The top two floors will comprise the cultural center, which has been designed to “float” on the skyline of the district.

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The design introduces suspended gardens and plantings throughout to help counteract some of the pollution of the neighboring intersection.

Photo: Jacques Ferrier Architecture / Photo Luc Boegly.