Lujiazui, Shanghai’s glitzy financial district, is host to the city’s architectural beauty pageant. Famously dominated by three of the world’s tallest buildings—towers by SOM, KPF, and Gensler that locals refer to as the kitchen brush, the bottle opener, and the corkscrew—participants overlook the Huangpu River in order of height, with the shortest at the front, and the tallest at the back, all displaying themselves with great confidence. The headquarters of the Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn stands modestly in the first row, yet it manages to retain its own sense of identity, with a meticulously crafted design that immediately sets it apart from the competition.
The building comprises a cluster of four slender towers, separated by recesses on either side, and the distinctive three-dimensional zigzag pattern of the glazing gives the facades an energy that is lacking in its more conventional neighbors. The facets of these diamond-like units break up and reconfigure the reflection of its surroundings, offering a unique view of the city and an appearance that shifts with the weather and the time of day. Embodying Foxconn’s strong corporate identity, this is also an intelligent and sustainable building, providing a modern workspace characterized by simplicity and comfort.
During the day, the repeated V-shaped folds of the facade distort light and reflection to create a series of flamboyant displays; at nighttime, the building becomes the canvas for a spectacular light show, with the glowing details of the city mirroring the glittering reflections in the river below. The facade adopts a double-layer curtain-wall system with external ventilation, and movable louvers in the cavity are programmed to block direct sun, reducing heat gain and glare. The use of low-iron glass creates the impression of a crystal-clear finish, and its high reflectance value maximizes the penetration of natural light into the internal spaces.
The Foxconn Headquarters is a model of clarity and sustainability. It utilizes the advantages of a square layout to increase flexibility and efficiency with its internal spaces, and the architectural scale (together with the four-sided curtain-wall glass) allows the even distribution of natural light in the office areas. In addition, sustainable measures, such as solar panels, geothermal heat pumps, rainwater collection, and waste-water recycling, secured the building LEED Platinum certification, in line with Foxconn’s emphasis on corporate social responsibility.
To the south, the tower steps back 46 meters from the main road to make space for an entrance plaza, where rows of trees in triangular planters provide vegetation and echo the geometric scheme of the facade. To the north, the podium cantilevers out to create a covered courtyard around a secondary entrance. Tree-lined walkways then run circling the site boundary, protecting pedestrians from the warm summer sun while also creating a friendly and pleasant urban space.
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