The Jing An Kerry Centre is a new signature landmark for the dynamic Jing An district. The multi-use complex features two towers, podium retail, two hotels totaling 800 rooms, an event center, and office amenities on a site adjacent to the Kerry Centre. Establishing its presence on the Nanjing Xi Lu, the development integrates itself within the rich urban context of the city in a design which embraces the energy of Shanghai. The development has been awarded LEED Gold Pre-certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
The site plan for the development employs an architectural language embodying the spatial and visual qualities of the city street experience. Open air walkways lined with shops and a glazed galleria utilize contrasting spaces of intimacy and grandeur to evoke a sense of continuity with the surrounding Shanghai pedestrian scale. Landscaping creates a range of gardens echoing the signature character of the complex.
The vertical massing of the podium and towers reflects the same visual diversity developed in the site plan. Layering and stacking of building masses creates a distinct design vocabulary establishing a direct dialogue with the surrounding skyline. The buildings have been carefully developed to create balanced contrasts between dynamic and restful formal relationships resulting in a kinetic yet harmonious sculptural assemblage. Slender proportions and apparently floating forms give an elegant impression of the whole reinforcing the richness of the visual and spatial experience of circulating throughout the site.
An additional level of character and visual interest for the complex is created by use of a variety of glass, metal, and stone cladding finishes. These materials are applied in combination with a family of architectural grid patterns. The grids take the form of bold and subtle mullions, projecting lattices, and negative figures, themselves varying in scale and proportion.
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