As the main carrier of the urbanisation process in the suburbs of Shanghai, Jiading New City is an important hub for Shanghai’s development in science and technology, and a recently-established sub-centre for the future city. Shanghai Jiading Financial Center Project is designed by Aedas Global Design Principal Ken Wai, located in the core area of the lot and has been brought into practical use since its completion. The façade perfectly interprets the design concept that focuses on simplicity, organically integrating modern elements into the surrounding nature, and creating a new vibrant hub for the emerging commercial cluster in Jiading New City.

The high-rise project is located in a well-equipped new district, with a convenient transportation network that is adjacent to the urban axis of Yongsheng Road and the metro Line 11. The area is also home to tremendous resources of flora and fauna, such as ecological wetlands and vegetation, which is a rare urban image display of the city.

‘In Chinese paintings, there is an ancient technique in which painters leave blank spaces that allows for a simple and powerful portrayal. Under this natural context, a simple outline complements the flowing water and green mountains,’ Ken drew inspiration from the water reflections and utilised glass curtain walls to scale down the building mass, reducing its impact on the surrounding area. The translucent building then becomes a harmonious counterpart alongside the mesmerising nature, embracing its modernity on one hand and highlighting it as a gleaming focal point on the other. The architectural form has clear edges with interspersed building masses. The sides of the main building are slightly tilted inwards and its four corners are stretched outwards, further weakening the building masses to create a vivid and upright architectural form.

With the excellent ecological surroundings, a high-rise Grade A office tower and five multi-storey office towers are dispersed within the plot. The height of the buildings is maintained in a manner that is consistent with the surrounding planning, higher in the east and lower in the west, echoing the lake in the west to form an elegant city skyline. The layout is arranged spaciously to minimise line-of-sight obstruction between the buildings, ensuring the integrity of the external views thus enjoying a 360-degree scenery.

The enclosed layout forms a unique communal square in the centre of the building. The overall landscape extends around the tower building, while the indoor and outdoor spaces are implanted with natural greenery to distinguish between the public and private landscapes. As the design is circled around the concept of a ‘community office’, a multi-level shared space including office terraces and roof gardens has been created to allow for an open flow of communications. An open floor plan also indicates an effective layout that tenants may adopt with flexibility, maximising the area usage, hence enhancing functionality. The central courtyard and riverside area are stitched together by an open environment outside the tower, providing users with abundant space for social interactions, and creating an ecologically pleasant business community that is endorsed by international green building standards.

The vertical curtain wall system perfectly presents a simple and candid design. The vertical metal louvres minimise glare and at the same time play the role of shading and energy saving. The glass curtain wall with 15% reflectivity brings the outdoor scenery into the room and achieves an organic integration of the façade and nature. The high-ceiling design on the first floor is matched with ultra-white Low-E glass to form a visual contrast with the upper tower under the night light, creating a bright and elegant arrival experience.

‘Architecture is the art of responding to the environment. We hope to create a community-based commercial hub that complements nature in the core city area where headquarters of Jiading New City gather and grow, ‘Ken commented.