When it’s complete, this new office tower – located on the site that hosted the 2010 EXPO Shanghai, close to the famed China Pavilion – will be a landmark as much for Shanghai as it will be for the client, Zhonghang – Aviation Industry Corporation of China.
For starters, the architectural language is a bold riff on the fluid aerodynamics shapes that form the core of the AVIC’s business and the airline industry. In creating the distinctive silhouette, ONG&ONG’s designers dived into a thorough study of aerodynamics, parsing the subtle differences in different airfoils. The fluidity of the patterns of flow provided the team with valuable insight into the forces that shape airplanes and sailing ships. Not surprisingly, the designers found that the lightest and fastest of these vessels are beautifully elegant and graceful celebrations of movement.
The strong horizontal lines of the building’s floors resonate with the most dominant building in the vicinity – the China Pavilion. In a very subtle way, they also reference, or echo, the local setting to achieve a contextual harmony that might otherwise have been missed.