Renowned architecture firm Ennead Architects has revealed design for the new Shanghai Lingang Special Area Masterplan, which will be a new hub for global commerce. 

The large-scale masterplan is designed on the central axis that is shaped around the Dishui Lake district in the core of Shanghai. 

Ennead's new masterplan is set to be built as an iconic identity for a free trade zone and business district that will attract some of the world’s most prominent companies as it facilitates global trade. 

The masterplan will include four commercial buildings, covering over 89,000 square meters of retail, over 7,500 square meters of civic space, and over 28,000 square meters of open space.

Shanghai Lingang Special Area Dishui Lake Financial Bay Pilot Project Frontal aerial view

"Our vision for the Lingang Special Area in Shanghai is to implement an international standard of architecture that reflects China’s role in 21st-century global commerce," said Peter Schubert FAIA, Design Partner at Ennead Architects. 

"The integrated design of the mixed-use site lends itself to a variety of elevated experiences for the local community and tourists alike in the center of this high-profile business district," Schubert added.

Shanghai Lingang Special Area Dishui Lake Financial Bay Pilot Project Frontal park view

Designed as a free trade zone, the site has lots of potentials in terms of an important commercial, political, and civic role. Its design provides a functional area where multinational corporations can optimize business operations, while also creating open spaces for the surrounding communities to enjoy. 

Reflecting the desire for beautifully designed buildings alongside civic communal spaces, Ennead’s masterplan envisions a memorable integrated work of urban design, landscape, and architecture. 

The Shanghai Lingang Special Area masterplan includes key features. For example, the practice adds a state-of-the-art circular, cantilevered observation deck, called The Ring, which will be a dramatic centerpiece symbolizing prosperity and unity.

Shanghai Lingang Special Area Dishui Lake Financial Bay Pilot Project Ring tower

A cantilevered observation deck and museum, offering 360-degree views of nearby Dishui Lake, Shanghai and the Pacific Ocean, includes exhibition spaces that are supported by four mixed-use towers. The structure will provide a dedicated space for premier cultural experiences. 

The cantilevered deck combines long, curved spans and features structural glazing. The design of the ring is engineered in collaboration with structural engineer JAE and facade consultant RFR. At night, The Ring will be activated with light shows and events.

The two towers will offer world-class office spaces for global corporations: Flanking The Ring are two towers that will accommodate corporations from around the globe, solidifying the site’s position as a nexus for some of the world’s most influential companies.

Shanghai Lingang Special Area Dishui Lake Financial Bay Pilot Project Ring from below, daytime

The Tower Waterfall and Tower Rhomboid are designed to offer memorable aesthetics. "A gently curving gouge is carved into the sides of Tower Waterfall while Tower Rhomboid features angular sawtooth patterning that distorts the perception of glass versus solid from different vantage points," said Ennead Architects.

The design scheme contains a series of unified sub-districts with unique identities, such as a variety of civic functions, degrees of density, and natural and built environments are integrated into the design to work in and inhabit.

The sub-districts include the Quad of Free Trade, Eco and Art Centers, the Mixed-Use Commercial Zone and the Mixed-Use Residential Neighborhood. 

Shanghai Lingang Special Area Dishui Lake Financial Bay Pilot Project Ring from below, night

Commercial and retail spaces are connected by a collection of elevated, linear parks with local flora; landscaped, pedestrian paths; and a gently curving avenue of interconnected, landscaped buildings called the Financial Crescent, a unique gathering space that unifies the entire district.

Ennead envisions the masterplan based on sustainability and nature principles. For instance, landscaped pedestrian spaces and lush rooftop gardens bring office workers and residents closer to nature. 

The studio's goal is to turn the site into "a sponge city". To achieve this, the team adds abundant green spaces that can play a key role in absorbing excess rainwater, helping to mitigate any potential damage from storms and flooding, while also moderating temperatures and reducing erosion. 

Shanghai Lingang Special Area Dishui Lake Financial Bay Pilot Project Ring tower atrium

Moreover, as it is situated on the circular Dishui Lake, Ennead took inspiration from natural motifs to inform the design of the site, looking to the forms of and ripples on the lake to create a built environment that reflects the natural world.

"The ambition was to create a 21st century free trade hub that elevates the profile of Shanghai as a global economic player," said Grace Chen, Principal and Director of Asia Practice at Ennead Architects. 

"Ennead’s masterplan and designs for individual plots support this vision by establishing a compelling and inspired identity that speaks to the importance of this region," Chen added.

Shanghai Lingang Special Area Dishui Lake Financial Bay Pilot Project Financial crescent spaces

Shanghai Lingang Special Area Dishui Lake Financial Bay Pilot Project- Tower Waterfall

Shanghai Lingang Special Area Dishui Lake Financial Bay Pilot Project Tower Waterfall atrium, looking up

Shanghai Lingang Special Area Dishui Lake Financial Bay Pilot Project Tower Rhomboid

Ennead Architects was established in Shanghai in 2014 and has been active in Asia for many years. 

The firm has completed more than 40 projects in China, with a total construction area of over 2.3 million square meters, spanning projects from ground-up new construction of hi-tech and commercial office complexes, to adaptive re-use of existing historic and industrial buildings, to major cultural projects.

Ennead Architects is currently working on The Cove, a global hub for Life Science, Tech And Medicine in Jersey City, the Fossil Park Museum in New Jersey in collaboration with KSS Architects, a new International Performance Center in Shenzhen. 

Top image: Shanghai Lingang Special Area Dishui Lake Financial Bay Pilot Project Overall aerial.

All images courtesy of Ennead Architects.

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