Alibaba, the world’s largest online retailer and e-commerce company, is set to receive a new signature office building in Shanghai courtesy of Foster + Partners. The building will showcase the company’s unique working culture to the public.
Situated at Xuhui Riverside, the building is formed around a central heart that opens up to create a large public urban room. The building is designed to be extremely transparent and includes an active social core with viewing terraces overlooking the central space.
The project’s unique building form has been guided by a design process that uses a genetic algorithm to evolve the optimal massing. The algorithm combines several aspects that are crucial to the project such as being highly responsive to the environmental conditions, maximizing outside views, and the specific area requirements for different functions. The massing is optimized to provide the best year-round user comfort in the central public space by protecting it from stronger winds in the winter and the harsh summer sun while creating tailored workspace solutions for the different departments at Alibaba.
Desk arrangements, break-out spaces, and meeting rooms are designed to encourage collaboration and teamwork with visual and physical connectivity encouraging interactions.
See Also: The Grand Canal Museum will tell the story of the world’s longest canal
“Our design emphasises the importance of communication, the integrity of the working community and above all, the creation of an image that reflects the standing of Alibaba,” said Luke Fox, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners, in a release. “The scheme is truly designed from the inside out, centred on a dynamic, sheltered public space capitalizing on its amazing location with its views of the Huangpu River and the Bund.”
The design will utilize off-site production for quality control, reducing wastage, and minimizing on-site operations to create an efficient construction program.
Related Stories
| Aug 12, 2016
OFFICE GIANTS: Technology is giving office workers the chance to play musical chairs
Technology is redefining how offices function and is particularly salient in the growing trend of "hoteling" and "hot seating" or "free addressing."
| Aug 12, 2016
Top 70 Office Engineering Firms
Jacobs, AECOM, and Thornton Tomasetti top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest office sector engineering and E/A firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 12, 2016
Top 100 Office Construction Firms
Turner Construction Co., Structure Tone, and Gilbane Building Co. top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest office sector construction and construction management firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 12, 2016
Top 100 Office Architecture Firms
Gensler, HOK, and Perkins+Will top Building Design+Construction’s annual ranking of the nation’s largest office sector architecture and A/E firms, as reported in the 2016 Giants 300 Report.
Office Buildings | Jul 29, 2016
The ROI of company culture: Why companies should look at culture’s impact on profit
Organizations that purposefully craft and develop their culture experience a 14% turnover rate, whereas organizations that ignore their culture experience a 48% turnover rate, writes PDR Senior Consultant Christine Mikhail.
Office Buildings | Jul 13, 2016
Latest Gensler survey links innovation with workplace flexibility
A poll of 4,000-plus U.S. workers finds the most innovative among them spend less time at the office.
Office Buildings | Jul 12, 2016
CF Møller designs LEGO world headquarters complex in Denmark
The 52,000-sm complex will incorporate many familiar motifs from the popular plastic building block toys.
Office Buildings | Jul 11, 2016
CetraRuddy designs office tower for Manhattan’s Meatpacking district
Plans originally called for a hotel, but the architect and developers adapted their design for commercial use.
Market Data | Jul 6, 2016
A thriving economy and influx of businesses spur construction in downtown Seattle
Development investment is twice what it was five years ago.
Contractors | Jul 4, 2016
A new report links infrastructure investment to commercial real estate expansion
Competitiveness and economic development are at stake for cities, says Transwestern.
