Shanghai's newest landmark, Sky SOHO, debuted this week with a grand opening carnival celebration and light show attended by more than 10,000 spectators to witness the inauguration of the futuristic architecture.
Sky SOHO is Zaha Hadid's first work in Shanghai. Located on a lot of 86,000 sm and with a total GFA of 350,000 sm, Sky SOHO is comprised of 12 standalone buildings interlinked by 16 sky bridges. The buildings resemble four bullet trains about to take off.
Sky SOHO is the third in a trilogy of SOHO China developments designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, following Galaxy SOHO and Wangjing SOHO in Beijing.
Situated in the Shanghai Hongqiao Airport Economic Zone, Sky SOHO is adjacent to the Hongqiao transportation hub. The area is already home to the headquarters of over 800 companies, and has become established as an especially dense and active commercial zone in the Yangtze River Delta region. Boasting its spectacular design and advantageous location, Sky SOHO is Shanghai's new iconic landmark building.
Sky SOHO was designed to be a green, sustainable building with efficient energy use. So far, it has achieved LEED Gold precertification. To manage Shanghai's chronic air pollution and ensure high quality clean air indoors, Sky SOHO uses an advanced air purification system to effectively filter out over 90% of the atmospheric PM2.5, far exceeding the national standard.
Renderings courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
Sky SOHO is also equipped with a pure-drinking water five-layer filtration system that meets the water standards for aerospace facilities. Filtered water will be provided to all office kitchens above the second floor level.
This past September, SOHO China announced the sale of 100,167 sm of the Sky SOHO to Ctrip Travel Network Technology for its future office space development. Ctrip's presence is expected to invigorate the business environment, which will in turn facilitate the Sky SOHO leasing.
SOHO China Chairman Pan Shiyi comments, "After four years of arduous work, we have finally been able to transform the architect's blue prints into a new landmark for Shanghai. We thank every construction party for their tremendous efforts. We have always been very positive in our outlook on the Shanghai market, and will continue to strive to bring more iconic architectural works to this dynamic and cosmopolitan city."
Related Stories
| May 28, 2014
Moshe Safdie's twin residential towers in Singapore will be connected by 'sky pool' 38 stories in the air [slideshow]
Moshe Safdie's latest project, a pair of 38-story luxury residential towers in Singapore, will be linked by three "sky garden" bridges, including a rooftop-level bridge with a lap pool running the length between the two structures.
| May 27, 2014
Supergreen Venter lab displayed in new walk-through video
ZGF Architects' La Jolla building for genomics pioneer J. Craig Venter and his nonprofit research organization aims to be the first net-zero energy, carbon-neutral biological lab.
| May 27, 2014
America's oldest federal public housing development gets a facelift
First opened in 1940, South Boston's Old Colony housing project had become a symbol of poor housing conditions. Now the revamped neighborhood serves as a national model for sustainable, affordable multifamily design.
| May 27, 2014
One World Trade Center cuts rents due to sluggish activity
Sluggish economy and lackluster leasing force developer The Durst Organization and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to reduce asking rents by nearly 10% to $69/sf.
| May 27, 2014
Fire Rated Glass contributes to open lab environment at JSNN
Openness and transparency were high priorities in the design of the Joint School of Nanoscience & Nanoengineering within the Gateway University Research Park in Greensboro, N.C. Because the facility’s nanobioelectronics clean room houses potentially explosive materials, it needed to be able to contain flames, heat, and smoke in the event of a fire. SPONSORED CONTENT
| May 27, 2014
What are your services worth?
The price, cost, and value of design services are explored in a recent Design Intelligence article authored by Scott Simpson, a senior fellow of the Design Futures Council. Value, he explains, represents the difference between “price” and “cost.” SPONSORED CONTENT
| May 27, 2014
Contractors survey reveals improving construction market
The construction industry is on the road to recovery, according to a new survey by Metal Construction News. Most metrics improved from the previous year’s survey, including a 19.4% increase in the average annual gross contracting sales volume. SPONSORED CONTENT
| May 27, 2014
How to develop a dynamic referral system
Compelling your clients to provide you with quality referrals is one of the best ways to build a successful business. Here are ways to ‘train’ your clients to make quality referrals. SPONSORED CONTENT
Sponsored | | May 27, 2014
Grim Hall opens the door to fire safety with fire-rated ceramic glass
For the renovation of Lincoln University’s Grim Hall life sciences building into a state-of-the-art computer facility, Tevebaugh Associates worked to provide students and faculty with improved life safety protection. Updating the 1925-era facility's fire-rated doors was an important component of the project.
| May 26, 2014
New Jersey data centers will manage loads with pods
The two data center facilities totaling almost 430,000 sf for owner Digital Realty Trust will use the company's TK-Flex planning module, allowing for 24 pods.
