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
| Apr 25, 2013
Colorado State University, DLR Group team to study 12 high-performance schools
DLR Group and the Institute for the Built Environment at Colorado State University have collaborated on a research project to evaluate the effect of green school design on occupants and long-term building performance.
| Apr 24, 2013
More positive momentum for Architecture Billings Index
All regions and building sectors continue to report positive business conditions
| Apr 24, 2013
North Carolina bill would ban green rating systems that put state lumber industry at disadvantage
North Carolina lawmakers have introduced state legislation that would restrict the use of national green building rating programs, including LEED, on public projects.
| Apr 24, 2013
Los Angeles may add cool roofs to its building code
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants cool roofs added to the city’s building code. He is also asking the Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to create incentives that make it financially attractive for homeowners to install cool roofs.
| Apr 23, 2013
Building material innovation: Concrete cloth simplifies difficult pours
Milliken recently debuted a flexible fabric that allows for concrete installations on slopes, in water, and in other hard to reach places—without the need for molds or mixing.
| Apr 23, 2013
Architects to MoMA: Don't destroy Williams/Tsien project
Richard Meier, Thom Mayne, Steven Holl, Hugh Hardy and Robert A.M. Stern are among the prominent architects who on Monday called for the Museum of Modern Art to reconsider its decision to demolish the former home of the American Folk Art Museum.
| Apr 22, 2013
Top 10 green building projects for 2013 [slideshow]
The AIA's Committee on the Environment selected its top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment.
| Apr 19, 2013
Is LED lighting keeping its promises?
Lighting experts debate the benefits, drawbacks, and issues related to specifying LED fixtures.
| Apr 19, 2013
Must see: Shell of gutted church on stilts, 40 feet off the ground
Construction crews are going to extremes to save the ornate brick façade of the Provo (Utah) Tabernacle temple, which was ravaged by a fire in December 2010.