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Architects: Benzhe Design
- Area: 1032 m²
- Year: 2024
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Photographs:Shengliang Su
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Lead Architect: Jiang Huajian
Text description provided by the architects. A Sail on the Vast Sea is located within the EKA Tianwu Art District in the Jinqiao area of Pudong New District, Shanghai. The original site was Building 442, known as "Maritime Home," part of the China Shipbuilding Navigation Instrument Factory from the 1950s and 1960s. The project was commissioned by the owner for a comprehensive planning and renovation design. Positioned near the entrance of the park, just south of "Bancang," the building welcomes visitors with the form of a raised "sail." Rooted in the spirit of navigation and expressed through a strong and forceful writing style, the project seamlessly integrates art and functionality within the public spaces. The interplay of old and new honors the present while looking towards the future.
A Sail on the Vast Sea preserves the original building's core structure. The entire architectural mass is shaped through various methods such as wrapping, interweaving, interlocking, stacking, and meandering, thereby creating a sense of time and space travel, allowing the past, present, and future to engage in dialogue. The color scheme combines terracotta-toned concrete with weathered steel panels, and the interplay of light and shadow enhances the rich history that the old building has accumulated over time.
Cutting and remaking act as tools to redefine both space and structure. Anchored by the building's central axis, the architect boldly creates uninterrupted connections between the upper and lower levels, as well as the front and rear, integrating elements like the elevator, atrium, pedestrian passage, and terrace within a single plane. This design allows the interior and exterior to merge, establishing an open, continuous space.
The staircase on the north side of the building leads directly indoors, with the exterior glass panels arranged in a staggered, dynamic pattern. This design divides, refracts, and focuses natural light, creating a rich interplay of light and shadow. The sails made of weathered steel plates at the upper part of the building enhance the dynamic beauty of the building's facade, where the contrast between curves and straight lines conveys the structure's strength and tension.
The original tree in the northeast corner has been preserved to complement the old and new buildings. The open fire escape staircase spirals upwards, meandering in both curves and straight lines, evoking a journey through time—past, present, and future. The design leaves space for clear sightlines, allowing one to experience the changing seasons of the trees. Upon reaching the third floor, one can gaze across to the opposite BANCANG, with trees creating a natural separation. Continuing upwards, the rooftop clock tower comes into view, with each step offering a new perspective.
On the east side, a newly installed cylindrical stainless steel elevator is embedded into the building, extending through multiple floors to serve as the vertical circulation within. The architect subtly "lifts" a line on the elevator's surface, creating a "skyline" effect that allows light to stream inside, adding an intriguing touch to the architecture. The combination of stainless steel and heavy concrete exudes a modern industrial aesthetic, while also extending the texture of time's accumulation.
On the southern side, the building is surrounded by trees, and in front of the nature, the building is slightly "set back" to give space to the trees, so that nature and the building can live in harmony, which also reflects the design concept of Benzhe Architecture: pay attention to the relationship between architecture, people, and nature.
The west facade of the building, with its cast-in-place concrete, exudes a sense of weight and solidity. However, the introduction of rectangular openings brings a breath of life to the structure. What could have been a continuous cut is ingeniously interrupted at the top, creating a subtle "brake" effect. The exterior terrace disrupts the original monotony of the facade. On the wall, a quote from the German poet Schiller is inscribed: "Art is nature's right hand. Nature only allows us to exist, but art enables us to truly become human." In this way, the building extends nature, while art fosters a resonance between nature and humanity.
The perforated "sail surface" arranged in a sequence on the building's rooftop enhances the texture of the facade, with the sails rising upward and allowing dappled light to pour into the interior, like starlight meeting the vast ocean. As the past and future converge, the spirit of exploration endures, embarking on a continuous journey.
We explore the fusion of public space and art, shaping the building with terracotta and cast-in-place concrete. This approach not only provides the structure with a solid and stable foundation but also imparts a unique color and texture, creating a vibrant and inviting atmosphere. The ground is raised, making the building appear to stand on a "stage," drawing people in and transforming the space into a comfortable visual experience of public art. As time progresses, A Sail on the Vast Sea remains steadfast, its silhouette casting forward into the future.
