Architects: Kokaistudios Location: Shanghai, China Collaborators: Andrea Destefanis, Filippo Gabbiani, Li Wei, Song Qing Local architect: Shanghai Zhongfang Architectural Design Institute Project Year: 2009 Area: 3,400 sqm Photographs: Panda of VA-PHOTO
A new iconic light canopy reconfigures a system of old warehouses into a new exhibition center.
When the large area located to the south of the Chinese city of Wuxi was selected by the city to be reconverted and re-qualified the Hong Kong based developer SPGland invited a selected number of international firms including SOM, PTW and Kokaistudios, to cooperate and transform it into a new residential, commercial and cultural center of the city.
As the site was mostly occupied by a heritage factories of the city, large portions of historical buildings have been maintained and integrated together with the new contemporary ones, setting a strategy of harmonious development between old, new architecture and the surrounding environment. Being this the vision proposed by our team all over the project we have been invited to design the iconic project of the sales center of the new development.
The success of this strategy was confirmed at the opening of the center in late 2009 when the entire project has been sold out setting a new sales record for the Chinese market.
