Cloud on Terrace
Shanghai, China
A mixed-use tower, Cloud on Terrace, sits along Changshou Road, located within the inner ring of Shanghai urban city, near the historic Changde Road, with close proximity to two metro stations and a planned future green area in the residential zone on the south.
The 45,000 sqm scheme consists of an office tower and a retail podium.
The retail steps away from the tower setback to the property edge, with lush terraces as an extension of the green park to the south. The lower portion is therefore made highly accessible, bringing a missing “humanism” to the urban fabric. The tower”s form, articulation and softness allow the tower to float above the green terraces of the retail below as a “cloud” may sit on hill.
The project furthermore acts a bridge between the low-rise, residential developments to the south and Changshou Road to the North. Entrances for the retail are visible at both ends facing the busy pedestrian junctions and connecting the two metro station entrances.
To further direct the building’s energy towards this important main street, the curtain wall façade of the front face gently ripple towards the top, further dissolving the expression by softening the reflections of the surroundings.
A recessed ‘cave’ below breaks down the mass to a pedestrian scale and allows the terraces below to dissolve up into the tower. Tight horizontal extrusions open up towards the South as sunshades, reducing solar gain into office floors.
Glass curtain wall uses high-performance, energy-saving, low-e, low iron glass. The natural landscaping on podium terrace balconies also reduces solar gain into the project by maximizing the green on site in a naturally-ventilated environment.
Project data
Client: Gemdale Properties and Investment Corporate Ltd.
Site area: 11,647 sqm | Gross floor area: 45,000 sqm
Status: On site, expected completion date 2021