A public exhibition hall named ‘The Orbit’ is taking shape on Shanghai’s West Bund waterfront. This studio has designed the building to be a cultural heart for the new Financial Hub in Xuhui District and a landmark on the Huangpu riverside.
Visitors will be greeted by the building from all angles, with 360-degree accessibility, and can climb up and around the structure itself. The façade resembles a series of interwoven ribbons that form an undulating set of publicly accessible staircases, bridges, and terraces. These allow visitors to the new district to ascend to the building’s rooftop garden and take advantage of the multiple viewing platforms overlooking the river.
The idea is to create a building designed to be explored, experienced and animated by the people who visit it.
The design of The Orbit takes inspiration from traditional Chinese moon bridges, but with a futuristic twist that creates a sense of constant rotational motion. Glazed openings reveal the inner exhibition hall, and draw people in.
The design team has placed the exhibition space – the primary function – at the centre of the building, complementing it with further facilities on the upper levels. A second gallery encircles the main hall to catch the attention of people passing outside, looking in.
The exhibition hall is currently under construction, with completion expected in 2024.
The building is located directly opposite the site where our ‘Seed Cathedral’ UK Pavilion stood in 2010 for the Shanghai World Expo, making this a particularly meaningful project for the studio.
A public exhibition hall named ‘The Orbit’ is taking shape on Shanghai’s West Bund waterfront. This studio has designed the building to be a cultural heart for the new Financial Hub in Xuhui District and a landmark on the Huangpu riverside.
Visitors will be greeted by the building from all angles, with 360-degree accessibility, and can climb up and around the structure itself. The façade resembles a series of interwoven ribbons that form an undulating set of publicly accessible staircases, bridges, and terraces. These allow visitors to the new district to ascend to the building’s rooftop garden and take advantage of the multiple viewing platforms overlooking the river. The idea is to create a building designed to be explored, experienced and animated by the people who visit it.
The design of The Orbit takes inspiration from traditional Chinese moon bridges, but with a futuristic twist that creates a sense of constant rotational motion. Glazed openings reveal the inner exhibition hall, and draw people in.
The design team has placed the exhibition space – the primary function – at the centre of the building, complementing it with further facilities on the upper levels. A second gallery encircles the main hall to catch the attention of people passing outside,
looking in.
The exhibition hall is currently under construction, with completion expected in 2024.
The building is located directly opposite the site where our ‘Seed Cathedral’ UK Pavilion stood in 2010 for the Shanghai World Expo, making this a particularly meaningful project for the studio.
