Shanghai Tower Podium Meeting Center: A Modern Marvel

Chaoyi Gao and Miaoyi Jiang's Award-Winning Design

The inspiration for the design came from Shanghai's geographical location, adjacent to the Huangpu River. The designers sought to integrate the project with the environment perfectly, using the concept of water as a design vocabulary. This approach allowed them to interpret visual, spatial, and spiritual fluency, creating a design that clearly responds to the site.

The Shanghai Tower Podium Meeting Center is different from other designs due to its focus on the continuous and eternal flow of the city. The space's shape pursues the spiritual core and diversity of design, creating a new understanding with the consideration of humanity and nature. The design features a ballroom with 500 seats, 4 multi-function meeting rooms, a club for the enterprise, a VIP room, a garden bar, and an outdoor garden. The underground avenue is about 370m long and 15 meters wide.

The design was realized using various techniques and materials. The blue terrazzo flooring extends gradually in the B2 avenue, and the aluminum round pipe wall in the ceiling as fabulous cuckoldries naturally in the 5F ball hall. The elements of "river" and "water" are showed directly, creating a sense of the Huangpu River's tenderness.

The project started in September 2012 in Shanghai and finished in September 2017. The design process involved significant research, with the form of the Shanghai Tower rotating 120 degrees standing at Lujiazui financial district loftily. "Rotation" is not only showing the "dynamic" form in physics, but it also shows lots of culture meanings behind the design, telling the continued eternal flow is in the sky space above the whole city. The interior space form echoes the spiritual temperament of the building. Rotation, streamline, and rhythm constitute the main style of the space.

The design faced challenges due to the spatial structure. The large elevation of the building could make the overall proportion of space appear inconsistent. Therefore, one of the great challenges for designers was to avoid the problems caused by vertical height, so that the whole space could be used rationally. Despite these challenges, the design was awarded Silver in A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award in 2019, a testament to its remarkable design and innovation.