Shanghai Financial Exchange Plaza/ Shanghai, China/ 2020
Type: Headquarters, Office
Size: 4,370,150 sq ft / 406,000 sq m
Height: 31 floors; 755 ft / 230 m
Status: Completed 2020
Certifications: LEED Gold
Previously Named: Shanghai International Financial Center
Collaborators: Atelier FGP
Recognition: CTBUH Best Tall Building, 200‑299m; Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Award
The implicit vision of the Shanghai International Financial Center was to create a complex of buildings that each retains its own identity while becoming part of the whole. The three towers — the Shanghai Stock Exchange, China Futures Exchange, and China Securities Clearing — are organized around a central plaza that is anchored by a sunken Financial Theatre. A reflecting pool forms the roof of the theatre and orients the ground plane around a central focal point. High above, a 130-meter bridge connects the three towers and hosts an exhibition space, training center, media center, and roof garden.
The project, a partnership between Jahn and FGP Atelier, utilizes projecting mullions to create an elegant verticality — the dominant feature of each building. At the ground level and up above, the central plaza and pedestrian bridge work together to unify the three towers while facilitating opportunities for building users to interact. Meanwhile, split cores divide the buildings into two slabs with column-free office spaces, allowing spacious through-building lobbies and mid-level atriums while creating an openness that visually connects the three towers.
Architects, collaborating with engineers and outside consultants, developed integrated design solutions to achieve excellent environmental performances and LEED Gold certification. High-performance low-E window coatings, automated blinds, and state-of-the-art mechanical systems allow the office’s air conditioning and heating loads to be considerably reduced. Atop the building’s roofs and pedestrian bridge, rooftop gardens with planting and water collection systems recover stormwater and considerably reduce water runoffs on the extensive site.
