上海“天顶”丨中国上海丨ASPECT Studios

A bold biophilic break from the mundane, infused with the characteristics of its traditional context. The Roof intricately weaves its surrounding culture into its unique design, creating a model for future city spaces where people and nature thrive and a unique city destination to see and be seen in.

In early 2018, CIFI appointed ASPECT Studios to the project team to deliver the landscape architectural and living facade design of this iconic landmark building by Jean Nouvel. Embracing the projects vision started with an appreciation of the site’s context, culture, and community, being a few blocks way from our Shanghai studio, a place we are very familiar with. The design was developed though Concept Design, Schematic Design, Detailed Design and reviewing of the Construction Documentation and On-Site construction.

Shanghai is one of the most iconic, modern, fast paced and densely populated international cities in the world. By taking a step away from the busy streets, into the traditional backstreets (Li’long), you will find a completely different experience where there is much to admire. A place that’s quintessential to the soul of Shanghai, with its own unique characteristics, pace of life, community, and culture within the complex 100-year-old historic laneways.

The Journey

The design of this project was one that started with bold and unique architectural design concept by Jean Nouvel, a strong culturally inspired human scale place of experiences.

To support the vision, an evidence based design approach was undertaken to inform the design and the creative process, helping to inform decisions on human comfort, planting species, biodiversity and seasonal change. The development of material palettes and details that reflected the character of place whilst created something new. Through the delivery of the project 1 to 1 scale mock of the building and facade was constructed on the outskirts of Shanghai this allowed for detailed testing and studying the complexities of the design, systems and technical interfaces between landscape, architecture, structural, MEP, Irrigation, Planting specialists.

To ensure robust settling in and instant effect from day one, an advance grown nursery strategy was implemented to pre grow each pot species combination a season in advance.

DNA of Place

Unlike the hustle and bustle of contemporary Shanghai, the human scale environment of the Li’long (back streets) naturally takes people to a slower pace of life. It is these vivid red brick and beige framed linear corridors and the abundance of landscape in potted plants that climb, cascade, and thrive on every surface, corner, entrance, balcony and ledge that creates the natural forming and spontaneous biophilic environment intrinsic to the LiLong. The Roof represents a new era of contemporary urban development within its authentic cultural context.

Reflections of the characteristics and DNA of Li’long has been layered into the design and decision process at each opportunity, to form a place equally full of diverse forms of social life and people co-existing and connecting with nature on multiple levels.

The spirit of the project is defined by its vivid architecture and unique living façades, sky decks, and sky gardens, with plants everywhere, at all heights and depths. Flowers, shrubs, trees, and draping flora form an extraordinary visual and spatial display. The whole place resonates with the feeling of nature and fresh air, adding a special charm to the city and neighborhood.

Surrounded by vibrant commercial spaces, lifestyle and cultures, the design is respectful to the scale of the surrounding urban context, yet outstanding in the depth of detail and individuality it brings to the area. Embracing the traditional characteristics and qualities of the Li’long, one of the most significant points of identity of the project is the living façade elevations.

Across the project there is a total of ten facades. On the façades, there are horizontal arrangements and clusters of planting; each cluster is a collection of curated species, combined of shrubs and draping plants, suitable to its climate conditions. The clusters create an ever-changing seasonal display from the atrium to the outer façades. The integration of the living facade has strongly encouraged wildlife and pollinators into the heart of a dense urban environment, which creates a harmonious place for people and nature.

Positioned as an iconic project of contemporary office and commercial hub, it invites visitors and office workers into a richness of greenery both from within and outside of the space. At the top of the building, sky deck roof gardens with gathering spaces generously planted with trees open out to the sky, creating a shared terrace with an open view to an impressive urban skyline. Sky decks on selected floors provide immerse, cool, and welcoming spaces that acknowledge the dense urban position yet allows people to walk in nature appreciating the diverse forms of life. These are places for meaningful connections and moments of tranquillity for people and nature.

Through a unique response to culture, climate, context, and the environment whilst considering the needs of future urban lifestyle, ‘’The Roof’’ sets out to define a new perspective of contemporary urban experience, a biophilic office and commercial environment that draws on the characteristics of Li’long, embracing the thought-provoking characteristics of its surrounds.

Here landscape and architecture blur the conventional inter-disciplinary lines with a bold and vivid biophilic response to culture, urban biodiversity and place that explores what future urban living can be.

Evidence Based Design

In the facades design, the collaborative team conducted critical analysis to determine various climate conditions of each elevation to curate suitable, resilient, and aesthetically pleasing planting palettes to achieve the highest sustainable outcomes.

At the early stages of the design, the team collected data on solar, wind, sun, and other micro-climate related factors that cover both the building and surroundings. This data was digitally analysed in depth using the latest micro climatic modelling tools. This was then used to inform the detailed selection of plant species suitable for the exact conditions of each facade pot, its orientation, elevation, and pot size.

Within each facade pot is an integrated drip irrigation ring, this is positioned under the top layer of mulch to ensure water efficiency and to reduce evaporation.

Biophilic Design

Humans have an innate love of and close connection to nature where a fundamental need to be surrounded by natural environments is vital in maintaining a healthy and vibrant existence as urban species.

The Roof’s planting is specificity positioned to ensure it is viewed from inside, allowing each office worker to enjoy in a unique environment immersed in nature and greenery. When our senses are stimulated in a way nature intended, the benefits to psychological well-being, among many others prevail.

This connection is especially important in the workplace where the incorporation of green space, natural light and plants are proven to help with individual health and wellbeing, ensuring better employee satisfaction, office productivity, and greater levels of creativity, motivation, and efficiency.

The project enhances biodiversity within its urban environment. The array of specific plant species, and automated irrigation systems, ensures a reduced demand of water compared to traditional planting whilst providing a cool, comfortable, and unique place for all residents to meet, play and live connected with nature.

The integration of the living facade encourages wildlife and pollinators into the heart of a dense urban environment. These environments with their increased pace and rapid interaction increase stress and the prevalence of some mental disorders. The biophilic principles are not only visually pleasing but allow nature to thrive, enhancing the wellbeing of the users and wider community through an instinctive connection to nature, promoting meaningful coexistence with landscape in cities.

Urban Biodiversity and Seasonal Change

Planting species have been selected to attract pollinators and increase urban biodiversity whilst embracing seasonality creating an all year display of changing natural colours, tones and greenery. From ground level to the upper gardens birds, bees, butterflies and dragon flies have already been spotted.

In summer whilst in leaf the plants create shade to the interior reducing heavy reliance on air conditioning. In winter, the deciduous species drop their leaves to help to increase natural light to the interior while the soil assists to create an additional layer of thermal buffer against the cold air.

With the intent to create an environment that had natural composition and rhythm both in elevation and seasonal rhythm through the months, specific species were selected for their individual location, aspects, and elevation. Each performing different and defined roles such as seasonal change, all-year structure, and flowering display.

Seasonal Change Species: helping to increase urban biodiversity, the intent of the design was to create a living facade that reflected the seasonal characteristics native to Shanghai. The following species were selected to emphasize on seasonal change through the seasons, to embrace the beauty of plants in transition, and to create beautiful layers of flowering displays at different times of the year. The following species helped to define the ever-changing season display: Hydrangea macrophylla (Thunb.) Ser., Spiraea salicifolia L., Salix integra ‘Hakuro Nishiki’, Spiraea thunbergia, etc.

All Year Structural Species

– using a range of evergreen species to ensure an all-year basis of the design, a diverse mix of evergreen species were selected for their suitability to create a robust skeleton to the design, these consisted of shrubs and cascading species suitable to the climatic condition. The following species helped to define the all-year planting framework: Farfugrium japonicum (L. f.) Kitam., Rhododendron pulchrum Sweet, Ilex crenata f. convexa (Makino) Rehder, Myrfus communis‘Variegata’, Nandina domestica ’Firepower’, Ligustrum japonicum ‘Howardii’, Abelia × grandiflora（Andre）Rehd, Muehlenbeckia complexa Meisn., Teucrium fruticans L., Ligustrum sinense ’Variegatum’, Gardenia jasminoides Ellis, Rhododendron pulchrum Sweet, Lonicera nitida‘Maigrun’, etc.

Cascading Rhythm Species

- to create natural drifts and movement in the faced it was important that we considered the planting composition rhythms in height along with the cascading rhythms (the layers of cascading species) the design looks to achieve rhythms and natural drifts and movements are different scales, the entire façade display and within the clusters of pots. The cascading plant species used to support the concept ideas are: Hedera nepalensis var. sinensis (Tobl.) Rehd, Trachelospermum jasminoides (Lindl.) Lem., Vinca major var. variegate, Muehlenbeckia complexa Meisn., etc.

See and Be Seen

Within the short time since opening, The Roof has rapidly become one of the most photographed locations in Shanghai, a place to see and be seen requested by crowds of people coming to experience the three-dimensional immersive experience. Influencer and KOL as the place to be seen with vibrant competition and diversity of spaces, and family capturing moments of delight with their children and relatives.

Red Stone Carpet

To strengthen the overall design and impact, we studied and developed a materials pattern that will complement the tone and colour of the facade. We undertook studies that looked at the transition from outside to inside, from urban to human scale, tonal changes, and material unit scale transitions to create a subtle response to transitioning. The final selected design is delivered in red porphyry, with a transition in scale of smaller units on the urban streetscape to larger units in the inner atrium.

Sky Decks

At various locations around the project there are elevated sky decks, intimate social spaces that offer the opportunity to be outside, at an elevated level surrounded by the combination of desk planting, façade planting and surrounding street tree canopies. The combination of planting layers creates an immersive experience that positions visitors within a abundance of greenery, with views out across the surrounding tree canopies.

Mockup and Testing

During the design process we were able to prototype a one-to-one scale mock-up of the project, allowing both architecture and landscape to evaluate the detail interfaces, compositions and test the principles of the design. This in turn allowed us to refine the species palette and compositions further to ensure the characteristics of our design could be realized.

All of these efforts have created a harmonious environment that in summer months allows the planting to grow into full leaf and at maximum height, providing layers of shade interior which helps to reduce solar exposure and interior temperatures whilst naturally purifying the air. In colder seasons, where species shed their leaves, natural light is maximized while the soil assists to create an additional layer of thermal buffer against the cold air.

Offsite Advance Grown Planting for Instant Impact

To ensure control of the planting and limit the failure of plants after installation a numbered coding system was setup to which defined each façade, elevation, orientation, floor, pot position and plant species.

This was we could control the advance growing of each individual pot, have these species have a season to grow into the inner pot and use as part of the delivery and installation process. In addition to explicit control over the species of each pot, this approach limited plant failure and ensured an instant impact from the day of installation.

Project Team

Client: CIFI Group Co.,Ltd.

Location: Jian Guo DongRoad, Shanghai Huangpu District, Shanghai,China

Architectural Team: Ateliers Jean Nouvel

Landscape Architect: ASPECT Studios

Principle Landscape Architect: Stephen Buckle

DesignTeam: Derek Chen, Sam Xu, Suki Ye, Lemon Liao, Yan Luo, Phannita Phanitpharadon, Alex Cunanan de Dios

Local Architecture Engineer: Tianhua Group

Local Landscape Design: ShanghaiJS.phase Landscape design Co.,Ltd

Local Landscape Engineer: Triones Landscape

Facade Design: RFR

Interior Design: AteliersJean Nouvel, G-ART

Structure Engineer: P&T Shanghai

Photography: RAW VISONStudio (Dong Liang), 10 Studio、Stephen Buckle、G-ART

Land Area:8,500 sqm

GFA: 40,000 sqm

Landscape Aare: 20,000sqm

Design Year: 12/2017-06/2020

Completion: 04/2021

Joining the Portfolio

The Roof project joins our portfolio of unique and meaningful landmark people orientated places and projects across China and Shanghai, Including the Urban Gallery, Hyperlane in Chengdu, The One City development in Wuhan, The New Shanghai Library East, Shanghai Sunbow Financial Centre and the New Shanghai Museum and Huamu Lot 10 in Pudong and the Alibaba Phase 5 Headquarters and Ant Financial Headquarters in Hangzhou.

上海尚博金融中心

成都 hyperlane 超线公园城市灵感空间

武汉金地中法仟佰汇

南京雨花世茂 52+与世茂智汇园

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