The Bund City Hall Plaza Shanghai, China

2015–24

The new Bund City Hall Plaza, located in the Bund area of central Shanghai, is the result of the refurbishment, and extension of the existing Shanghai Municipal Council (SMC) Building. The SMC building has been a political symbol since its completion in 1922, initially as the headquarters of the Shanghai Municipal Council of the International Settlement and later the Shanghai Municipal Government. The original design by British architect T.C. Turner was intended to occupy the entire perimeter of the city block, framing a large central courtyard. However, due to material shortages after World War I, construction ended with only three quarters of the building complete. In more recent years the building has fallen into disrepair.

The SMC building, which was listed as Cultural Heritage Building in 1989, is restored and adapted for office use and key historic interiors are opened to the public for the first time. A new office building will complete the urban block according to the original design, defining a courtyard space that is open to the public. A permeable and public ground floor activates the courtyard and improve accessibility across the site. The façade of the new building is a contemporary interpretation of that of the historic building, utilising a stripped-back version of its neoclassical language. A set-back pavilion structure runs along the top of the building. It hosts bars and restaurants opening on to a large terrace that offers views of the city along the entire perimeter of the site.

Within the courtyard, two buildings define a series of spaces of different scales and character. The Red Building, an existing victorian red brick villa built in the early 1900s that pre-dates the original SMC building, is restored and adapted to accommodate restaurants and other public functions. A new building for events and performances replaces the former auditorium. The building’s central plan affords openness on all sides, reflecting its public role and engaging with the courtyard. Cultural and commercial spaces located in the basement are accessed from the courtyard, in the same manner as all public functions in the complex, affirming the courtyard’s pivotal role in the project.

The Bund City Hall Plaza will become an important public destination and an opportunity for people to better understand the role that these unique buildings have played in the city’s history.

Data and credits

Competition 2015

Project start 2016

Construction start 2019

Completion 2024

Opening 2025

Gross floor area 67,000m²

Client Shanghai Bund Investment (Group) Co.,Ltd.

Architect David Chipperfield Architects Shanghai

Partners David Chipperfield, Libin Chen, Mark Randel, Christoph Felger

Project architect Alessandro Milani (Competition), Haishan Li (Concept Design), Alejandro Felix (Schematic Design and Design Development), Chuxiao Li (Artistic Site Supervision)

Project team Daniel Alonso, Fang Cui, Hans-Christian Buhl, Huiwen Shen, Miguel Bispo, Noriyuki Sawaya, Praveen Ramachandran, Qiang Shao, Stefano Di Daniel, Ulrike Eberhardt, Weili Huang, Xixian Wang, XiXi Zhu, Yifang Deng, Yingying Guan

Local architect East China Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.

Landscape architect EADG

Project management East China Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.

General contractor Shanghai Construction No.2 (group) Co., Ltd.

Structural engineer East China Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.

Services engineer WSP, East China Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.

Façade engineer Inhabit

Lighting consultant Tungsten Studio

Construction administration Shanghai Jianke engineering consulting Co., Ltd.

Photography Fangfang Tian