Architects:AIM Architecture

Area :20658 m²

Year :2021

Photographs :Dirk Weiblen, Aaron Shao

Landscape Consultant :Discoverscape

General Contractor :Kangye Construction

Project Management :CBRE

Quantity Surveyor :Shanghai First Surveying LTD.

LEED Consultancy :Glumac

Design Principals : Wendy Saunders, Vincent de Graaf

Project Manager : Lisa Ngan

Project Architect : Alba Galan

Design Team : Bubu Cao, Kang Jin, Yuan Chen, Zihan Zhao, Mavis Li, Leslie Chen, Shirley Woo, Charles Liu, Zhang Yi, Heather Zhang

Ffe Team : Baoer Wang

Rendering : Jiao Yan

Client : Kailong Group

Lighting Consultant : Lumia Lighting Design

Local Design Institute : Shanghai Urban Architectural Design Co. Ltd

Bim Consultants : Integral VIM Building Tech Shanghai Co. Ltd.

City : Shanghai

Country : China

Kailong Jiajie Plaza Transformation is part of AIM’s ongoing exploration of what it means to activate cities, buildings, and society by creating inspiring spaces. With this project, we look at regeneration with fresh eyes. We open up the building, not only on the façade but also at its heart, the interior courtyard. We enhance the district’s vibrancy, create a stronger connection to the community, and discover an inspiring future for the old neighborhood of Hongkou District.

Activation. The building before looked abandoned and dark. Many shops had left, and advertisements boards covered the façade. Inside the building, an atrium was filled with escalators at the center, making it feel crowded and small. It was clear the building didn’t need a makeover; it needed a new life. It was an opportunity to create a new type of building: not a shopping mall or an office building, but a modern, hybrid space that meets multiple needs.