
Shanghai’s tallest tower reaching 632 m designed by Gensler
The Shanghai Tower – Shanghai’s most anticipated architectural marvel – launched in 2017 after breaking ground in 2008 – tops out at 632 metres, making it the city’s tallest tower and second in the world, at least for now. It’s also been garlanded for its green initiatives. Its asymmetrical, spiralling profile helps it withstand typhoon winds. The tower uses wind turbines, collects rainwater and has a double-glass skin for cooling and ventilation – allowing it to cut thousands of tonnes from its carbon footprint. And, like a vertical city, it accommodates sky lobbies at multiple levels that act as natural refuges for workers in the upper floors. For this, it was allowed to boast the first LEED Platinum rating among super-tall towers.

Thomas Heatherwick and Foster + Partners’ Fosun Foundation
Located on Shanghai’s waterfront, this sweeping arts and culture centre by Foster + Partners and Heatherwick Studio is a new destination for the financial district. The facade is constructed of a series of bronze bamboo shoot tubes that vary in height creating the effect of a sweeping architectural curtain that rotates to the sound of music. The layered form of the building is inspired by traditional Chinese theatres and the building has four floors above ground and three below.

Shanghai’s Apple Store in Pudong designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
China’s first Apple Store designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson opened in 2010 and is set in a circular landscaped garden. Visitors enter above ground into a 41 ft glass cylinder and sink down into the lower ground floor level via a spiralling staircase made of glass into the circular-shaped plan of the store, which is inspired by the technology of the Apple products.

Take in the view from the artsy Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai
The rooftop terrace of the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai – the hotel formerly known as the Palace Hotel (opened in 1909), the building has been re-set as an ‘art residence’ for jet-set artists and travellers by new leaseholders, the Swatch Group. The former Palace Hotel fronting Shanghai’s Bund waterfront is one of the city’s oldest hotels. In its opening year, 1909, the First International Opium Commission was held here, and Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling celebrated their engagement in 1927.

Perkins+Will’s Natural History Museum in the Jing’an Sculpture Park is surrounded by the soaring tower blocks of downtown Shanghai
With a captivating collection of over 10,000 artefacts – including everything from dinosaurs to deep-sea monsters and mummies from the Ming Dynasty – the new home for the Shanghai Natural History Museum, designed by internationally acclaimed practice Perkins+Will, captures the essence of nature through biomimicry. Previously housed in the former 1920s Shanghai Cotton Exchange, the old museum suffered from space constraints and was able to display just one percent of its entire collection at any given time. In contrast, the generous new structure accommodates six levels of exhibition space and offices, a 30m high entrance lobby and an IMAX cinema, covering a total area of 45,086 sq m.

Sissi’s Wonderland library for children designed by Shanghai-based Muxin Studio
Designed as a smooth environment for children to play and learn, this children’s library in the Pudong area of Shanghai is a cosy hub for education and activity. Tactile materials such as polished timber and thick carpet were chosen for the curved, flowing space that was designed as a giant toy. Alcoves, shelves and benches are easily accesible to children and arched doorways and windows create private spaces for spending quiet time.