Haokang Complex

An office complex and a hotel in Shanghai

Direct mandate - completed

Location | Kunshan (Shanghai) China • Client | Haikang group ltd • Type | New construction office and hotel • Project period | 2009 2011 • Surface area | 12 500 m² • Cost | 4 M €

The Haokang project includes an office complex and a hotel planned in several stages, hence the need to divide the volume into three separate entities. These autonomous objects form a sequence of subtly different volumes which provide visual openings and a landscape of variable geometry, while at the same time allowing for high density. We purposefully moved away from the all-glass architecture which is almost systematically found in Chinese office buildings, developing a more solid, more tangible architectural style. As the emphasis was on being economical, we used simple construction methods both for the structural expression and the façade. Large openings outline these volumes and create deep shadows. As a result, in the summer they act as a passive solar protection system.

Photographs • Frederic Henriques