(Shanghai, February 2, 2024) – DLR Group CEO Steven McKay, AIA, RIBA, International Director Kevin Gent, Asia Region Leader Leon Qiu, Senior Architect Yu Tsai, and DLR Group Shanghai staff welcomed business and government officials, and media members to a grand opening of the firm’s master plan and design for the new Baoshan Long Beach Complex in Shanghai. The 2 million-SF, 6.9-acre site features a 590-foot viewing tower, 78,792-SF concert hall, 461,352-SF office tower, and a 460,000-SF, 5-Star, 300 key hotel.
Timed to correspond with the upcoming Lunar Year of the Dragon, the opening is the culmination of a 10-year planning, design, and construction project that transformed the former Shanghai Port Authority 14 District Terminal at the mouth of the Yangtze River into a new landmark in Shanghai, offering a distinctive waterfront cultural experience.
The signature element of the complex is the viewing tower, which becomes the tallest building in the Baoshan District. The tower is an innovative, sustainable design solution that functions as a wind shaft exhaust tower for nearby undersea vehicle tunnels.
The inspiration for the design of the tower came from a Chinese fable of the Monkey King and his Sacred Staff. Legend tells of the ancient Chinese King Yu the Great placing an enchanted iron staff into the East China Sea and using its formidable powers to subdue floods and ensure the tranquility of the country. Subsequently, the Monkey King acquired possession of this powerful artifact.
DLR Group’s design places the Monkey King’s staff at Shanghai’s eastern gateway to the Yangtze River delivering calming effects on the waterway to bring prosperity.
The 1,027-seat Long Beach Concert Hall is inspired by the legend of the East China Sea Dragon Palace. Designed and refined though a parametric design process, the result is a radiant architectural shape resembling the crystal palace of the legendary Dragon King of the East China Sea.
The concert hall, shaped like a diamond, features 22 glass triangular surfaces on the lower part of the facade, creating the effect of a crystal palace suspended over water. At night, the upper section showcases 37 triangular perforated aluminum panels that simulate the refraction effect of diamonds, and the crystal palace seemingly flows with light.
This new world-class waterfront development will bring urban renewal to Shanghai, symbolizing hope for the Baoshan community: a marker of ideas to come and the start of a new story.
