International
News Center 2000
Shanghai, China
The International News Center comprises a 55,000 square meter mixed-use
commercial center in central Shanghai. The program calls for 15,000 square
meters of offices for the People’s Daily and a five-star hotel in a 275-meter
tower above a retail podium. The tower’s tapering profile would terminate
the axis of a major avenue with a strong visual marker for the area and
have a visible presence on the skyline. The program is stacked so that the
People’s Daily offices occupy the larger floor plates above the retail podium,
and the hotel floors take advantage of panoramic views from the upper floors.
The metronome-shape of the tower is a simple, yet strong, identity for the
People’s Daily and a defining landmark in Shanghai. The building forms are
reinforced by state-of-the-art exterior skin technology. A unitized curtain
wall system consisting of matte-finished stainless steel, titanium, and
transparent low-e vision glass, encloses the composite steel and concrete
structure which in turn is stabilized by a central concrete sheer-resistant
core. The efficient central core encloses vertical building systems, high-speed
data transmission services, and low and high-rise elevator banks serving
both the office and hotel portions of the building.
