Francisco Gonzalez Pulido - Land Rover Regional Office Shanghai
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Land Rover Regional Office Shanghai

Francisco Gonzalez Pulido

Office&Business  /  Completed
Francisco Gonzalez Pulido
Located directly adjacent to the Shanghai Oriental Sports Center in the Pudong section of Shanghai, the new Land Rover Headquarters makes a dynamic contribution to the urban fabric via a unique building enclosure that transforms as the cities atmosphere changes.

The broader block in which the building sits is bracketed by the busy Jiyang Rd to the east, the Chuanyang River to the north, Huangpu River to the West and the busy Middle Ring Rd to the south. The building complex itself is defined by two parallel buildings each set at diagonally opposing corners of the site. This orientation and siting allows for an open plaza running through the site that creates a strong axis connected to the sports complex to the west. The plaza is further defined by a set of low-rise retail building opening onto the central axis. These buildings are broken by walkways that connect the central plaza to the surrounding community. The showroom for Land Rover is specifically located in the north-west corner of the site in close proximity to the busy sports complex.

The organization of the two office towers is defined by a linear core that echoes the parallel arrangement of the buildings on the site with a central hallway with elevators on either side that opens to the office floors on either end. The retail spaces are defined by a smaller core containing an elevator that takes visitors to the second level and the planted garden rooftop.

The broader impact of the regional office complex is driven by the cladding system defined by an undulating pattern inspired by Chinese bamboo forests that creates a unique identity within the city. This pattern is achieved through the use of 52 unique ceramic frit glass panels that have been combined in a range of manners to achieve the striated effect. The organic feel that results balances the regularity of the plan and allows the building to change as light hits the various surfaces in different manners. This transformation is particularly present as the sun sets and the building glows from within. Achieving this unique pattern would have been impossible without the use of parametric model and digital fabrication tools. The fritted surface also plays a role in the overall energy efficiency of the building.

The vision for the building was formed early on and played a significant role in winning the commission for the project. Achieving the vision for the undulating façade pattern, however, required a great deal of testing. This involved making full-scale mockups with varying densities of frit in order to test opacity and energy performance.

Following the completion of the building, the quality of the building was sufficient to attract Land Rover as the anchor tenant of both the ground floor showroom and the office spaces above. Further, the ability of the building to transform over the course of the day and in different environmental conditions has led many people in the city to see the building as a new icon.

Finally, the urban plaza that is integrated into the surrounding city is becoming an attractive place for many to visit.

Credits

 Shanghai
 PR China
 Shanghai Binjiang International Tourist Resort Dev. Co., Ltd.
 05/2018
 82890 mq
 FGP Atelier (Design Architect), SIADR (Associate Architect)
 Francisco Gonzalez Pulido, Matthew Stymiest, Joseph Larson Billeaud
 YUAN DA
 SIADR (MEP), RSLA (Landscape), SCHMIDLIN (Facade)
 YUAN DA
 Dmitrii Iagovkin

Curriculum

Science guides the work of Francisco Gonzalez Pulido. It unifies research and development, architecture and design, engineering, and advanced technology. Gonzalez Pulido holds a unique interest and experience in combining these disciples. Each project begins by carefully analyzing the problem and searching for its essence before arriving at an often modular solution that can structure the broader work.

KEY PROJECTS

2007-present Nanjing Tower, Nanjing, China
2009-present Shanghai International Financial Center, Shanghai, China
2014-18 Land Rover Regional Offices, Shanghai, China
2014-present Diablos Stadium, Mexico City with ADG (local architect)
2014-present Shenzhen Gate, Shenzhen
2017-present Rectoria and La Hoja, Monterrey, Mexico
2017-present Ligera, Oaxaca, Mexico
2017-present Tecnano Monterrey, Mexico
2017-present GICC Tower, Guangzhou. PRC
2017-present Ted Gibson Prototype Salon, Los Angeles, CA

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