London-based architecture firms Heatherwick Studio and Foster + Partners have collaborated on the architecture of the new Bund Finance Center in Shanghai. Totaling nearly one million square feet, the mixed-use development aims to connect Shanghai’s historic old town with its new commercial heart. Locally based design practice Kokaistudios oversaw the interior design of the site’s retail hub, BFC South Mall.
Spread across six stories and two towers, the mall includes amenities such as a gourmet supermarket, fitness center, and numerous restaurants. Expansive daylighting provides a visual connection with the Pudong skyline and the shores of the Huangpu River. This fluid environment is further outfitted with water features, like ripple pools on the basement level and stainless steel elements that support an overall subaquatic motif. A coral reef-inspired installation atop shimmering terrazzo floors also anchors the basement level.
