Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu (SO – IL)

Meicang Waterfront . Shanghai

Solid Objectives – Idenburg Liu (SO – IL)

Shanghai encapsulates the essence of glamor, refinement and modernity. The sound of the Paris of the Orient resonates in this proposal for the Meicang site. It brings together local history, optimism and an essential emergent style in an elemental, sophisticated, and site-specific design strategy.
The four distinct existing structures – the silo building, the corridor structure, the Japanese villa and the No. 2 building – will be unified through a language of modernist abstraction.

Each building is examined on its own merits. The design enhances the essential qualities of each respective building. Through material and sheen, abstract detailing and programmatic intervention, the buildings come together as a relational network, unified in style.

The remarkable structure of the industrial silo building supports shimmering new cladding for the art museum. It stands as the central jewel on the grounds, reflecting the magnificent view of the Shanghai waterfront. A light-filled kaleidoscopic journey along the corridor structure is created on the upper level of the original structure. Underneath, one finds a shaded landscape of retail, cafes and outside seating.