In large-scale comprehensive development, there is a delicate balance between the ‘unity’ of order and the ‘diversity’ of space. This duality represents a “one entity with two sides” that complement each other.
The Shanghai Changfeng Center project exemplifies this clever equilibrium.
△ Realized view: Garden headquarters, block-style commercial, Grade A office, and apartments © Goa Elephant Design, showcasing clear building imagery
Composite Functional Block
Three Plots, One Block
Located in Putuo District between the central and inner rings of Shanghai, adjacent to Changfeng Park, the Shanghai Changfeng Center is situated within a well-established urban context. The project was born from the opportunity to enhance and envision the future of this mature area.
Building upon Foster+Partners’ urban design, Goa Elephant Design was responsible for the master planning and architectural design across the entire 10-hectare site. This comprehensive development, executed in three phases, includes commercial spaces, Grade A offices, headquarters offices, and residential apartments.
The plot has an irregular shape, intersected by a city green belt running through the middle. The extended timeline and fragmented site conditions posed significant challenges for cohesive development. The key design question was how to create an attractive new urban block under these constraints.
The planning concept quickly emerged: “Establish three clusters, each organized around courtyards approximately 150m by 250m, to accommodate different development stages and functional needs. At the same time, reinforce the spatial order of the entire block through a strong public space system that enhances connectivity between clusters.”
The three clusters include apartments on the east side; a SOHO and headquarters office cluster with a twelve-grid structure in the southwest corner; and a block-style commercial and office cluster in the northwest corner. Initial planning drawings ensured tight axial alignment between buildings and courtyards within each cluster.
Surrounding Greenway © Goa Elephant Design
The landscape green belt acts as the green transportation hub for the block, linking the three clusters and serving as the green core of the entire development. From the green belts to the inward-facing courtyards, and from residential green spaces to public squares, the public realm is conceived as an integrated system. This approach was maintained throughout all three phases, ensuring a cohesive final block.
Conceptual relationship between green belts and architecture © Goa Elephant Design
Landscape Infiltration
Soft and Multi-Faceted Boundaries
Public spaces help dissolve the boundaries between clusters. The architects intentionally employed spatial infiltration techniques, with the integration of green landscapes being a key element.
The central green belt spans approximately 30 meters in width and expands into a 110m by 90m square garden on the north side. Around this garden, the architects applied a “break down” approach to the podium building volumes, utilizing segmentation, pixelation, and setbacks to soften the transition between building and green space.
Multi-level pathways guide pedestrians freely between the green belt and commercial offices, offering diverse visual and walking experiences. Viewed from the public green belt, the architectural clusters appear as interlocking, hanging, and stacked square volumes, creating a vibrant and approachable image.
Conceptual relationship between green belts and architecture © Goa Elephant Design
Architectural Concealment
Flexibility Within a Well-Organized Layout
The headquarters office cluster features ten four-story, point-shaped buildings with rooftop terraces arranged in a twelve-grid pattern. Some sections are interlinked and staggered to break up monotony, collectively enclosing a rectangular, tranquil garden that blends the buildings seamlessly with the landscape.
△ Grade A office building reality © Goa Elephant Design
△ Grade A office building reality © Goa Elephant Design
△ Grade A office building reality © Goa Elephant Design
The four-story height aligns harmoniously with the tree canopy, while the sleek glass façades reflect the surrounding landscape, making the buildings appear to dissolve into lush greenery. The side facing the green belt features a gray space for relaxation, allowing light and breeze to flow through, with garden greenery extending to the building’s edge.
This seamless integration of landscape and sight blurs the line between indoors and outdoors, creating an elegant and dynamic atmosphere within the square volumes.
△ Grade A office building reality © Goa Elephant Design
△ Grade A office building reality © Goa Elephant Design
△ Headquarters office scene © Goa Elephant Design
△ Headquarters office scene © Goa Elephant Design
△ Headquarters office scene © Goa Elephant Design
△ Headquarters office scene © Goa Elephant Design
Full-Time Vitality
Business as an Extension of Urban Streets
The commercial cluster, covering approximately 40,000 square meters, primarily serves the office population within the block and the residents of nearby communities. Maintaining a strong focus on public spaces, the design team aimed for commercial areas to be open and integrated with the surroundings rather than enclosed.
This vision led to the adoption of a “block style” layout.
△ Block-style commercial space structure © Goa Elephant Design
△ Perspective of Block-style Commercial Section © Goa Elephant Design
Unlike enclosed shopping malls, this open layout integrates seamlessly with the surrounding community and better meets the shopping and leisure needs of office workers throughout the day. Foot traffic centers on an “activity square – migratory pedestrian street” axis, with the entire space accessible 24 hours a day, effectively extending the city street.
△ Block-style commercial reality © Goa Elephant Design
△ Block-style commercial reality © Goa Elephant Design
△ Block-style commercial reality © Goa Elephant Design
△ Block-style commercial reality © Goa Elephant Design
△ Block-style commercial reality © Goa Elephant Design
The pedestrian street enjoys abundant sunshine and fresh air. Its skylight ceiling is made with modular metal grilles and glass, creating dramatic light and shadow effects on sunny days. Along this street, restaurants and larger flagship stores face the city road, while smaller, lighter retail units open towards the inner square.
The activity square measures approximately 60m by 30m, with a height-to-width ratio close to 1:3. It features hard paving designed to accommodate various activities. On the third floor of the commercial building, a linear terrace offers outdoor space for bars and light dining, fostering strong visual interaction with the square below.
△ Corner of the square © Goa Elephant Design
During the design of the commercial environment, situational elements were introduced to enrich the space. The archway and red metal grille at the entrance act as street “furniture,” enhancing the welcoming and engaging atmosphere.
△ Block-style commercial reality © Goa Elephant Design
△ Block-style commercial reality © Goa Elephant Design
Unified Yet Rich
Rhythm and Variation Within a Basic Order
The concept of “seeking variation within a basic order” extended into material choices and detailing. All material modules were uniformly controlled to maintain a cohesive sense of order and identity. Simultaneously, hierarchical processing and localized introduction of diverse materials created a rich and dynamic atmosphere for users.
The façades of the three Grade A office buildings primarily feature blue glass curtain walls with a consistent modular division. Perforated aluminum panels are strategically placed to create fan-shaped openings, producing a contrast between solid and transparent elements and imparting a clear rhythm.
Details such as suspended steel canopies at ground level and hooked edges on curtain wall units further express craftsmanship and refinement.
△ Façade rhythm © Goa Elephant Design
△ Façade rhythm © Goa Elephant Design
The headquarters office building employs the same segmentation module as the Grade A offices but incorporates more stone surfaces at human scale to complement the warm atmosphere of the inward-facing garden. Ultra-white glass is used in areas adjacent to the landscape to maximize visual permeability.
The commercial section features a warm color palette, emphasizing the use of various materials and color combinations to generate a lively ambiance. Glass types include hollow Low-E glass with varying light transmittance and color tones, glazed glass, and high-transparency glass. Additionally, different stones and perforated aluminum panels are integrated to comply with urban design regulations on glass-to-wall ratios and lighting requirements.
△ Commercial façade © Goa Elephant Design
Beyond the Red Line
The Power of Holistic Thinking
Maintaining and implementing the original vision throughout the nine-year, multi-phase development was a formidable challenge. This process demanded a global perspective and the ability to think beyond the constraints of individual plot boundaries.
Ultimately, the project team delivered a responsible and thoughtful response. Through rigorous planning, systematic organization of public spaces, and meticulous control of spatial details, they created a vibrant, unified, and rich urban block for the city.
△ Street view © Goa Elephant Design
△ Street view © Goa Elephant Design
Project Drawings
△ Planning concept © Goa Elephant Design
△ Landscape overview © AECOM
△ Master plan © Goa Elephant Design
△ Office façade details © Goa Elephant Design
Details of perforated aluminum panels © Goa Elephant Design
Details of the skylight roof © Goa Elephant Design
△ Sectional plan © Goa Elephant Design
△ Grade A office and commercial façade © Goa Elephant Design
△ Headquarters office façade © Goa Elephant Design
Project Information
Project Name: Shanghai Changfeng Center
Location: Shanghai, China
Architectural Design: Goa Elephant Design
Design and Completion: 2012–2020
Building Area: 360,000 square meters
Website: www.goa.com.cn
Email Contact: media@goa.com.cn
Lead Architect: Ling Jian
Design Responsible: Chen Qingxi, Chen Ji
Technical Manager: Du Liming
Structural Responsibility: Package Wind
Equipment Responsible: Shouguang
Project Address: Lane 299, Tongpu Road, Putuo District, Shanghai, China
Photographers: Goa Elephant Design, Qingzhu Imaging
Other Participants
Owner: Shanghai Zhejiang Railway Greentown Real Estate Development Co., Ltd.
Interior Design Team: Woods Bagot
Landscape Design Team: AECOM
Curtain Wall Design Team: Inhabit Group Yinghaite Engineering Consulting
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