Architects of the Steven Holl Architects bureau have completed the construction of a cultural and wellness center in Shanghai. 

Ekaterina Karpukhina

Steven Holl Architects designed the Cofco Cultural and Wellness Center back in 2016. But the coronavirus pandemic forced us to revise the project and adapt it to modern realities. So, the architects decided to maximize the use of outdoor spaces, as well as to make more green spaces on the site.

In the area where the bureau worked, there are rows of identical apartment buildings. And it was important to create a place for so many people that would unite them all, help them improve their health and have an interesting leisure time. The architects themselves called this project a “social capacitor”.

In contrast to the deaf high-rise buildings, the center demonstrates openness and invites everyone to join cultural and entertainment programs. The landscape design and two new public buildings refer to philosopher Karl Popper’s 1965 lecture “Clouds and Clocks”, which explores the evolutionary model of free will.

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Buildings “are like clouds in their porosity and openness”” Their light gray facades are pierced with uneven openings, demonstrating the spaces of the center. Visitors can enter via a gently curved ramp leading from the central courtyard to a three-story atrium. It is lined with translucent glass panels that allow daylight to penetrate into all rooms. 

On the first level there is an entrance to the library, an Internet service area and a large lecture hall. And on the two upper floors there are sports and gaming spaces: badminton courts, a table tennis hall and a gym.

The building of the wellness center, located on the opposite side of the courtyard, also has a concave facade and is equipped with a translucent atrium. The facility accommodates a waiting area, a pharmacy, consultation rooms on the first level and medical, administrative and recreation areas on the second.

Both buildings have roofs covered with ochitka, a plant of the succulent genus. They are resistant to temperature changes, perfectly tolerate drought and allow structures to merge with the surrounding landscape. 

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