Green Valley / schmidt hammer lassen architects

Written by Karissa Rosenfield

Following their 2012 victory in an invited international competition, Danish architecture firm schmidt hammer lassen architects has broke ground on what will be a new central urban development in Shanghai. Located on the waterfront site of the 2010 World Expo, the 50,000 square-meter ‘Green Valley’ development will be based off of the Expo’s well-developed infrastructure of green parks, promenades and cultural attractions to create a vibrant new destination for all of Shanghai.

Continuing on the Expo’s theme of sustainability, the formal industrial dockyard area will be transformed into a lush, environmentally conscious complex, made up of high quality, yet affordable office facilities, commercial space and restaurants.

Each cluster of buildings will be woven together by a continuos, central open space composed of greenery, water and soft landscape, which functions as the “spine of the Green Valley,” while green hanging gardens occupy open atriums and patchwork gardens populate open terraces.

“The project is designed so that, despite the monumental scale of the site, it relates to the human scale in the public spaces, giving a diverse, vibrant and inclusive community,” said Chris Hardie, associate partner and head of schmidt hammer lassen architects’ Shanghai office.

The Green Valley is just one of four major projects currently being designed by schmidt hammer lassen architects in the centre of Shanghai. All the projects relate to the redevelopment of the former industrial areas along the riverfront, and build on the studio’s celebrated track record in regenerating a number of prominent waterfront sites in major cities throughout Scandinavia. In Shanghai, the studio is designing the new Xuhui Binjiang Performance Arts Centre, is working on a redevelopment of a former coal storage building which will become a new art gallery and museum for an international art dealer, and has recently been appointed to design a pavilion for the West Bund International Biennale of Art and Architecture, alongside architects Atelier Deshaus, Atelier BowWow and Pritzker prize winner Wang Shu.

The Green Valley development is expected to be completed in 2015.