January 4, 2018

Fosun Foundation by Foster+Partners and Heatherwick Studio: 2017 Best of Year Winner for Civic—Government

It’s an architectural performance piece, undeniably the highlight of Norman Foster and Thomas Heatherwick’s master plan for the Bund Finance Centre, an 11-acre mixed-use development on the historic riverfront Bund. “Theatrical curtains,” three overlapping tiers of bronzed tubes ranging in length from 7 to 52 feet, appear to rise and fall while rotating around a four-story building. This undulating movement, accomplished with the help of motorized tracks, alternately reveals and conceals the balcony and curtain wall behind.

Fosun Foundation by Foster+Partners and Heatherwick Studio in Shanghai. Photography by Laurian Ghinitoiu.

The 43,000-square-foot building’s occupant is a foundation that celebrates Chinese art and crafts, and these provided rich sources of inspiration. Recalling bamboo and referencing the golden strands of traditional bridal headgear, the tubes of the kinetic curtain are furthermore imprinted with a subtle textured pattern that pays homage to weaving. Classical open-air theater, meanwhile, influenced the airy elevated position of the main auditorium.

Fosun Foundation by Foster+Partners and Heatherwick Studio in Shanghai. Photography by Laurian Ghinitoiu.

“An optimal blend of craft and cutting-edge technology, this unique form offers a memorable experience for visitors,” Foster + Partners senior executive partner and head of studio Gerard Evenden says. As for Heatherwick, he’s certainly familiar with memorable visitor experiences. His U.K. pavilion, known as the Seed Cathedral, was the sensation of Expo Shanghai 2010.

Project Team: Foster + Partners: David Nelson; Spencer De Grey; Toby Blunt; Martin Castle; Dara Towhidi; Emily Phang; Edson Yabku; Neil Aryes; Lieselot Baert; Alexsander Bociewicz; Chen Yan Hen; Assawin Choochottavorn; Daniella de Almeida; Peter Donegan; Maria Golasowka;Holstein Guthu; Allesandra Iacovella; Vladimir Jovanovic; Kim Yong Bin; Angeliki Koliomichou; Ashley Lane; Luca Latini; Jiexin Lee’ Giulia Leoni; Thomas Mahon; Irina Nazarova; Vittoria Paluddetti; Sonia Carolina Salazar Rojas; Michael Rush; Jillian Salter; Shen Jie; Greg Sheng; Sunphol Sorakul; Christopher Storie; Krzysztof Symzmanski; Bram Wal; Wang Wen; Simon Wing; Xu Hui; Mynehiko Yokomatsu; Yu Songmin; Zhou Yantian; Zhou Xiaozue. Heatherwick Studio: Dani Rossello Diez; Gergely Kovacs; Simona Auteri; Tal Baron; Stefania Batoeva; Einar Blixhavn; Mark Burrows; Tyler Brown; Sarah Borowiecka; Andrew Chard; Jennifer Chen; Leo Cheung; Chuang Yaojen; Daniel Coley; Rosie Connors; Leila Davis; Katerina Dionysopoulou; Pinar Djemil; Laurence Dudeney; Dominic Vadra-Edwards; Antoine Van Erp; Lisa Finlay; Rickin Fok; Jakob Gate; Sarah Gill; Tamsin Green; Phillip Hall-Patch; Hayley Henry; Ben Holmes; Ingrid Hu; Neil Hubbard; William Hunter; Sara Jaafar; Jonathan Jones; Peter King; Michael Kloihofer; Alexander Laing; Changyeob Lee; Jeroen Linnebank; Virginia Lopez Frechilla; Jakob Lund; José Marquez; Andrew McMullan; Craig Miller; Mira Naran; Francis NG; Giovanni Parodi; Hannah Parker; Clara Pierantozzi; Luke Plumbley; Brando Posocco; Elito Postma; Jeff Powers; Enrique Purana; Thomas Randall-Page; Emmanouil Rentopoulos; Ville Saarikoski; Ole Smith; Luke Snow; Sophia Tang; Andrew Taylor; Paul Westwood; Miguel Woodhead; Robert Wilson; Charles Wu; Chris Yoo; Kelin Yu; Tom Yu; Zhan Chen.

Fosun Foundation by Foster+Partners and Heatherwick Studio in Shanghai. Photography by Laurian Ghinitoiu.
Fosun Foundation by Foster+Partners and Heatherwick Studio in Shanghai. Photography by Laurian Ghinitoiu.

> See more from the December 2017 issue of Interior Design

> See all 2017 Best of Year winners and honorees

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