SOHO China - The Design of SOHO Shang Du Released

Lab to design project for SOHO shang du, beijing

we are pleased to announce that Lab architecture studio has been selected from an invited shortlist of international architects by SOHO china to design their latest development, SOHO shang du .

SOHO shang du is a 170,000 m2 mixed-use development, on a 2.2 hectare site, located within beijing s cbd (central business district) special development area. the project has a large frontage onto dongdaqiao lu, an important north-south arterial street, which defines the western edge of the cbd zone as well as the eastern boundary of the central diplomatic zone.

Lab s proposal will provide a uniquely vibrant and activated urban space in central beijing. the design consists of a low-rise commercial galleria with 37,000 m2 of retail space, and two medium-rise towers. one tower holds offices and the other is devoted to residential and studio use and integrates SOHO china s vertical warehouse shell approach.

the retail space is conceived as a dynamic contemporary interior, a geode with a crystalline galleria over five levels. it contains a programmed bridge to connect the two sides of the development, which exist on separate blocks. the interior galleria spaces will facilitate a range of events from fashion parades to concerts and can be altered to both outdoor and indoor modes, depending on the extreme fluctuations of beijing s weather.

the facetted glass surfaces of the tower fa?ades are inscribed with a network of geometrically determined lines. at night the continuous light lines that follow this geometry will form a distinctive nocturnal image for the towers - resembling luminous jewels.

the design now has master plan approval from the local authorities. construction is scheduled to commence on site in october 2004, with anticipated completion at the end of 2005.

developer : SOHO China
architects : Lab architecture studio

for further information please contact:

chunlei wang - corporate communications manager
SOHO china ltd.
SOHO new town, tower b, 18/f
88 jianguo road, chaoyang district
beijing 100022, china
tel: (8610) 6567 3333 ext.326
mob: (86) 1350 112 5647
fax: (8610) 6567 1064
email: wangchunlei@sohochina.com
website: www.sohochina.com
ruth cosgrove - public relations
Lab architecture studio
level 4, 325 flinders lane
melbourne, australia
tel: +61 3 9612 1026
fax: +61 3 9620 3088
email: rcosgrove@labarchitecture.com

Lab architecture studio_profile

introduction
Lab architecture studio was founded in 1994 in london, by architects peter davidson and donald l. bates. the studio currently maintain offices in melbourne, london and beijing. the activities of Lab extend to architectural design, urban design, interior architecture, exhibition design and numerous teaching and pedagogical initiatives. Lab is formed as a partnership between the two directors, who are the sole design authors of all studio projects.

peter davidson (director, Lab architecture studio)
peter davidson studied architecture at the new south wales institute of technology in sydney before relocating to london. he worked as editorial assistant on international architect (1981-83) and taught at the architectural association and bartlett school of architecture. in 1984 he founded peter davidson architectural studio. donald and peter founded Lab architecture studio in london in 1994 and won the design competition for federation square in 1997. both donald and peter have been visiting critics and lecturers at numerous schools of architecture and are currently adjunct professors at the cooper union in new york.

donald l. bates (director, Lab architecture studio)
prior to forming Lab, donald bates received a bachelor of architecture degree from the university of houston (1978) and a master of architecture degree from cranbrook academy of art (1983). he worked in architectural offices in houston and london and was principal associate to daniel libeskind for the 1st place entry to the competition for the berlin museum extension - jewish museum (1989). he taught for several years at the architectural association, london, and was the founder/director of an independent school of architecture, lopsia, operating in paris and briey, france (1990-95). his works have been published and exhibited extensively in europe and he has taught and lectured in schools and institutes in australia, asia, europe and north america.

projects
Lab s most important project to date is federation square. the project for federation square created a new civic square for melbourne, capable of accommodating up to 35,000 people in an open-air amphitheatre, with cultural and commercial buildings as part of the precinct. the cultural and commercial facilities combine for almost 44,000 m2. they include new galleries for the national gallery of victoria: australian art (ngva), the australian centre for the moving image (acmi), with offices, studios and galleries for acmi and sbs as well as numerous restaurants, cafes and a commercial tenancies. all this exists on a site of 3.6ha, equivalent to the construction of a new city block for melbourne. since the project has opened, it has exceeded all expectations to become australia s number one tourist destination, with more than 6.5 million visitors in the first year. federation square has become the new centre - the social, political and cultural heart of melbourne.

SOHO shang du will be Lab s first project in china. since winning the design of SOHO shang du Lab has also been contracted to design two other major projects. these are:

- the TEDA masterplan in tianjin, on a 35 hectare site as part of the city s development zone TEDA city. the masterplan involves the design of 700,000 sqm of residential and commercial buildings.

- the huangdao customs building in qingdao, which is a 30,000 sqm government building housing two large customs halls in a 100m high office tower.

other current projects by Lab are a restaurant in london, two residences in melbourne and a winery in tasmania.

competitions
Lab has an exemplary record in national and international architectural competitions, being short-listed finalists in a number of projects of diverse scale and function. amongst such competition projects are the recent adidas brand headquarters in germany (2004, equal first place), the design of a fishing port on taiwan s north coast (2003), the bmw leipzig central building (2002, awarded second place), and the queensland gallery of modern art (2002).

recognition
Lab architecture studio s work and writings have been published widely in the international architectural and general press. the company has also been invited to participate in a number of prestigious international exhibitions. following from an exhibition of federation square at the venice architecture biennale in 2002, Lab will again exhibit in venice this year. this september Lab will show SOHO shang du in the beijing architecture biennale and in 2005 ideas into experience, an exhibition on the making of federation square, will tour internationally with its opening in guangzhou.

praise for federation square:

"more relevant that piazza san marco, more successfully scaled than the miesian skyscraper, ahead of the game as a landform... it sets a new standard for city fabric engaged with the issue of global pluralism. it adapts a fractal geometry and attendant scaling in its surfaces and internal spaces."
- charles jenks, wacky or wise? architectural record, [new york: 2003], p.119

"it is the very complexity of the brief, the site and the solution that invites open-jawed admiration"
- robert bevan, world architecture no.112 [london: jan 2003] p.34

"... the brief was excellent and the architects have responded with gentleness, bravery and wit."
- paul davey, Lab experiments, the architectural review, [london: may 2003] p.56

awards
in the last year Lab won the following international awards for federation square:
FX International Interior Design Award 2003, London
- best museum/ gallery or permanent exhibition category
Architecture + Cityscape Award 2003, Dubai
- urban design category
Kenneth Brown Award 2003, Hawaii
- honourable mention

and in australian won:
IDAA public/ institutional Interior Design Award 2004, Australia
The Interior Design Excellence and Innovation Award 2004, Australia
The Victorian and Tasmanian Award in Landscape Architecture 2003, Australia
Australian Institute of Landscape Architecture Award for Design Excellence 2003, Australia
Public Domain Awards 2003
- sustainability category
RAIA National Awards 2003, Australia (two awards):
- Walter Burley Griffin Award for Urban Design
- Interior Architecture Award
RAIA Victorian Chapter Awards 2003, Australia (five awards):
- Victorian Architecture Medal
- The Melbourne Prize
- Joseph Reed Award for Urban Design
- Marion Mahony Award for Interior Architecture
- Award : Institutional New

about SOHO china

as a real estate developer, SOHO china s goal is to provide innovative living spaces and create fashionable lifestyles for people who appreciate the finer things in life. we conduct our operations through majority-owned project subsidiaries, each of which manages a single real estate project. SOHO china has developed and is developing several large-scale, avant-garde projects, including soho new town, commune by the great wall and jianwai SOHO in beijing; in addition to boao canal village on hainan island. with a keen eye tracking trends in the real estate market as well as an efficient and international management team, every soho china project has succeeded in winning critical acclaim from a diverse clientele.

corporate history

mr. pan shiyi and ms. zhang xin co-founded beijing redstone industrie, the predecessor entity of SOHO china, in 1995. prior to that, mr. pan had already established himself in china as a successful and innovative real estate developer. he began property development work in hainan, and was one of the first private sector professional property developers in china following the liberalization of the property market in china beginning in the early 1990s.

ms. zhang xin studied from 1986 to 1992 in the united kingdom, where she received a m. phil. degree in development economics from cambridge university. she then returned to hong kong, where she worked for goldman sachs (asia) l.l.c. and the travelers group. ms. zhang s international experience as well as her knowledge of and passion for art and architecture are central to the distinctiveness of SOHO s properties.

since their marriage in 1994 and the founding of the company in 1995, mr. pan and ms. zhang have worked closely together and provided the leadership that led to the achievements of SOHO china. SOHO s projects have benefited from mr. pan s experience, strategic vision and market savvy, as well as the relationships he has developed in the real estate industry. at the same time, ms. zhang has been at the center of SOHO s continuous pursuit of innovative design and style and detailed attention to our clients tastes and requirements.

since 1995, SOHO china has successfully developed several large-scale, distinctive projects, including SOHO new town, jianwai soho, boao canal village and commune by the great wall.