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COFCO CULTURAL & HEALTH CENTER

Shanghai, People's Republic of China. 2021

Description +

PROGRAM: Health Center: health education area, pharmacy, consultation rooms, exam rooms, physical therapy room, ultrasound / xray rooms, nursery, admin & doctors lounges. Cultural Center: exhibition area, table game area, cafe, library, gym, community & youth activity area

CLIENT: COFCO

SIZE: 6,030 sm cultural center; 1,490 sm health center; 7,520 sm site area.

STATUS: Complete

Designed in 2016, the Shanghai Cofco Cultural and Health Center aims at being a social condenser, fostering community among the residents of the surrounding new housing blocks with a public space and park along an existing canal. While the adjacent housing blocks are repetitive, here the architecture is of spatial energy and openness, inviting the whole community in for recreational and cultural programs.

Shaping a central public space, the Health Center and Cultural Center are exoskeletal concrete construction. Subtractive cuts in the concrete structure carry on the space shaping architectural language.

The landscape and two new public buildings are merged by the concept of “clocks and clouds.” The landscape is organized in large, clocklike circles forming a central public space, and the buildings are cloudlike in their porosity and openness. The Cultural Center hovers over a transparent glass base that exposes a café and game and recreation rooms. A curved ramp, climbing gently up to the second floor, creates a continuous experience of overlooking.

The Health Center is also shaped by the curves of the landscape. Both buildings have green sedum roofs, which merges them further with the landscape when seen from the surrounding apartment buildings.

Ecological Innovation +

– Geothermal heating and cooling
– Quarter circle pool provides rainwater recycling
– Green sedum roofs

Videos +

  • Cofco Cultural and Health Center

Credits +

  • architect

    - Steven Holl Architects

    Steven Holl (design architect, principal)

    Roberto Bannura (partner in charge)

    Noah Yaffe (project advisor)

    Xi Chen, Sihuan Jin (project architect)

    Zhu Zhu (assistant project architect)

    Wenying Sun, Ruoyu Wei, Yuanchu Yi, Okki Berendschot, Pu Yun, Elise Riley, Lydia Liu, Tsung-Yen Hsieh, Shih-Hsueh Wang, Michael Haddy, Yi Ren, Xu Zhang, Lidong Sun, Peter Chang, Yuchun Lin, Peilu Chen, Hong Ching Lee (project team)

    Dimitra Tsachrelia (project team )

  • associate architects

    - East China Architectural Design & Research Institute

  • structural engineer

    - East China Architectural Design & Research Institute

  • MEP engineer

    - East China Architectural Design & Research Institute

  • façade consultants

    - Winda Façade & Nan Feng

  • lighting design

    - L’Observatoire International

News +


  • 2021 10/12 Cofco Cultural and Health Center Completed in Shanghai
  • 2020 05/12 OUR COFCO CULTURAL AND HEALTH CENTER IS BACK UNDER CONSTRUCTION
  • 2020 01/23 UPDATE: Steven Holl Architects’ Cultural and Health Center Buildings in Shanghai Top Out Ahead of Spring Festival
  • 2019 10/29 update: Inspiring Sculpted Spaces Under Construction at the Shanghai Cofco Cultural & Health Center
  • 2017 04/01 Projects to Watch in Health and Wellness
  • 2017 01/26 Steven Holl Architects Reveals Design for Shanghai Cultural & Health Centers
  • 2017 01/27 Steven Holl Architects Designs LEED Platinum-targeted cultural center for Shanghai
  • 2017 01/25 Steven Holl Architects’ design approved for new Shanghai Cultural and Health Center

Awards +


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