Image courtesy of Eiichi Kano

Hongkou Soho dressed by Kengo Kuma

Strips of perforated aluminium give a pleated appearance to the façade of Shanghai’s Hongkou Soho office tower designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma and associates for property developer Soho China. This distinctive façade and the public spaces located around the building give a sense of openness to the entire area.

Image courtesy of Eiichi Kano

Kengo Kuma used pieces of pieces of 18-millimetre-wide aluminium mesh to create the pleats in the façade of Hongkou Soho, which is designed to look like the draping of a dress. The lengths of metal are angled to fit the form of the building and create a rippling effect. As the architect says “for the façade, we created pleats, made of aluminium mesh like woven lace, which forms a soft dress for women“.

Image courtesy of Jerry Lin

The pleats change their expressions gradually according to the angle, strength, and tone of sunshine. The upper floors of the 29-storey-tall building house private offices, while the ground floor hosts a shared space where the stripped and perforated façade gives glimpses onto the street. The building is open and linked with the city outside. The image of gentle connection is expressed in the facade and public space of the building.

Image courtesy of Jerry Lin

The public space is also like a creature’s skin, represented with stone and aluminium panels, which creates an atmosphere totally different from ordinary hard buildings. Hongkou Soho is the latest in a spate of recent projects for Chinese property developer Soho China, which is best known for commissioning the late Zaha Hadid to design the Wangjing Soho and Galaxy Soho complexes.

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