Urban Regeneration Preserving a Historic Architectural Ensemble
ROCKBUND is an urban regeneration project centred on a historic architectural ensemble located north of the Bund in Shanghai’s former European concession. The buildings lining Yuanmingyuan Road were constructed between 1897 and 1936, representing Shanghai’s early modern architecture through the combination of European façades and Asian elements. The project was developed as part of a mixed-use scheme incorporating office, residential, commercial, and cultural programmes, with David Chipperfield Architects commissioned in 2006 to restore, extend, and adaptively reuse eleven historic buildings.
The primary interventions focused on the Royal Asiatic SocietyRAS Building, the National Industrial BankNIB Building, and the ZA·Andrews & George Building. Originally used as China’s first public museum, the RAS Building was converted into the Rockbund Art Museum following the project. While preserving its Art Deco exterior, the interior was reconfigured with flexible exhibition spaces and a new atrium, creating a spatial connection between the upper floors. Both the NIB Building and the RAS Building were extended through rooftop additions, with the new façades finished in “Shanghai plaster” matching the texture of the adjacent historic buildings.
The largest intervention took place at the Andrews & George Building. After preserving and restoring the existing three-storey historic façade built in 1897, an eleven-storey red brick tower was added above it. Also known as “Rockbund 6,” the building acts as a transition between the historic low-rise streetscape and the surrounding high-rise urban fabric. The tower façade continues the red brick character of the former concession district while incorporating a contemporary structural system.
The restoration process focused on removing later additions and recovering the buildings’ original state. Existing stone and masonry façades were repaired while retaining as much of the original material as possible, and new interventions were designed in accordance with the material palette and proportional system of the historic buildings. Internal alleys and courtyard spaces were also reorganised, transforming former service areas into public pedestrian routes and event spaces.
The project was completed in phases. The Rockbund Art Museum opened in 2010, and the restoration of the historic façades was completed in 2011. The shell-and-core construction of the Andrews & George Tower was finalised in 2021, while the overall project, including the lobby interiors and landscape design of the internal alleys, was completed in September 2023. The completion marked the end of a long-term project spanning nearly two decades.
Project: Rockbund / Location: Shanghai, China / Architects: David Chipperfield Architects Berlin and Shanghai / Partner: David Chipperfield, Mark Randel, Libin Chen / Project architects: Lutz Schütter, Thomas Spranger, Chuxiao Li, Thomas Benk, Haishan Li / Project team: Markus Bauer, Kamlesh Bava, Mirjam von Busch, Belinda Chan, Andrea García Crespo, Maryla Duleba, Maik Engler, Dirk Gschwind, Michael Haverland, Frithjof Kahl, Fabian Körner, Nicolas Kulemeyer, Maoxue Li, Dahlia Liksaite, Fernando Gomez Martinez, Adrian Peach, Ilona Priwitzer, Martin Reichert, Mariska Rohde, Fransziska Rusch, Gunda Schulz, Lijun Shen, Daniel Sommer, Daniela Voss, Jiaying Wang, Boris Wolf, Liping Xu, Jiacong Yang, Malgorzata Mutkowska, Yue Gu, Qiang Shao, Xiaohui Wen, Ao Tang, Yiran Zhang, Yijing Zhou, Junyi Gao, Fang Cui, Minquan Wang, Xiao Han, Yang Yang / Local design institute: Shanghai Zhang Ming Architectural Design Firm, China Construction Design International / Facade consultant: Meinhardt Facade Technology (Shanghai) Ltd.; Shanghai Real Estate Science Research Institute; Shanghai Fangke Architectual Design Co., Ltd. / Lighting engineer: Brandston Partnership Inc., Schlothfeldt Lichtplaner / Landscape architect: Levin Monsigny Landschaftsarchitekten, Possibilism Design Studio, Shanghai Tongji Architectural & Interior Design-Construction Co.,Ltd. / Client: Shanghai Bund de Rockefeller Group Master Development Co. Ltd. / Use: mixed-use / Gross floor area: historic buildings_35,500 m²; ZA•Andrews & George Building_10,200 ㎡; Rockbund Art Museum_2,300 ㎡ / Design: 2006 / Construction: 2009 / Completion: 2023 / Photograph: ©Fangfang Tian (courtesy of the architect); ©RAWVISION Studio (courtesy of the architect); ©Simon Menges (courtesy of the architect); ©Christian Richters (courtesy of the architect); ©Shanghai Zhang Ming Architectural (courtesy of the architect)
