YANGGAO ROAD INNOVATION CAMPUS
Design: JSA Architects (Planning, Architecture, & Landscape)
Location: 1998 South Yanggao Road, Shanghai, China
Site Area: 35,670 sqm
Architecture Area: 26,380 sqm, 13 Buildings
Project Year: Phase 1 Completed 2018, Phase 2 Under Construction
Developer: Kailun Group
The Yanggao Road Innovation Campus consists of an odd-ball collection of refurbished buildings united by a landscaped network of plazas, passageways, stairs, terraces, private yards, and courtyards. Due to a limited budget we adopted a modest material palette of brick tile and paint. A simple architectural vocabulary of rounded openings inspired by some of the quirky details of the main existing structures helps to unite the various buildings, which range wildly in scale.
Design Process
JSA’s involvement in this project dates back to early feasibility studies when the scope and direction of the project was not yet clear. Which buildings would be rebuilt and which buildings would be refurbished had not yet been determined, and what uses the structures could best accommodate were still being explored. The design has continually evolved since as negotiations with local government and neighboring communities have played out, and more recently as specific tenants have signed leases and customized buildings to their liking. We are still working with the client today in a variety of roles: advising on signage standards and site lighting, for example, or making minor adjustments on buildings and landscape as needed.
Original Site Condition
On our first visits to this cluster of mostly industrial buildings, we were struck by the quiet atmosphere and mature landscape, characteristics unusual for such a central Shanghai location. Preserving that green and tranquil atmosphere became central to our building and site planning strategy, leading to a generously landscaped campus plan knit together by an intricate network of plazas, passageways, stairs, terraces, private yards, and courtyards. The buildings themselves were unremarkable aside from a few quirky details that we borrowed and then amplified to bring out the project’s unique character.
