Hongkou Soho Tower is located in Hongkou, on the opposite bank of the Huangpu River from the business center. The customer for the project, the total area of which is 95,000 square meters, was SOHO China Co., a large office developer in China. Ltd - it is she who is responsible for the Beijing projects Galaxy Soho and Wangdjing Soho by the Zaha Hadid Architects bureau, and the Soho Fuxing Lu complex of the gmp bureau (the latter is located very nearby).
The buildings surrounding the building are quite variegated: low-rise, not in the best condition buildings with a variety of small shops here successfully coexist with modern high-rise buildings made of glass and metal. A long, low podium reserved for shops helps to fit the 29-story, 133-meter tower into this conflicting variety. The architects Kengo Kuma & Associates dressed the seemingly tough and boring, almost square tower in a kind of pleated skirt: long strips of aluminum mesh that break in some places (the thickness of the rods is 18 mm) should resemble its smoothed folds. Thanks to them, depending on the angle of incidence and the intensity of the sun's rays, the entire surface either burns, then mysteriously flickers, then vibrates, and the perception of the entire building is constantly changing.
Moreover, in the area of the ground floors, the hem of the skirt rises coquettishly, revealing a light, glazed atrium and providing an additional connection between the interior space and the city. This public area also features aluminum slats, but in combination with natural stone panels.
