Bund Finance Centre

The Bund Finance Centre in Shanghai, designed by Foster + Partners and Heatherwick Studio, occupies a charged threshold between the historic Bund, the old town, and Pudong’s financial district. Set on one of the last major waterfront sites, the mixed-use development combines offices, retail, a hotel, restaurants, and a cultural centre around a landscaped public plaza.

The project works as a careful transition between scales. Toward the south, two 180-metre towers mark the skyline, while the lower buildings facing the Bund respond more closely to the height, rhythm, and civic character of Shanghai’s historic waterfront. This layered composition keeps the development firmly embedded in the city while opening space around it.

At its centre, the Fosun Foundation introduces a more theatrical register. Its façade, inspired by traditional Chinese theatre, is formed of three layers of moving bronze-coloured stainless-steel tubes that rotate around the building like a curtain.