Mar 25, 2010
Frank Repas Architecture Completes Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal
Copyright Antoine Duhamel Photographie
Emerging Gateway to EXPO 2010 Features Sprawling Underground Facility Filled with Daylight Surmounted by Floating Glass Orb
The eyes of the world are turning to Shanghai as the city prepares for EXPO 2010, and one of the most defining projects to emerge during the city’s preparations is the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal, designed by New York’s Frank Repas Architecture (FRA). The recently completed facility is a sprawling, almost other-worldly, 635,000-square-foot ocean liner terminal and exhibition space sunk into a kilometer-long section of the new Shanghai Waterfront Park System, adjacent to the historic Bund district.
“With EXPO 2010 fast approaching, Shanghai has undertaken an impressive growth and development initiative that incorporates innovation and sustainability. The city is poised to become the 21st century’s global economic and cultural hub,” said Mr. Repas. “With the influx of new visitors, the new cruise terminal is expected to receive more than 1.5 million visitors annually and is already playing host to high-profile events from fashion shows to global products launches. We are delighted to be able to contribute in a meaningful way to Shanghai’s exciting expansion.”
Copyright Antoine Duhamel Photographie
FRA worked closely with Mr. He Bin Wu, General Manager of the Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal Development Co., Ltd, to achieve an exceptional balance between beauty and utility. Thanks to the project’s design, the park and pedestrian access to the waterfront were not impeded, yet FRA was able to flood the underground spaces with enough natural light as to make them seem above ground – a sometimes disorienting effect.
Copyright Antoine Duhamel Photographie
Only 8,000 square feet of the main terminal rise above ground, but floating above the park and the underground terminal is the extraordinary “single drop of water”. This 42,000-square-foot glass orb, constructed from individual panes of four-sided glass, is an incredible feat of design and engineering, and unlike any other bubble-shaped structure in the world. It has become a focal point of the waterfront – encapsulating and crystallizing the exciting future of Shanghai.
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