We collaborated with Morphosis Architects on a new ecological park and living laboratory for Giant Interactive Headquarters, a 45-acre corporate campus in Shanghai, China. The design concept blurs the distinction between the ground plane and the structure, weaving water and wetland habitats together with the folded green roof of the main building design. The site, divided between industrial uses, park systems and residences, presented a unique challenge that required the blending of building and landscape. Our focus on self-sustainability creates a site that incorporates both needs of the corporate environment and the local ecology, resulting in a cohesive corporate campus in a large urban environment.
Work attributed to SWA/Balsley principal Gerdo Aquino and his team with SWA Group.
Pacific Design Center
Once surrounded by barren plazas and impenetrable landscapes, the Pacific Design Center’s environment and image have been dramatically transformed by a complete redesign that includes parks, plazas, water features, cafes, lighting, and graphics. A two-acre open space area along San Vicente Boulevard has been transformed into a public park and gathering space,...
Suzhou Center
The Suzhou Center is a landmark urban space within the Suzhou Central Business District that embodies the spirit of the city of Suzhou as a gateway for intersecting old and new cultural and historic heritage. The successful combination of high density development and ecological conservation will allow for Suzhou to transition to a garden city where the state-o...
Brentwood Town Centre
Following SWA’s development of a 2013 master plan for a new town center adjacent to the existing Brentwood Shopping Mall, the firm was enlisted to design the project’s public realm and expand its role as an integrated, sustainable, urban community. With key connectivity to main vehicular arteries and a high-speed train line, the new development functions as a ...
Alipay Headquarters
The new the Hangzhou Alipay Headquarters is located between the Xi Xi wetlands and downtown Hangzhou, a city renowned for its rich culture and beautiful landscapes. Hills and small mountains surround the headquarters building in three directions, and in the fourth lies downtown Hangzhou. Three landscape “movements” derived from openings in the building direct ...