Central Plaza

Central Plaza, a fresh new vision of contemporary modernization design in Shanghai. Central Plaza lies opposite the iconic Shanghai Grand Theatre at People's Square. The 95-meter high, 23-floor retail and office building was completed in 1998 for the Shanghai Central Land Estate Ltd. Twenty years later, the building lost its edge, was outdated and in dire need of reactivation. In 2018 it was bought by V Capital, who commissioned logon.design with a one-stop design solution package for their Asset Enhancement Initiative (AEI). The package included landscape, facade, lighting, interior, and signage design. The AEI's goals were to review, upgrade and rebrand the building, enhance the user comfort, to match contemporary market trends and needs. The newly designed Central Plaza, which is LEED Gold certified, provides modern office spaces, as well as space for retail, food, and beverage. The front entrance to Central Plaza welcomes visitors on arrival with modernized urban space, new signage, and a new plaza lighting concept. Visitors gain a view deep into the Atrium through the cleaned up facade. The Atrium is a neat and uncluttered transition space, a feeling devised by choice of materials of white aluminum and seamless grey terrazzo flooring. The design concept utilizes white horizontal lines and white glass handrails to emphasize the multiple layers of the space, while the vertical structure is set as background in dark, polished stainless steel and grey aluminum. Natural light falls through the skylight and façade by daytime and is being reflected by the white interiors, while at nighttime the innovative, glare-free indirect lighting system brightly illuminates the space from the inside. A light sculpture, suspended from the ceiling in the center, crowns the Atrium. Two escalators, set in an angle to the left and the right, lead to the second floor, where selected retailers and a SPA are located. The second set of escalators leads to the third floor to a new co-working space, which utilizes the entire floor, including the gallery circumference the Atrium as a flexible workspace. Much innovation went into the office tower elevator lobby. It is accessible straight ahead from the main entrance in the Atrium. Its highlight is the unique perforated light ceiling, featuring glare-free lighting while hiding building equipment like ventilation outlets and sprinklers. Complemented by aluminum walls, terrazzo flooring and light elements in the walls a cool, modern workspace entrance is being created. The elevator lobby is also connected to the back entrance, which is no longer a neglected space for deliveries but a carefully designed place that greets visitors on arrival and invites them to pause and take a breath. It features a lush green plant wall that guides into the building and connects the outside to the inside. The open space around the building has been upgraded to provide a new arrival experience and image. The front entrance plaza is connected to newly added wooden decks on the south and north side of the building, providing outdoor seating for the restaurants on the ground floor. The back entrance is connected to the backyard garden, featuring a plaza surrounded by plants and connected to a gallery open to tenants to host exhibitions, events or meetings.