The development of the new Bund International Financial Center is situated at a prime, indeed crucial location for Shanghai, at the junction of numerous districts containing different urban typologies and characters. The 4,5 ha site faces the downtown area of Pudong in the South, and extends towards the historical Bund in the north. West of the site is the traditional YuYuan commercial zone and Old Town of Shanghai.

The proposed 370.000 m2 mixed-use de­velopment consisting of offices, apartments, a hotel and commercial facilities, poses the question of how to extend the historical Bund, whilst addressing these differ­ent areas respectively. MVRDV’s concept extends and combines the characteris­tic typologies of the old town, with its dense cluster of al­leys, with those of the new Pudong CBD and its towers.

The lifted ‘village’ is structurally supported at six points: four main high-rise towers of varying heights, up to 180m, three of them accommodating offices, the other apartments. The two smaller towers function as circu­lation towers only, one providing access to the raised hotel, the other to the housing neighbourhood.

Branch like structures between the lifted ‘village’ and the high-rise towers serve as fire escape stairs, whilst providing secondary structural support. Not only does the develop­ment offer new living and working environments, but also an enhanced quality of public life, high above the city.