Tongshan Street
1 / Introduction
The Tongshan Street project in the Pudong area of central Shanghai will provide our client, Vanke (one of the largest developers in China) with a unique development which is expected to set new standards for large scale residential led mixed use projects in terms of both financial return, but also sustainability which is a key driver for Vanke.
Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the stunning architecture provides over 700 luxury apartments in eight towers, as well as an iconic hotel and serviced apartment tower. Significant areas of retail space are supported by below ground parking.
Buro Happold provided MEP, facade, traffic engineering, structural engineering, as well as sustainability consultancy to ensure the project reaches Vanke’s brief to achieve a LEED rating of Platinum for the residential Clubhouse building, and Gold for the remaining development.
The high performance facade is the first step in reducing predicted energy use to meet the LEED targets and our facade team developed a triple glazed option with external shading to significantly improve on the local China code whilst realising Pelli Clarke Pelli’s architectural aspirations.
The Shanghai climate requires significant amounts of both heating and cooling throughout the year to provide internal comfort. Our approach was to move away from the traditional residential development method of locating heating/air conditioning equipment within each apartment, and instead to use an “Energy Centre” approach. By centralising the necessary equipment into a remote Energy Centre, each apartment can be made larger and the building elevations are released from air conditioning louvers so the architecture and project value are not compromised.
The Energy Centre also allows Combined Heat and Power, or Co-Generation, equipment to be considered which produces significant running cost savings for Vanke and also attracts funding from the Shanghai government who are keen to reduce the pressure on their central electricity infrastructure by encouraging developers to install their own power generating equipment.
The overall energy performance of the project is significantly below the typical local benchmarks and already meets the Chinese government carbon emission reduction targets for the end of the 13th Five Year Plan, so the project is effectively future proofed until the year 2020.
The residential clubhouse presented an opportunity to further demonstrate the unique nature of this development in Shanghai. The exposed roof structure is a key part of this stunning building, and the use of timber not only helps to create an impressive space, but also makes a contribution to the overall sustainability credentials of the project by reducing the amount of carbon embodied in the structure.
Key facts
- Advanced heating and cooling to cope with local climate
- Combined Heat and Power
- Already meets Chinese government carbon emission reduction targets
Related Disciplines
The Project Details
Client: Vanke Real Estate Company
Architect: Pelli Clarke Pelli
Buro Happold services: MEP, Sustainability Consultancy/LEED, Facade Engineering, Traffic Engineering and Structural Engineering