Shanghai 2009
Saturday, 22 August 2009 01:08
Written by Anna Greenspan

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When walking the corridors and catwalks of The Bridge 8, situated at the corner of Jianguo and Chongqing Lu, it can seem that the whole of Shanghai – even China – is being designed from within these walls. The converted factory complex hosts the offices of fashion and product designers, a brand consultancy, one of the largest and most successful animation companies in the country, the post production studio of a famous Hong Kong director and some of the most influential architectural firms in the world. “The playground is here,” says Tony Wong, CEO of Lifestyle Centre, the developer behind The Bridge 8. “Our job is to provide office space for the creative companies who need it. In turn this will help develop Shanghai.”

The Bridge 8 is located on a 20,000 sqm industrial cluster that once belonged to a state-owned auto factory. In 2003, inspired by the success of Xintiandi, the Luwan district government sought to redevelop this now abandoned zone, situated on prime land, within the urban core.

It turned to Tony Wong, former general manager of Xintiandi, whose idea was to convert it into one of the city’s first creative clusters. The Bridge 8 has thus functioned as both incubater and testing ground.

With support from the Luwan district government, Wong’s company, Lifestyle Centre, acquired a 20-year lease from the state-owned factory, with a promise to return the property in a better state. Although primarily in the business of real estate development, in the case of projects like The Bridge 8, Wong is willing to sacrifice short term profit to help the city grow.

“Though China is emerging as the world’s manufacturing powerhouse, it is not yet known for originality and creativity, which are cornerstones for the sustainable development of an economy,” Wong says. “Around the world, cities that are known for creativity attract creative people. They flock together to trigger mutual inspiration.”

The Bridge 8 was built in two phases – the first in 2004 and the second in 2006.

90% of the complex, is devoted to office space, while the other 10% is dedicated to coffee shops, restaurants and a bookstore, elements that Wong believes help construct the encouraging and nourishing working environment that attract creative talent.

Creative industries are drawn to such renovated industrial zones partly because of cheaper rents (about half the level of other new developments downtown). More importantly, they are looking for offices with character.  Wong says designers and innovaters want beautiful buildings, but also the efficient infrastructure to support their activities. The idea behind The Bridge 8 is to “preserve the atmosphere of the old while providing the ‘software’ that can support the new.”

The renovation was conducted under the guidance of Japanese architect Kenji Mantani, whose company HMA was the first client at The Bridge 8. It retains the rawness of the industrial past, with the shells of old buildings, steel staircases and piping deliberately left exposed. Gray bricks taken from the demolition site provide the basic visual elements and texture, augmented by light ultramodern additions and subtractions, such as skylights, glass walls, open courtyards and networks of balconies, which convert the cluster into a singular whole.

The aim of the design is to highlight the networks and connectivity that creativity feeds upon, a concept that was clear from the start. Frustrated by the gap that divided the offices of Wong and his chief designer, they built a bridge to facilitate communication. A bridge, says Wong, is a physical space that brings people together. Here it is also meant as a link between the old and the new, the local and the international

The emphasis on collaboration, linkages and interchange permeates the complex from the landmark bridge that connects the two phases of the project on either side of Jianguo Lu to the catwalks and open corridors throughout. Interiors bleed into exteriors as private offices open onto public space. Wong points to the big round table that dominates the conference room. Here there is no chairman.

In order to further ensure the culture and dynamic of a creative hub Lifestyle Centre retains strict control over prospective tenants. While the term creative industry is defined very broadly as “any company that uses its brain,” would-be tenants have to pass through a calculated vetting procedure. “First, we introduce the project and talk about the concept and vision,” Wong explains, ”only later, after we get to know each other do we discuss details. It is kind of like dating.”

Today, The Bridge 8 is fully occupied, with anyone seeking office space in the complex forced to join a waiting list. The space shortage is exacerbated by the continuing demand from existing clients, eager to expand their business in Shanghai.

In pioneering the development of creative zones in Shanghai Wong and his team have closely examined models from other cities in Europe, Japan and America. What they are doing, however, is different. 

They examined developments in the West (including West Chelsea), studying the natural growth of creative hubs and how they could be adapted to China. In the West, these clusters typically took 50 years to mature, with artists initially colonizing an area and businesses only following much later. In addition to the time-lag involved, this pattern also generated systematic conflicts between the first-wave bohemians and later commercial incomers. “What we are trying to do is compress the process,” Wong says. “To do this we want to work with artists from the start, introducing collaborations in which space is traded for branding and design.”

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