A modern glass roof project with Soltis Perform 92
In the heart of Shanghai, China, the residential district of Hongkou is now home to the brand new Hall of the Sun, one of the city’s largest shopping centres, featuring a spectacular glass roof with blinds in Soltis Perform 92 by Serge Ferrari Group. This recent development is an integral part of the large-scale urban renovation project undertaken by local authorities, which aims to turn the area into a vibrant economic and commercial hub just a stone’s throw from the centre of Shanghai. Locally, the exact same application was used in Johannesburg’s iconic shopping centre, Hyde Park Corner.
An international modern project with a daring design
Eight years of work were necessary to complete the sprawling complex covering 25 hectares, including a commercial centre, two high-rise buildings, as well as a broad range of retail and office spaces.
By its size and diverse activities, the Hall of the Sun is poised to become a leading destination within the city. Combining a business centre with a shopping centre, the complex was designed as a new reference for architecture, consumption and lifestyle.
Breaking away from straight lines and right angles so habitual in these types of constructions, the Hall of the Sun shows a natural, almost organic curved design. The overall impression is one of softness and seamless integration into the surrounding urban fabric.
With its surrounding terraces and planted walkways, the building’s façade presents an alternation of recesses and protrusions, creating a very dynamic look. No effort has been spared to make this project a reference of architecture.
And, just like any pack or commercial print, PPM is a brand that deserves the best. ‘We believe in adding value to the industry and will continue to share technical knowledge, develop designers’ knowledge, and expose the market to ongoing developments taking place at Kurz.’
Reinventing the shopping centre and cooling it down
While designing the project, the architects considered the development of new digital tools and how our changing consumption patterns are transforming the layout of large retail centres. That is why the team decided the building would have to be more than a traditional shopping centre, and instead focused on creating a venue merging innovation and technology with sustainability and human experiences.
The Hall of the Sun was designed as a place where people can meet, rather than simply as a destination for purchasing goods. Shared spaces and commercial units are planned in such a way as to facilitate interaction between individuals.
As such, the building offers a retail environment that also uniquely incorporates all aspects of social life, human connections, movement and culture, delivering an all-new urban, sensory and human experience.
The project incorporates various floors of retail units, outdoor terraces and planted spaces, as well as a three-storey high atrium carved into the centre of the building and flooded with light pouring down from a gigantic skylight. Hyde Park Corner has a very similar skylight in a section of its building, above the information desk.
Glass ceilings with Soltis Perform 92 blinds
The most stunning feature of the project is indeed the expansive 5 000-sqm glass ceiling overhead — one of the largest in all of Shanghai. The steel structure supporting it actually consists of three lotus flower-shaped frames fused together to form an irregular circle more than 80 metres across.
For added comfort, the glass roof has been fitted with blinds cut from Serge Ferrari’s Soltis Perform 92, with an operating system designed to follow the path of the sun. Blocking up to 97% of heat, this membrane effectively helps regulate indoor temperatures, as well as control the amount of light entering the atrium.
Hyde Park gets a new cooling device
In Hyde Park corner, the sunlight and heat coming in from the outside and through the glass roof was causing unbearable heat for those working beneath it. Once the Soltis Perform 92 was installed above the section in the shopping centre, it blocked out heat and helped regulate the indoor temperatures making for a much better shopping and work experience in the centre.
Click here to download the Soltis Perform 92 brochure, ideal for facade blinds, veranda and glass roof blinds, drop-arm awnings and shade sails.
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