Page 3 - 11月

Shanghai Daily Tuesday 24 November 2020 Jing’an C3

Kokaistudios’ design for CITIC Pacific Plaza’s podium introduces the concept of “a pixel city,” displaying a hi-tech image of the renovated building. — Ti Gong

Facelifts for Nanjing Road W. landmarks

Li Qian
enovations of three major land- 300
mark buildings on bustling
Nanjing Road W. will soon be
R completed.
The former Shanghai JC Mandarin Jing’an has introduced more
Hotel, one of the city’s oldest luxury than 300 brands since 2018
hotels dating back 30 years, is being that made their debuts in
converted into a high-end commercial either Shanghai or China
complex. Major structural work on the
building — which sits opposite Plaza 66 — more than 70 percent of
in Nanjing Road’s most highly coveted them on Nanjing Road W.
section — is complete.
Scaffolding outside the retail po-
dium is coming down, and the public According to officials at the Shanghai
will soon witness its new and improved Jindi Urban Construction Development
appearance. Company, the plaza’s depth will be re-
The overall renovation is set to finish duced from 7 to 2.5 meters to make room
by the end of this year, and tenants will for a new underground pedestrian path-
begin moving in immediately thereafter, way designed to reduce traffic on Huashan
according to Yang Jian, vice president of Road. In a nod to nearby Jing’an Park, the
the Shanghai Baohua Group. plaza will feature more green space, in-
JC Mandarin opened to the public cluding rows of Japanese maple trees that
following the merger of three hotels change color with the seasons.
— Jinjiang, Cangzhou and Mandarin In addition to these three landmarks,
Oriental. It was one of the most popu- the Four Seasons Hotel and Shanghai
lar and prestigious five-star hotels in Airport City Terminal are also undergo-
Shanghai until it was sold in 2013. To ing renovations.
meet the changing landscape of Nanjing An artist’s rendering of the high-end commercial complex under construction on Over the years, Nanjing Road W. has
Road, Baohua decided to transform it the site of the former Shanghai JC Mandarin Hotel. — Ti Gong upgraded to become a world-class com-
from merely a hotel to a full-blown com- munity and retail hub. In April, it became
mercial juggernaut. scheduled to be completed by the end feature 14 large terraces and balconies, the city’s first commercial area to expe-
The site will consist of a 17-story office of 2021. as well as three crystal palace-like, rience an increase in sales, and during
building and five-floor podium, which Officials said the renovation will set transparent glass spaces, including a the 8-day National Day holiday year-on-
will open in September 2021 as a high- the plaza back by as much as 600 million crown-style space on top of the building year sales increased 26.1 percent.
end retail mall featuring luxury outlets yuan (US$91.38 million), but is necessary with 270 degrees of views. Discussions According to the district’s commerce
and fine dining. to meet the changing demands of young- are underway with artists to combine commission, Jing’an has introduced
“It’s not a new building but an old er people who expect more personalized advanced technologies and innovative more than 300 brands since 2018 that
building being granted a new lease of and interactive experiences. art in the crown. made their debuts in either Shanghai or
life,” Yang said, adding the new site will Nearly 80 percent of the brands in the In response to the pandemic, the plaza China — more than 70 percent of them
be called JC Mandarin Plaza to com- refurbished plaza will be new to Shang- will contain an advanced air-purifying on Nanjing Road W.
memorate its past. hai, which officials hope will set it apart system, akin to those used in Wuhan’s What’s more, the pandemic hasn’t af-
“We’ve heard many locals say the hotel from nearby retail malls. makeshift hospitals. fected that break-neck pace. In less than
is full of memories and was a symbol The renowned architecture firm Jing’ansi Plaza across from Jing’an 3 kilometers of this major city artery,
of reform and China’s opening-up to Kokaistudios introduced the concept Temple will partially reopen by the end there are 70 commercial buildings that
the world,” Yang said. “We added some of “a pixel city” into the design. Well- of the year. The sunken plaza opened in generate more than 100 million yuan in
nostalgic elements to the design to keep arranged glass walls on the façade will 1999 as a popular shopping destination tax revenue annually.
such memories alive.” appear like countless computer pixels, for young people. Due to the construc- As the gateway to new brands in
Just across the street, CITIC Pacific displaying a hi-tech image of the reno- tion of Metro Line 14, it was temporarily Shanghai, more than 2,000 have set up
Plaza’s podium is undergoing the big- vated building. closed, which served as the perfect op- shops on this fabled road, 60 percent of
gest renovation in its 20-year history, The partially borderless plaza will portunity for an upgrade. which are from overseas.