Project
Solar Trees Marketplace

Category 
Best Project of Public Building or Facility

About the project
Solar Trees Marketplace takes inspiration from Shanghai's forest-rich landscape and creates a series of 32 architectural «trees» that form a canopy above a new marketplace in China. The design pays homage to the past, reinterpreting the traditional Chinese market as a community place, while forging a greener future for China. The nature-inspired design, which will be powered by solar energy, is currently under construction and will be completed in early 2022.
Solar Tree’s Marketplace is in the Minhang district, 20 kms south-west of Shanghai, spanning a total floor area of 3450 square meters. The three-story mixed-use development will serve as a gateway to the new Shanghai Tian An Caobao Road Area Residential Masterplan by Tian An China. Echoing the green spine that connects the 155,000 square metre residential masterplan, the forest concept also references China’s commitment to be Carbon Neutral by 2060.

Location
Minhang District/Zilang Road, Shanghai, China

Project design year
2020

Project website
https://koichitakada.com/projects/solar-trees-marketplace/

Additional information
https://www.designboom.com/architecture/32-solar-trees-shanghai-marketplace-koichi-taka
https://www.archdaily.com/961118/koichi-takada-architects-designs-biophilic-marketplace-in-shangh
https://aasarchitecture.com/2021/05/solar-trees-marketplace-by-koichi-takada-architects.html/
https://parametric-architecture.com/koichi-takada-architects-crafting-the-biophilic-solar-trees-marketplace/

Applicant and authors of the project
Koichi Takada Architects.
Design group that creates organically inspired places so the world can reconnect with a more natural, intuitive and conscious future. Founded in 2008, Koichi Takada Architects is based in Sydney with offices in Doha and Tokyo and celebrated it’s 10th anniversary in 2018. The firm is currently working across residential, hotels, restaurants, commercial, and cultural projects in Australia and across the Middle East, Asia, North America and South America.

Other participants
Client: Tian An China Investments Company Limited
Builder: Zhejiang Shunjie Construction Company Group Company Limited
Lighting: Brandston Partnership Inc.
Landscape: Sasaki, Walker& Associates
Façade Engineer: WSP Engineering Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd. Shanghai Bran
Visualisations: Doug & Wolf, SAN