ZAO / Zhang Ke Architecture Office

The campus of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis is located along the linear Chuanyang River in Pudong, halfway between the centre of the city and the airport. Here, the architects erected a research and development centre, whose architecture is designed to encourage innovative communication between the employees. The six-storey office building with a one-storey base floor consisting of open passageways, small patios, and pavilions accommodates flexibly usable spaces equipped with individual features. The design is based on a cellular grid inspired by traditional Chinese garden design. The interior courtyards positioned on polygonal foundation elements incised into the base connect the meandering pavilions and merge inside and outside. The planting and materiality on the ground floor level form a calming contrast to the polygonal aesthetic of the spaces and to the folded glass façade of the main building, which is perceived from a distance as a shimmering surface. The ‘in-between’ character of the garden and architecture thus remains in limbo and reflects historical values of design in a contemporary way, without becoming lost in formal copies.