New Bund Ecumenical Church

New Bund District, Pudong, Shanghai, China

FIRST PRIZE. International FAD Award 2019

FIRST PRIZE. NAN Architecture Award 2019

FIRST PRIZE . ASSC Grand Architectural Creation Award 2019

Program: Church
Year: 2016-2018
Status: Built
Area: 963m2
Client: Shanghai New Bund International Business District Investment (Group) Co,Ltd
LDI: Pudong Design Institute

The Church is located in the southern corner of the entrance to the new urban development of New Bund, located south of the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai. This unique location makes the project the natural gateway to the international residential area of the new district, as well as part of a linear park that runs along the Huangpu River, in accordance with urban planning. The proximity of the infrastructures of the subway to the west conditions the geometry of the plot and endows it with a marked longitudinal character.

The configuration of the project segregates the secular and religious functions through a covered passage that emphasizes access to the temple and enables the necessary ventilation of the interior spaces. In combination with this lower step, the triangular bell tower enhances the role of the Church as a landmark on an urban scale. The central space of the ensemble, the main chapel, emphasizes its symbolic character as a community space by integrating, in the form of a diaphanous auditorium, optimal acoustic and visual features thanks to a balanced volume-surface relationship.