Development of a Master Plan for the Bund

The Bund is a world famous street in Shanghai fronting on the Huangpu River. In the 1920s, the world banking community, led by German Banks, established their far east banking headquarters in Shanghai along the Huangpu River in an area later to be known as “The Bund”. It is the finest example of western architecture of the 1920s in existence in the Far East and is one of the most visited places in all of Shanghai.

About 20 years ago, the government of Shanghai constructed a 10-lane expressway between the buildings of The Bund and the Huangpu River. In the process, a wall was constructed in the river to create room between the expressway and the river for the park. However, because the expressway separates the park from the buildings, many of the buildings have fallen into disrepair. Two actions are being undertaken. The first, by the government of Shanghai, is to place six of the expressways into a tunnel to remove through traffic from the area. The second is to extend the park and reconnect it to the buildings of The Bund.

To develop the design of the surface park and a local service street, the government of Huangpu initiated an international design competition to design the new park and the service street. Orth-Rodgers & Associates, Inc. (ORA), in association with the Tongji University School of Architecture and Design, was one of three firms selected to compete in the finals of the design competition which will begin shortly.