HASSELL recently announced that the company has been awarded the highly anticipated Hongkou North Bund project in Shanghai.
     The Huangpu River is the beating heart of Shanghai and the waterfront that runs alongside is one of the most popular destinations for locals and visitors. The North Bund area within the Hongkou District is one of the city’s key historical precincts, and is currently being revitalised into a lifestyle hub, with over seven million square metres of office buildings, restaurants and shopping malls. 
     Concurrently, a larger vision by the Shanghai Municipal Committee and Government is underway to open up public access to many parts of the river waterfront and create connections through all of its districts to unify the various renewal efforts. 
     The Hongkou District Planning and Land Authority commissioned HASSELL directly after seeing their inspired vision for a different project, the Huangpu East Bank competition.
     HASSELL will be managing the masterplanning and public realm design for the project with a vision to stitch together the many parts of the site through a 2.5 km long garden waterfront to unlock the North Bund’s potential. The design will also restore its unique green historic identity. The key to achieving the vision will be to create this continuous waterfront area with active paths that people will be able to walk, cycle or jog along and to create open riverside spaces that can be used by the community for cultural and entertainment activities.