BREATHING HEART

CLIENT
LOCATION
COMPLETION
GFA
SCOPE
DESIGN TEAM
DESIGN INTERN
CONTRACTOR
PHOTOGRAPHY
ROCKBUND
Shanghai, China
October 2025
50 m2
Facade, Interior Design
Josh Ren, Baoer Wang
Joshua In
TAI Architecture & Decoration 
WenStudio


Rockbund, located at the confluence of the Huangpu and Suzhou rivers, marks the origin of Shanghai’s modern trade and cultural exchanges. Since the opening of the port, consulates, trading houses, and banks have gathered here, forming a palimpsest of the city. Today, as a mixed-use district for culture and commerce, Rockbund has become a hub where the city’s creative exchanges converge. At its core, we designed a visitor center — a transparent and welcoming “heart” that transmits information to every passerby.

Facing away from the museum plaza, the heart sits quietly within the restructured Yu Rong Mansion, redesigned by DCA. Embedded at the back of the building, it often escapes the notice of most visitors. How to connect the building with its urban surroundings — how to make the heart visible — became our primary question. Structurally, we removed the building’s thick original walls to introduce natural light, allowing transparency by day and transforming the structure into a warm beacon by night.

Amid diverse tourism and cultural requirements, this heart is given a dynamic mode of operation. Flexibility lies not only in the convertible functions of its two floors but also in every detail: movable display cabinets, interchangeable stainless-steel perforated panels, and an adjustable color-lighting system infuse the space with new vitality. The ground floor serves as an information and service center for daily visitor reception and guidance; when the display units are removed, the space transitions into a neutral setting for exhibitions. The upper floor functions as a VIP reception lounge by day and transforms into a relaxed bar by night, with a dimmable membrane ceiling enabling seamless transitions between day and evening atmospheres.

The material palette extends Rockbund’s historic texture while introducing a light structural language that conveys a spirit of transparency. A matte beige granite floor connects seamlessly with the museum plaza, merging the outdoor ground plane with the interior. Long granite display counters ground the space, while stainless-steel perforated panels introduce a dynamic rhythm between solidity and void. The panels are lightweight, detachable, and easily reconfigured. The upper floor continues this material logic, with perforated stainless-steel panels forming bookshelf displays and a concealed bar embedded within the structural columns, supporting both daytime and nighttime functions.

In this transformation of an open structure, the historic “shell” is preserved while a modern “heart” is implanted. The complex relationships between old and new, stillness and motion, service and exhibition are resolved through geometry and material — widening perspectives and extending continuity. Within the shifting rhythm of day and night, the heart connects the building with people, and history with the city’s evolving pulse.