Goettsch Partners

GP’s COFCO Qianhai Innovation Center has received a Special Mention honor in this year’s Architizer A+Awards for the Office - High Rise (16+ Floors) category. Selected from entries across more 70 countries, this recognition highlights work that demonstrates exceptional design achievement.

Located in Shenzhen’s rapidly evolving Qianhai district, the headquarters and multi-tenant office complex features two nearly identical towers, each crowned with a large, glass-enclosed atrium. The design fosters visual and physical connections to the surrounding district, reinforcing the site's role in Shenzhen’s growing urban network. Its accessible, multi-level layout invites both workers and the public into an inclusive, human-scaled environment within a high-density context.

The Architizer A+Awards is the largest awards program focused on promoting and celebrating the year’s best architecture. Its mission is to nurture the appreciation of meaningful design in the world and champion its potential for a positive impact on everyday life.

Watch for more updates as the A+Awards gallery launches in June.

A major transformation is complete in Shanghai.

Expo Place reimagines part of the former 2010 World Expo grounds, turning a once underutilized site into a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood designed for daily life.

Rather than erase the past, GP, in collaboration with retail architect Link Design Group, developed a strategy to build upon it. Existing below-grade structures were carefully retained and adaptively reused, reducing embodied carbon while enabling a diverse program that includes office towers, boutique workplaces, retail and hospitality, including Asia’s first Thompson-branded hotel.

At its core, the district is designed as a contemporary town center—walkable, layered and active throughout the day and night. Inspired by the scale and spatial richness of traditional Shanghai alleyways, the project prioritizes human experience over monumentality, with pedestrian streets, plazas and indoor-outdoor connections shaping a cohesive urban fabric.

By adaptively reusing existing structures and prioritizing sustainability, Expo Place sets a new standard for how cities can evolve after global events. It’s not just redevelopment, it’s a blueprint for the future of urban regeneration. For more information, see https://www.gpchicago.com/news/expo-place-completion-marks-new-chapter-shanghais-former-world-expo-grounds/.

Congratulations to the entire project team!

CR Land
Link Design Group
P&T Group
WSP

Photography by CreatAR