MVRDV is revealing their design for the Lankuaikei Agriculture Development Headquarters in Shanghai

MVRDV is revealing their design for the Lankuaikei Agriculture Development (LAD) Headquarters in Shanghai, an 11-story terraced office building that brings together both high- and low-tech sustainability strategies under a swooping technological roof to create a showcase for the agriculture technology company. Located near the lake at the centre of Lingang New Town, the building is conceived as an agricultural oasis in a rapidly developing urban area in Shanghai, and one of China’s greenest, smartest sustainable buildings. 

Viewed from above, the building is rectangular in plan, yet it is given a striking curved shape by the series of terraces that step down to a courtyard and the main pedestrian entrance on the north side. 

The terraces are clad in wood and covered in greenery, and they include a publicly accessible route to the top of the building that provides spaces for LAD to showcase its work and research. A curving roof structure which follows the shape of the terraces covers the ensemble. On the southern part of the building, this structure supports solar panels, while on the north it is permeable, filtering sunlight but allowing rain to reach the terraces below. On the outer walls, the building’s façade is a pleated arrangement of solar panels and glass, angled to protect the interior from strong summer sunlight while allowing winter sunlight into the interiors. On the building’s southern edge, these walls also help protect the office workers from the noise of the main road outside. 

The building is conceived as a “sustainability machine”, confronting a wide variety of challenges both indirectly and directly, with high-tech and low-tech solutions. Through material selection and life-cycle analysis, the embodied carbon of the design will be 40% lower than a typical comparable construction. The roof structure and terraces aid in efficient natural ventilation. 

This ventilation and the shading strategies reduce energy requirements. Thanks to the solar panels incorporated into the design, the building will therefore be almost energy-neutral in operation. 

The terraces collect rainwater for use in functions such as toilets, as well as providing biodiversity and healthy working environments thanks to the greenery that extends all the way to the top floors. The design even indirectly contributes to public education and agricultural production, thanks to its role in facilitating the mission of LAD and the exhibition spaces that help manifest their vision. 

Inside, the building contains the 6,000m2 offices of the LAD headquarters on its upper levels, where there are views to both the lake in the north and the park in the south, and 9,000m2 of labs and co-working offices below. On the first and second floor, the building incorporates an adjustable auditorium and exhibition space, while the ground floor has small retail outlets around its perimeter, and includes three entrances – a public entrance at the courtyard, and separate entrances for the rentable offices and LAD HQ – connected by an “exhibition street”.

In its two basement levels, the building has a canteen and parking, but the “agricultural oasis” concept even extends below ground thanks to a number of voids which allow light, fresh air, and greenery to make their presence felt.