On Saturday, October 27th, the Hudec Culture Development Center awarded Jin Mao Tower the inaugural Hudec Architectural Culture Award. The award is given in honor of a building’s contributions to Shanghai’s social, cultural, historical, scientific, technological, artistic, and economic landscape.
The 420-meter-high Jin Mao Tower was China’s tallest building at the time of its completion and today remains an iconic part of the cityscape. Recalling historic pagoda forms, with setbacks that create a rhythmic pattern, the 88-story tower has become a model for skyscraper design throughout the country.
The landscaped courtyard and lobby display a history of Chinese calligraphy, from inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells from the Shang Dynasty to ancient bronze objects showcasing the evolution of Chinese characters, from seal characters (Zhuanshu), to official script (Lishu), regular script (Kaishu), and cursive script (Caoshu).
SOM’s work in China spans more than four decades and 40 cities and includes more than 300 projects.