Shanghai IFC, Postmodern twin towers in Pudong, China
Shanghai IFC is a commercial complex at 8 Century Avenue in Lujiazui, Pudong, made of a 249.9-metre south tower (53 floors), a 259.9-metre north tower (56 floors) and an 85-metre, eight-storey building between and behind them. The two towers hold offices and a hotel above the IFC Mall, and the complex was designed by César Pelli's firm, Pelli Clarke Pelli.
Shanghai IFC was built on the site of the former Lujiazui Food City. Ground was broken on 25 June 2007, and the HSBC tower in the south block topped out on 13 October 2008. The first phase of offices and mall opened in 2009, the mall began a limited trial opening on 28 April 2010, HSBC's China headquarters opened on 9 June 2010 and the Ritz-Carlton on 21 June 2010.
The complex replaced the former Lujiazui Food City on the site. Its mall opened in trial operation on 28 April 2010 with over 180 brand stores and restaurants; about 15% of tenants were entering mainland China for the first time and 40% were new to Shanghai. The basement holds Apple's second-largest flagship store in mainland China, 1,500 square metres, plus the first Palace Cinema and first Citysuper branch in the country.
Lujiazui Station on Metro Line 2 connects to the complex through an underground tunnel, and Line 14 also serves the station, with part of its structure inside the building. The mall's basement holds a three-level car park with 1,900 spaces. The Apple Store sits under the sunken forecourt, marked by a cylindrical glass skylight rising from it.
The north tower's entrance holds a pair of bronze lions, the fourth set of copies of the originals that stood outside HSBC's old Shanghai building on the Bund. The originals are now kept by the Shanghai Historic Museum, displayed under the Oriental Pearl Tower and at the Shanghai Banking Museum. These copies were cast from the lions outside HSBC's Hong Kong headquarters.
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