DAF Guests :SOM+SCHMIDLIN
Across geographic regions and typologies, Sean Ragasa creates architecture that is purposeful, intelligent, and, in subtle ways, delightful. His design approach is rigorous, often leveraging expertise across many disciplines to conscientiously respond to the environmental and social conditions of a site. With agile design sensibilities, Sean is known for delivering complex and significant projects elegantly.
Harmonizing the architecture’s visual identity with sustainability measures is an important part of Sean’s work. When designing a low-carbon community forJiuzhou Bay, he integrated allusions to local mythology with neighborhood-scale passive cooling strategies. Similarly, the passive air and water filtration systems in the Ningbo Guohua Financial Tower are integrated with traditional local design concepts around porosity, procession, and the relationship to water. As a lead designer in the master planning effort for the University of California Merced’s 2020 Campus Expansion, Sean drew references from the agrarian building styles of California’s Central Valley to create a cohesive campus identity. The project led UC Merced to be the first public university to achieve carbon neutrality, and it is the largest social infrastructure project achieved through a public-private partnership in U.S. history.
Jim Xia has been a member of SchmidlinEnergy Technologies(Shanghai) Co., Ltd.for 10years and now serves as the company's design director (partner), intermediate engineer, with 17 years of experience in the curtain wall industry. He has been involved in building projects such as CITIC Pacific Plaza, North Sichuan Road, Kerry Center, Pudong, Renewal of the 70th Anniversary of People's Square, Renewal of The Bund·City Hall Plaza，Shanghai Jiukeshu (Future Art Center), Shanghai Lingang International Conference Center, Fengxian Hospital of China Welfare Association International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital,South Bund Financial Center, and Shanghai Beijiao Future Industrial Park.
The South Bund Financial Center
The South Bund Financial Center is SOM's urban renewal project for the last industrial site on the South Bund in Shanghai. Unlike other redevelopment projects in Shanghai, the master plan for the South Bund Financial Center focuses on the delicate balance between preservation of historic sites and new construction, and SOM's design maximizes the preservation of the site's heritage buildings while suspending new office businesses above them to create a mixed-use, vibrant cultural and commercial destination that fully exploits the potential of the Nanpu Riverfront area.
Historic preservation is inherently a sustainable approach, and retaining and reusing existing structures can minimize the carbon footprint of a development. The new building utilizes passive design strategies to achieve interior shading and reduce energy demand. The façade utilizes vertical ribs to reduce solar heat gain, with openable fans as fresh air intakes. Floor-to-ceiling insulated glass units maximize natural light and views. All roofs within the development are designed with reflective roofing to reduce the urban heat island effect. In addition, green roofs are designed to help mitigate rainwater runoff. Photovoltaic panels located around the rooftop mechanical and electrical equipment also provide renewable energy to the area.
The Shanghai South Bund Financial Center will become a model for the protection and utilization of industrial sites in China.
