A New Threat to the Bund

Not a year goes by without a new threat to the Bund. In recent years alone we’ve seen destruction (classic world class art-deco Bank of New York building etc), gutting (the ripping out of the interior of 3 on the Bund of its beautiful bannisters and wood panels for instance and currently a similar process happening at 1 the Bund for some cadre club), additions out of character (The Peninsula Hotel with its cheap facade that ruins the northern sweep of the Bund and uses inappropriate materials that clash with the grey stone of the classic buildings), privatisation and goonery (you try being a peasant visiting Shanghai and wanting to sit down a moment anywhere controlled by the Rockbund goons in their neo-fascist sub Paris CSR goon-fits) and perspective distortion (go to Pudong, look across at the Bund and tell me the sight of the Westin Hotel with that crass disgusting crown thing on top doesn’t ruin the perspective and put you off your dinner!). At the same time some good things have happened – it’s been good to see the pavements widened, the number of car lanes reduced, the horrible pedestrian bridge at the Yanan Road intersection removed and the equally horrid car ramp at the Suzhou Road/Garden Bridge end removed (and the ending of the filthy coach park that used to congregate underneath it.)

Still, now a new threat and one from a bunch who really know how to do bad architecture – SOHO. Anyone resident in Beijing will be familiar with just how bad SOHO can get – from their latest horror of a deserted development on Nan Sanlitun to various other monstrosities across the city. Now, according to this article, they want to come and deposit their architectural excretions in Shanghai too. Seven skyscrapers on the old French Bund (Quai de France) that will overshadow the historic Bund from the south. Truth be told hardly anything is left of the old French Bund, it’s always received a lot less attention than the Settlement’s river frontage – this project, if it goes ahead will leave nothing and, I would predict, be the death knell for the entire old town too that would lie just behind the glittering new towers (at least, like most SOHO projects, they’ll glitter for 6 months and then just look scrappy).