Steven Holl Architects has revealed plans for a new Cultural and Health Center to be located in Shanghai?s Fengxian District. Set into the public landscape, the two buildings will serve as a ?social condenser? aimed at integrating the community of surrounding housing blocks together into a park along the Punan Canal.

Overal Aerial. Image Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects

Steven Holl Architects has revealed plans for a new Cultural and Health Center to be located in Shanghai?s Fengxian District. Set into the public landscape, the two buildings will serve as a ?social condenser? aimed at integrating the community of surrounding housing blocks together into a park along the Punan Canal.

Cultural Center East Facade. Image Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects
Employing an open, community-driven approach, the project scheme has been inspired by the concept of  ?Clouds & Time,? a reference to philosopher Karl Popper?s famous 1965 lecture on the evolutionary model of free will, ?Of Clouds and Clocks.? Several clock-like circles form the central public space, where the cloud-like, white concrete buildings invite in visitors through their porosity and openness.

Watercolor - Landscape. Image Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects

Site Plan. Image Courtesy of Steven Holl Architects

The Cultural Center has been designed for maximum community interaction, featu...