China Diamond Exchange Center

The China Diamond Exchange Center is a 50,000-square-meter office building in Shanghai’s Pudong district, the city’s modern financial and commercial hub. The 15-story building provides space for members of the China Diamond Exchange, as well as other related tenants.

The building is conceived as two rectangular office slabs connected by a skylit atrium, with a large, 20- by 70-meter cable-supported netwall at each end. One tower is fully dedicated to the Diamond Exchange members, with the adjacent tower serving other tenants. The relatively narrow, 20-meter-wide floor plate of each tower is unique, working in combination with the atrium to bring in daylight throughout, as natural light is preferred by the diamond trades.

The open elevator tower is the focal point of the building, with three cabs traversing the atrium to sky bridges on each level that connect the two office blocks. The elevators’ activity is not only visible from the lobby but also from outside, through the full-height glass walls.

The major tenants’ core business inspired the design, with diamond-shaped elements featured in key areas, including the atrium’s glass skylight, the structural geometry of the entry canopy, and the main lobby floor. Details provide punches of red, a color that signifies prosperity and happiness in Chinese culture.