4 PM: Tour of the Bridge 8 complex

Members of the press were treated to an off-site adventure this afternoon: a tour of Bridge 8, a mixed-use complex that includes offices for creative professionals—architecture firms SOM, Alsop, and David Chipperfield among them. A stunning piece of contemporary design, Bridge 8 is actually a savvy conversion of the former Shanghai Automobile factory, treated to a high-class redo with humble materials like brick, concrete, and metal mesh. Its two buildings are connected by a dramatic bridge that wraps up and over the street in a gesture similar to OMA’s Beijing loop. Indoor and outdoor common areas lend the feel of a little neighborhood, as do office doors left open and glass walls providing glimpses of the creative production within.

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