Visions of future offices at first stock exchange
An artist performs in the original vault of the former stock exchange on Thursday evening to celebrate branding day at the innovation park.
An exhibition at an innovation park renovated from China's first stock exchange on the Bund opening on Thursday.
"Long Daydream" features paintings and photographs of innovation parks around the world to look at the trend of modern offices in the post-pandemic era.
It is open to the public free at the We" International Hub@ The Bund at 501 Jiujiang Road, former site of the Shanghai Chinese Merchants Stock Exchange.
Artists have used the imagination and thinking of local office workers about their ideal working space, according to the park's operator and service provider DoBe.
One of the paintings shows how women's working condition can be improved, while other exhibits present visions of future business attire and offices and cooperation among companies in an innovation park.
"The office space expresses the values and social ideology of modern people. They are both physical space and the beautiful fantasy of human beings," the organizers said. The exhibition is organized by DoBe and art training institute RoSSo.
The art exhibition takes a futuristic look at office spaces.
The organizers interviewed around 1,500 office workers about their ideal office life. Some hoped to work in a forest-like space, while others imagined working under water. Some of these visions have been applied in the projects of DoBe, which celebrated its sixth anniversary and branding day on Thursday.
The structure among the second row of Bund architecture was built in 1933 as the major financial hub in the Far East. Nearly 200 securities were being traded at the exchange in 1934, making it the biggest stock exchange in East Asia.
The original vault of the former exchange has been preserved. Visitors can see the vault through glass floors. The H-shape concrete building was designed by Chinese architect Luke Him Sau (Lu Qianshou). The original foundation stone erected in 1931 has also been preserved.
The stock exchange became the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 1946 and the building was shut down in 1949.
DoBe invited Italian architect Stefano Boeri to redesign the building in 2015. The original steel structure and concrete pillars have been largely preserved, while the designer incorporated a "vertical forest" design into the redevelopment project.
Employees at the innovation park listen to a speech on Thursday.
The exhibition is part of the WE"ART initiative to invite top artists both home and abroad to host exhibitions and performances in local innovation parks. The exhibitions aim to enrich the life of employees and nearby residents amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The exhibition space on the ground floor of the building has become a small theater for comedies, films and talk shows. Employees are able to enjoy an exhibition or performance without leaving the office complex.
Huangpu District has launched a "protective renovation" campaign on the back rows of historical buildings on the Bund to expand the scale of the Bund financial hub.
Some 150 buildings on the second and third rows along Sichuan Road S. and Jiangxi Road S. will be renovated, while preserving their historical appearance. They will mainly become office complexes like the We" International Hub to attract companies from across the world.
DoBe operates dozens of innovation parks mainly renovated from the city's former factory buildings or industrial heritage. The We" International Hub@ Jing'an, for instance, was renovated from the Dafeng Dyeing and Weaving Factory, which was built in 1919 as China's first mechanized dyeing and textile mill.
Performers entertain employees at the innovation park.
