Shengde Hengye Theme Club

"Cities must cease to spread like ink and oil stains; once developed, they are to bloom like flowers in a starburst, with green leaves interlacing in golden rays." --Geddes, Cities in Evolution



Located in the villa area along the Xindu Shinkansen of Minhang District, Shanghai, Shengde Club is hidden inside a high-class community, enjoying the peace and quiet that is rarely obtained in a metropolis.It is a rebirth from the inside out, a cocoon breaking, the origin of the new life.



From modernism to contemporary sustainability, the renovation injects new lift into the building, which will still be able to coexist with the city for many years in the future.

Old buildings always have bits and pieces that evoke a deep emotional resonance in people. Renovation can bring an old building back to life.



Whether a renovation project will be successful or not depends on the balance between the new and the old, between emotion and commerce, between function and aesthetics. The designers should make the decision of what should be retained and what should be abandoned. Also, they should integrate sense of touch, visual effect and even smell and rhythm of different times and spaces into the same premises and create a romantic experience while preserving the original aspiration.



The steel frame structure of the original swimming pool is used and reinforced, and a sloped roof is added in the middle to create a white corridor with a spire. The foyer with a sense of ritual experience is built while blurring the boundary between indoor and outdoor.



Guided by the life of Shanghai “old clerk”, the club combines the aesthetics of the mansions in modern times and current club, where people feel relaxed after drinking a cup of coffee, dancing with the rhythm of a jazz, or a free chat, just like a dream of Shanghai in old days.