PLP Architecture has broken ground on the Shanghai WLA Artificial Intelligence Lab part of a district for research and innovation developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the China Association for Science and Technology and the World Laureates Forum.

Located on the south side of Dishui Lake in the Lingang New Area of Shanghai, the district will house institutions and research organisations specialising in formal and natural science. PLP Architecture was commissioned to programme and design an AI Lab situated in the heart of this community.

The project is comprised of two forms layered one on top of the other. The lower volume, flat and horizontal, equivalent to a computer motherboard, supports an abstract box denoting a fundamental component of the computer – the central processing unit. The box, hovering over the park at the heart of the WLA campus, acts as a nerve centre of the surrounding district.

While the amenities and social spaces are located in the lower podium, the general labs are gathered around a central atrium, with openings to the northwest and southeast that provide views to the park and the river.

Find out more about the project here