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The final component in the Rockbund project in Shanghai, which David Chipperfield Architects has been working on since 2006, has been granted façade construction approval by the Shanghai Municipal Housing and Urban Construction Committee.

Rockbund 6 is a 14-storey tower that will mark the transition between the renovated low-rise buildings of the historic quarter and the high-rise city beyond. Incorporated into its base are the original three storeys of the 1897 Andrews & George building, constructed from the same red brick as the other buildings in the row.

Mindful of its transitional role, David Chipperfield Architects designed the façade of the tower in matching red brick. However, current local building regulations preclude the use of brick façades for buildings over 24 metres in height, so in collaboration with the Shanghai Real Estate Science Research Institute, DCA developed a method of reinforcing brick cladding using steel wires.

This approach has now been approved, and the cladding of the tower, which topped out in March, should begin shortly.