The Shard Sales Office

A striking contemporary building photographed at twilight stands before you, its dramatic angular forms creating a composition of intersecting geometric masses, scanning from the bottom of the image upward, an expansive reflecting pool with a surface like polished black stone stretches across the entire foreground, its mirror-still water creating a perfect inverted reflection of the structure above, the pool feels cool and deep, its darkness suggesting infinite depth below, rising from the water's edge, the building consists of two primary angular volumes, to the left, a smaller triangular form clad in warm honey-toned stone cantilevers outward, small warm lights embedded in its surface glowing like scattered stars against the stone, the stone itself appears natural and textured, with horizontal striations suggesting layers of sedimentary formation, cool to the touch with slight surface variation, moving to the right, a much larger triangular mass dominates, rising sharply upward like a crystalline shard or geological formation, this volume is wrapped extensively in glass panels supported by vertical steel mullions the color of brushed pewter, through the glass, warm amber light glows from within, ranging from pale gold to rich honey, suggesting an inviting interior warmth against the cool blue atmosphere of the approaching evening, the stone cladding on this larger volume shares the same cream-to-ochre tones as its companion, creating material unity across the composition, the sky behind transitions from pale blue-grey near the horizon to a deeper slate blue above, the soft diffused light of the blue hour lending an ethereal quality to the scene, where the building meets its reflection, the boundary becomes ambiguous, architecture and water merging into a continuous vertical composition, the overall impression is one of refined power and contemplative stillness, the sharp geometric precision of the forms balanced by the organic warmth of natural materials and the soft transitional light of twilight.

Function combines sales office and gallery, The Shard was design to interact with people in an more inclusive and open way. The use of the unit components of the aluminum thousand paper crane on the facade emphasizes its artistry. The desire is to create events for Chongqing city by taking architecture as the carrier, so that to drive the public's sense of participation and interaction, and bring vitality to the community and society.