Wu Kang Road, where Wu Kang Building is located, and Huaihai Middle Road naturally form an acute angle of 30 degrees. In the 1920s, Hudac, a famous Hungarian designer living in Shanghai, referred to the style of similar buildings in Paris, skillfully used the 30-degree angle on the plot where two roads crossed to design the building into a triangle according to local conditions, which looked like a "big ship sailing through the waves".
Wu Kang Tower used to be the office building of Shanghai Municipal Government and the center of Shanghai's culture, art and education. In 1930s, Wu Kang Tower was once one of the tallest buildings in Shanghai, and it was also one of the most representative buildings in Shanghai at that time. With the changes of the times, the use of Wukang Building has also changed many times.
During the Cultural Revolution, this building was used as a workers' club and a youth palace. In1980s, Wukang Building was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Shanghai, and was completely renovated and rebuilt in 1994. At present, Wu Kang Tower has become an important base of Shanghai's cultural, artistic and creative industries, and it is also one of the tourist attractions in Shanghai.
Architectural Features of Wu Kang Mansion
The building has 8 floors, with a building area of about 9275 square meters. The architectural style combines the elements of English Georgian style and Italian Renaissance style, and the facade is decorated with white stones and red bricks alternately, which is solemn and elegant. The facade of the building is French Renaissance style, and the first and second floors are common arcade styles in Southeast Asia. The corridor formed by the arch can provide a place for pedestrians to shelter from the sun and rain. The facade is a cement wall, like the base of a lotus, and the outer wall at the bottom is a continuous arched coupon gallery.
The third to seventh floors are clear water red brick walls, triangular window lintels and small balconies with iron bars. The balcony on the top floor revolves around the outer wall of the whole building. The circular corridor is set on the third floor and the top floor, which can be used as a fire escape to beautify the facade instead of the waist line. The three-story facade is decorated with triangular European window lintels, and the four-story facade is equipped with balconies.
In the north of the building, in order to solve the problem of room lighting, the designer specially set aside two large patios in the north. The first and second floors of buildings are generally used for shops such as storefronts, and they are basically residential buildings from the third floor.
The above contents refer to Baidu Encyclopedia-Wu Kang Building.