heatherwick studio’s moon bridge-inspired ‘west bund orbit’ captured by paul clemence

heatherwick studio’s orbit nears completion in shanghai

On Shanghai’s West Bund waterfront, Heatherwick Studio’s West Bund Orbit rises beside the Huangpu River in a series of looping bands, its stairs, terraces, and bridges beginning to read clearly against the skyline.

New images by architectural photographer Paul Clemence capture the public exhibition hall as it approaches completion in the Chinese city’s Xuhui District. First introduced by Heatherwick Studio as a cultural heart for the area’s new Financial Hub, the project sits along the Huangpu as both a public building and a riverfront marker. See designboom’s previous coverage here!

paul clemence photographs the west bund orbit

For photographer Paul Clemence, the Heatherwick-designed West Bund Orbit came as a surprise while walking through the Shanghai neighborhood. ‘The Orbit was a nice surprise when walking along the West Bund river walk,’ he says, describing the structure as radical in design but approachable in scale. In a city so often framed through height, towers, and skyline, the project draws attention by staying close to the body. Its presence comes through movement, access, and the invitation to climb.

The team at Heatherwick Studio has shaped the building around a central exhibition hall, wrapping it in a façade of interwoven ribbons that become stairs, bridges, terraces, and viewing platforms. These routes allow visitors to move up and around the structure, eventually reaching a rooftop garden with views across the river and West Bund area. The building can be approached from all sides, turning the exterior into part of the visit.

ribbons of stairs terraces and bridges

The Orbit takes its cue from traditional Chinese moon bridges, with the reference stretched into a continuous circular motion. The curved bands bend around the building, tightening and opening as they move. Glazed openings reveal the exhibition spaces within, giving people on the river walk a glimpse of the activity inside before they enter. A second gallery wraps around the main hall, adding another layer between the interior and the waterfront.

In Clemence’s photographs, that movement becomes the main subject as the structure overlaps, curls, and lifts toward the river. The stairways and platforms make the building feel almost inhabitable before it has fully opened. ‘The curving structure was a delight to photograph,’ Clemence says, adding that he was equally drawn to its fit within the area. ‘Its scale is respectful of the context, making it very approachable, inviting.’

from the seed cathedral to the huangpu riverfront

The project also carries a particular resonance for Heatherwick Studio, as the site sits directly opposite the former location of the Seed Cathedral, the UK Pavilion designed by the studio for the Shanghai World Expo in 2010. More than a decade later, The Orbit brings the studio back to the same stretch of city, this time with a permanent public building tied to the West Bund’s expanding cultural and financial landscape.

Shanghai has plenty of buildings competing for attention. The West Bund Orbit suggests a different kind of presence, one built through ramps, curves, terraces, and river-facing views. Clemence puts it simply: in a megalopolis known for high-rises, it is striking to see cutting-edge design working at a smaller and more inviting scale. As the building nears completion, it adds another layer to the West Bund, experienced from the stair, the terrace, the river walk, and the slow act of looking up.

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project info:

name: The Orbit

architect: Heatherwick Studio | @officialheatherwickstudio

location: West Bund, Shanghai, China

photography: © Paul Clemence | @photobyclemence