Jun Xia is a Chinese architect who has worked in the United States and China. Xia was a Principal and Regional Design Director of the

Gensler Gensler is a global design and architecture firm founded in San Francisco, California, in 1965. In 2021, Gensler generated $1.235 billion in revenue, the most of any architecture firm in the U.S. As of 2021, Gensler operated offices in 49 citi ...

architecture firm.

Early life and education

Xia was born in Shanghai, China. He attended

Tongji University Tongji University () is a comprehensive public research university located in Shanghai. Established in 1907 by the German government together with German physicians in Shanghai, Tongji is one of the longest-standing, most selective, and most pr ...

from where he earned a bachelor's degree in architecture. He later earned a master's degree in architecture from the

University of Colorado Denver The University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) is a Public university, public research university in Denver, Colorado. It is part of the University of Colorado system. History University of Colorado System Anschutz Medical Campus The University ...

Shanghai Tower

Art Gensler Millard Arthur Gensler Jr. (July 12, 1935 – May 10, 2021) was an American architect and entrepreneur. He was best known for founding Gensler, the world's largest architecture firm. The firm's most prominent works include the terminals at the S ...

, founder of Gensler, credited Xia as "designer of the building (

Shanghai Tower Shanghai Tower () is a 128-story, megatall skyscraper in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai.

)". Xia was also credited as having "helped the firm score the Shanghai Tower contract and led the team's work on it", and as "the design principal for Gensler on the project." Two years before the state owned Shanghai Chengtou Group, the leading party of the joint venture developer owning the Shanghai Tower was assigned by the Shanghai Government to develop this tallest Chinese giant, Jun had already completed at least one round of full concept scheme design for an anonymous developer, as a land acquisition scheme for this parcel, which was planned for the tallest building in China. Although not officially released to public, this scheme certainly was related to the form of the Shanghai Tower today, in the similarity of a twisting shape. It is not the exterior geometry of the building, but the interior space of the Shanghai Tower that distinguish it from other super high rises. The signature atriums in the sky are "community spaces" in the sky, a translation of the traditional narrow lanes in Shanghai urban setting, where Jun grew up as a native Shanghainese. Jun said "the concept comes from my childhood memory in Shanghai" Designing the Shanghai Tower, Jun always said "not to be the tallest, but be the best."

References

21st-century Chinese architects Living people University of Colorado Denver alumni Tongji University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) {{China-architect-stub