Shanghai Suhe SUISSE PLACE

Paris has the Seine, New York the Hudson, London the Thames, Tokyo the Edogawa...

Nearly every global metropolis is intimately intertwined with a river.

These waterways not only nourish urban prosperity but also become unique symbols and landmarks of their cities.

The same is true of the Suhe River (苏州河) for Shanghai.

On its banks, Shanghai Suhe SUISSE PLACE has officially opened, of-fering 353 fully-serviced apartments.

Where a landmark stands, KDH creates yet another.

The project is a conversion of the Xiangyi Plaza office building. Against a backdrop of declining demand in the office leasing market and rising vacancy rates, this transformation stands as a model of adaptive reuse of existing properties and a representative example of urban micro-regeneration in Shanghai’s central business district.

The 17-story building has been redesigned with floors 5–8 dedicated to studio units and floors 9–17 to suites. Due to the original com-mercial layout, all units feature a depth of over 11 meters, making daylight optimization a key focus during KDH’s renovation.

Innovative unit planning introduced an “L-shaped” layout for one-bedroom apartments:

• Core living functions such as the sleeping area are positioned along the window front to maximize natural light;

• Lower-light zones are strategically allocated to functions less dependent on illumination, such as sofas, coffee tables, and storage, achieving a precise balance between spatial efficiency and light distribution.

This approach not only enhances spatial layering and depth but also elevates living comfort and environmental aesthetics. The result is a warm yet highly functional living atmosphere, offering a replicable model for addressing spatial and lighting challenges in commercial-to-residential conversions.