In order to "create its own halo", the Xujiahui commercial circle has been brewing for years.
　　As pedestrian bridges elsewhere gradually fade into the long river of history, in Xujiahui, the pedestrian bridge spanning Zhaojiabang Road can fortunately extend its "left and right arms". In the future, it will form an "aerial halo", becoming an upgraded corridor connecting major shopping malls in the commercial circle, helping Xujiahui leap from a "city sub-center" to a "central activity zone". The reporter learned yesterday from the Xuhui District Major Engineering Office that within this month, part of the sidewalk in the bridge area will be closed to implement the remaining pipeline relocation and underground pile foundation construction, and it is expected to enter the first phase of installation construction in August.
　　Commercial circle changes, pedestrian bridge simultaneously "upgraded"
　　The Xujiahui pedestrian bridge, built in 1984, was a "big shot" in Shanghai's "pedestrian bridge" scene at the time. Because of its beautiful curved shape and spanning Zhaojiabang Road, it was bustling with people and became a famous landmark of Xujiahui. Since then, with the rise and changes of the Xujiahui commercial circle and the construction of Metro Line 1, the bridge has undergone several adjustments. Today, the underground space of the commercial circle is easily accessible, but Xujiahui, a place with a "pedestrian bridge" complex, decided to simultaneously "upgrade" the bridge and start the corridor construction—"to give people a new perspective to breathe and appreciate the new look of Xujiahui." Li Guorong, full-time deputy director of the District Major Engineering Office, explained this way.
　　At present, the T20 project (formerly Xiya Hotel) in the Xujiahui commercial circle has been completed, the original building of Pacific Digital Phase II has been demolished and is about to be rebuilt, and Oriental Shopping Center has completed renovation and upgrading. In May next year, Xujiahui Center (Phase I) will also be completed and put into operation.
　　A living space extended by a commercial circle
　　In fact, the Xujiahui Sky Corridor project can be regarded as the "third-generation advanced version" of cross-street pedestrian bridges. The first-generation bridge solved problems such as supplementing traffic and diverting people; the second generation considered urban landscape effects; today's third generation pays more attention to functional agglomeration, integration with the overall cultural atmosphere of the commercial circle, and pedestrian experience. According to reports, the corridor project will connect commercial, cultural, entertainment and other facilities in the area into an organic whole through forms such as pedestrian bridges and open shopping mall passage platforms. Even, the corridor can be seen as a living space where the entire commercial circle breathes and extends.
　　The corridor is planned to be implemented in phases. The overall plan is: Phase I connects T20 (formerly Xiya Hotel), Metro City, and the rebuilt Pacific Digital Phase II and other businesses; Phase II connects Oriental Shopping Center and Grand Gateway 66; Phase III will further radiate to Pacific Department Store, Liubai Shopping Center, and some surrounding cultural and leisure plazas, and at the same time form a whole with the second floor of the Xujiahui Center development project, ultimately closing into a ring.
　　Not only "connect", but also look good
　　The ongoing Phase I corridor project mainly involves Metro City, Pacific Digital Plaza, T20, Huilian Shopping Center and other businesses. The total length of the project is about 340 meters, the net width of the bridge is 6-10 meters, the open public space area is 3,947 square meters, with 6 staircases and 7 entrances/exits connecting to businesses. The corridor not only emphasizes "achieving connection" but also must look good. Shi Min, chief of the Comprehensive Section of the District Construction and Transportation Commission, introduced that the famous French architectural designer Jacques Ferrier personally designed the building facade of the corridor. Jacques was also the designer of the French Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
　　From the renderings, this is indeed a breathing corridor—the connection between the corridor and each building is mainly embedded to reduce overall damage to the buildings. The arrangement of green landscapes will abandon the current common method of using flower stands and flower pots for planting on pedestrian bridges and elevated roads, and instead place soil in appropriate spaces, using real soil to plant greenery. At the same time, in order to reduce the impact on underground space and above-ground main roads, the entire corridor will use as few and thin columns as possible, creating visual transparency, lightness and beauty on the basis of ensuring safety.