Together in the Light – “Century Square” Shanghai Collaboration with EMBT

Miralles Tagliabue EMBT, led by Benedetta Tagliabue, has won an international competition to transform Century Square into a new green landmark for Shanghai, China. The new project for “Century Square,” located on East Nanjing Road in Shanghai, unfolds like a shell, revealing the splendor of its “pearl”—a shimmering kaleidoscope that reflects the city’s new green urban landscape.

Our proposal stems from a dream gifted many years ago by Chögyal Namkhai Norbu to Benedetta Tagliabue. Together, we are striving to turn that dream into reality, on a beautiful square. The square has always been a place of meeting, sharing, and exchange. The concept involves incorporating two ceramic inserts at opposite ends of the longitudinal path. These feature two significant Chinese ideograms: the ancient MING, representing the light of the sun and moon together, and the modern I-TONG, which means “together.”

The designs, paintings, and ceramic models were created in collaboration with Benedetta Tagliabue by Zhenru Liang and Massimo Mazzone (architects based in Rome) at the EMBT atelier in Barcelona. The realization and installation of the project are currently a work in progress.