Following Benoy’s 70^th anniversary in 2017, Benoy Shanghai celebrated ten years on 30 August. Benoy began in 1947 as a three-person architecture firm designing cowsheds in rural Nottinghamshire. The company’s first studio outside the UK was in Hong Kong (which opened in 2002) – and it proved to be a fruitful gateway to Asia for the global firm. Building on a suite of successful collaborations and projects in China that were being delivered from Hong Kong, Benoy opened its Shanghai studio in 2008.

The small founding team of Qin Pang (now Director and Head of Shanghai), Emi Wang, Carrie Mei, Wei Tang and Sherry Wu are still with Benoy. But the Shanghai team has grown substantially to almost 80 people and moved from its first space on Nanjing Road to ICC Shanghai (which was designed by Benoy).

Benoy Shanghai has also celebrated a number of project completions in 2018 including the twin tower development The New Bund World Trade Center (Phase I) in the Qiantan Central Business District and the retail village Joy City in Hangzhou. On the drawing board are the conversion of a waterfront ice factory into a retail-led destination in Nanjing, an Arts Center in Hangzhou, and a Science and Innovation Park in Shanghai.

L-R: Tom Cartledge (Benoy CEO), Qin Pang (Benoy Director), Graham Cartledge (Benoy Chairman), John Edwards (British ConsulGeneral in Shanghai) and Simon Wong (Benoy Director) cut the ribbon to officially open Benoy’s expanded Shanghai studio

The Benoy team commemorated the anniversary with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the newly designed Shanghai studio. Benoy Chairman Graham Cartledge CBE and Benoy CEO, Tom Cartledge joined the Asia Directorship and special guest John Edwards, the British Consul General in Shanghai, for the evening. The ribbon-cutting was followed by an evening reception at Benoy’s iAMP project.

Benoy Singapore will also celebrate its tenth anniversary this year. Images courtesy of Benoy.