When it opens in early 2015, Gensler’s Shanghai Tower will be the second-tallest building in the world.

The client for this project owns a slipper factory, exporting slippers to America, Europe, and Japan.

Shanghai’s Nanjing Road is the center stage of the city’s shopping culture. Its eastern end features a pedestrian zone with towers of neon signs competing for attention. Its western side has dramatic storefronts for high-end brands, including a brightly lit five-story suitcase for Louis Vuitton.

Corporate office buildings used to offer architects the chance to tap into fat construction budgets and make serious design statements.

While many fast-growing districts in China’s big cities are content to erect buildings quickly and cheaply to meet immediate needs, Qingpu has long recognized the importance of design in shaping development.

This grand station serves as an intermodal hub for intercity trains, local rail lines, taxis, buses, and private cars. But with its enormous circular roof and glass drum, it also acts as an important landmark for the southern part of Shanghai and a symbol of a city that seems to be always on the move.

At Wu Jiao Plaza in Shanghai’s Yangpu District, the artist Zhong Song created an installation that dynamically melds architecture with lighting.