October 2003

TOMORROW SQUARE MARRIOTT CELEBRATES ITS GRAND OPENING
Dramatic New Landmark Graces Shanghai Skyline

ATLANTA, GA October 1, 2003 - John Portman & Associates, Inc. (Portman) is pleased to join Shanghai Tomorrow Square Company Limited and Marriott International, Inc. in announcing the celebrated grand opening of the Tomorrow Square Marriott. The opening corresponded with Chinas National Day. Standing 60 stories high, the hotel is the tallest in downtown Puxi Shanghai, enhancing the skyline of the Huangpu District, a prime location close to Peoples Square, Shanghai Grand Theatre, Shanghai Performing Arts Centre, Shanghai Museum of Fine Arts, the famous Bund area, Nanjing Road Pedestrian Shopping Walk, the Central Business District, and the subway.

As the first JW Marriott hotel and Marriott Executive Apartments in mainland China and the regions flagship property of Marriott International, the JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai is an integral part of a multi-use development designed by Portman. The 60-story tower features 36 floors of Marriott Executive Apartments, topped by a 340-room deluxe J. W. Marriott hotel. The aluminum and glass facade of the buildings basic square plan reaches upward in a straightforward, geometric progression, reflecting the change of function within via a 45-degree rotation at the towers 37th level. The 200,000 square-foot (18,600 sm) podium consists of a six-level skylit atrium containing a food court, bowling lanes, subway access, shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, a conference center, and a health club.

Tomorrow Square is comprised of three major elements on a landscaped plaza. The high-rise tower with hotel and apartments is joined to a low-rise podium with a retail galleria and conference center. The six-level sky-lit podium is the retail hub. The granite podium extends the width of the site arcing around the tower to maximize the importance of the Nanjing Road entrance. From this main entrance, shoppers descend to a food court, bowling lanes, and access to the subway system.

go back to the recent  N e w s index