| Union Building | |
|---|---|
 No. 3 The Bund, at night | |
 Interactive map of Union Building | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neo-Renaissance |
| Location | 3, The Bund,Shanghai,China |
| Coordinates | 31°14′10″N121°29′11″E / 31.2361°N 121.4865°E /31.2361; 121.4865 |
| Completed | 1916 (1916) |
| Renovated | 2006 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 6 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | P&T Architects and Surveyors |
| Website | |
| threeonthebund | |
TheUnion Building is a building onthe Bund inShanghai,China. It is located at No. 3, the Bund (formerly no. 4).
Completed in 1916, the building was used by a number of insurance companies. The six-storey building was the first work inShanghai of P&T Architects and Surveyors (Palmer & Turner), and was the first building in Shanghai to use a steel structure. The building occupied 2241 square metres, with a floor area of 13760 square metres. Because it had a narrow frontage onto the Bund, the main door was located on the adjacent Guangdong Road.
The building is inNeo-Renaissance style with a symmetrical facade, but with someBaroque style details. The roof features a domed corner pavilion.
In 1937, theJapanese Imperial Army threatenedShanghai. Being unable to indemnify war damages, the insurance companies had their assets frozen. TheUnion Bank then purchased the building. In 1949 theUnion Bank evacuated fromShanghai in the wake of the Communist takeover. From 1953 the building was used by the Shanghai Civil Architecture and Design Institute. In 1997Singaporean companyGiti Tire purchased the building, and in 2004 converted it to a shopping centre, called "Three on the Bund". The restoration was led by American architectMichael Graves who meticulously restored the Beaux-Arts facade, reinforced the structure, and installed new building systems. He hailed his efforts as a model ofadaptive reuse and won the 2006 design in Asia award.[1][2]
