SOM's AI-Designed West Bund Convention Centre Opens in Shanghai's AI Valley

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) has completed the West Bund Convention Centre in Shanghai, China, using an AI-assisted workflow to generate its diamond-like geometry. The 60,000-square-metre building, located beside the Huangpu River within Shanghai's West Bund AI Valley, features a multifaceted glass exterior. Design partner Scott Duncan explained the AI process involved generating hundreds of models based on spatial boundaries and performance objectives, which were then evaluated against architect-defined criteria. This method reduced structural steel quantities, improved energy performance, and rationalized the complex geometry. The building's stacked program includes two halls on upper floors, with the largest providing 6,000 square metres of event space. Meeting rooms and communal areas wrap around the periphery, offering views of the river, while landscaped terraces function as outdoor rooms. Duncan noted the AI workflow accelerated early-stage research by exploring hundreds of design variations quickly, though it still required human judgment at every stage. The centre stands adjacent to the AI Tower and Plaza skyscraper by Japanese studio Nikken Sekkei. SOM is now developing proprietary in-house AI tools based on this experience, viewing AI as an aid to architectural thinking that enhances precision and design quality. The building's illuminated, steel-framed glass panels and tree-lined walkways at ground level complete its exterior expression.