Shanghai – The Salone del Mobile.Milano has launched the inaugural edition of the Salone Contract Tour in Shanghai, an international stakeholder engagement initiative leading up to the debut of Salone Contract 2027. The first leg uses mixed-use developments as an observation point for new contract demand, kicking off at Westbund Central. This $8 billion project by Hongkong Land is transforming Xuhui’s waterfront into a new 1.1-million-square-meter urban center integrating offices, retail, residences, hospitality, culture, and public realms. Choosing Shanghai reflects the weight of the Chinese market and the depth of its ongoing transformation. China accounts for approximately 72% of the potential Asia-Pacific contract market, valued at an estimated 20 to 25 billion euros.
Concurrently, large-scale mixed-use developments, heritage restoration, hospitality projects, and new residential models are reshaping how briefs, standards, specifications, and supplies are defined. In Shanghai, industry leaders including Hongkong Land, Benoy, MDO (More Design Office), and CCD (Cheng Chung Design) gathered for the talk "The Integrated Destination – Designing across asset classes," realized in collaboration with media partner DesignWire. Westbund Central thus serves as a concrete case study for a broader question: what happens when designers stop planning just a single hotel, mall, workplace, or residence, and instead design an entire destination where different asset classes function as parts of a unified system?