Designed by the architectural firm Büro Ole Scheeren, The Axiom stands as the tallest structure in the rapidly expanding Yangpu District, located in the northeast of Shanghai. It serves as a prominent entrance to The Springs, an emerging center of innovation and creativity initiated by the American real estate giant Tishman Speyer. Featuring a distinctive design with an offset core, the building stretches up to 280 meters and encompasses 49 floors, marking it as the initial skyscraper of two that are planned to be the focal points of the Speyer project. The construction of the second skyscraper is underway, with its height expected to reach 250 meters once completed. Additionally, The Springs has become a magnet for leading global corporations such as Nike, ByteDance, and IBM, which have chosen to establish their regional headquarters there.

The Axiom stands out from the conventional design of corporate skyscrapers by adopting a fresh take on minimalism and functionality, a concept pioneered by Mies van der Rohe with the iconic Seagram Building in New York. Situated in China, the country with the highest number of skyscrapers globally, this tower introduces a contemporary twist to the traditional corporate high-rise. It offers over 185,000 sqm of space for offices, a hotel, retail outlets, and cultural amenities, including a theater that spans both of its towers. Büro Ole Scheeren has innovatively shifted away from the common central-core design to an offset core approach, allowing services and elevators to extend from the building’s exterior. This design choice eliminates the need for mechanical and structural barriers within the interior, creating vast, flexible, and efficient workspaces that can accommodate the needs of both emerging and established companies. The use of an offset core is rare in structures over 250 meters tall, representing only 3% of the world’s 500 tallest buildings. With the absence of columns and services on the floors, the spaces can be easily reconfigured to support future growth, collaborative efforts, and evolving business requirements.