The dining room features vintage chairs. The table and kitchen cabinets are custom pieces by Carbone; the chandelier came from a local shop.

Shanghai, population 25,400,000. It's estimated that Asia alone will have 28 megacities by 2025.

Alvin Huang, who leads SDA/Synthesis Design and runs the Architectural Association Visiting School Los Angeles (AAVSLA), will share how he uses novel architectural materials and the concept behind such proposed projects as the Shanghai Wuzhou International Plaza (pictured). He'll be joined by USC professor Doris Sung to discuss how technology can improve building science, making for smarter structures.

Neri & Hu is responsible for a number of architecture and interiors projects, including the design of the Waterhouse Hotel in Shanghai, a boutique hotel built in a Japanese Army headquarters building from the 1930s.

2006 Carlo Colombo designs the rectilinear Shanghai sofa system.

The developer of Three on the Bund gallery gives us a behind-the-scenes tour of the creative side of Shanghai. Photo by: Andrew Rowat

Here's another look at the Shanghai installation.

Arthur Huang’s Shanghai-based structure entitled “Feather Pavilion” flawlessly embraces the ethos of Nike Flyknit. Huang used a recycled material known as TPU POLLI-brick to build the structure. It is sustainable and lightweight and reacts to a visitor’s presence.

The hotel features views of the city's South Bund district.

Novartis Office Building in Shanghai, China (currently under construction) With a distinctive exterior of reclaimed brick, this seemingly opaque office building—Aravena's first project in China—is sited to maximize light, with an open, north-facing facade that allow indirect light into its interior.

In designing the U.K. Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, China, the studio extended 66,000 acrylic rods from the exterior of a structure to create a shimmering, dandelion-like surface that forms an optical Union Jack pattern when seen from a distance. Inside each of the rods was a collection of 250,000 seeds from the Millennium Seed Bank at London's Kew Gardens, lending the pavilion its unofficial name, "Seed Cathedral."

The interiors at Waterhouse at South Bund in Shanghai, China

'Kirnu,' Finland's 2010 Shanghai Expo Pavilion designed by JKMM. Photo by Derryck Menere.

De La Espada Solo dining chairs by Neri & Hu surround a table that was custom-built in Shanghai for the owners.

The 10 Degrees House is located on Kangping Road in Shanghai's Xuhui district. The current tenant is an Apple employee.

The author taking a break along the road from Beijing to Shanghai to snap this self-take photo.

'Powered by Nature,' Norway's 2010 Shanghai Expo Pavilion, designed by Helen and Hard. Photo by John E. Kroll.

Topping off the hotel amenities is BaTabasTa, a shop that was founded in Shanghai by Clara Arnús and Leti Cano. Located in the reception area, you’ll find printed shirts—some of which feature patterns that can be found throughout the rest of the hotel.

At the lobby bar/restaurant, you can try out a selection of teas from their Shanghai tea master, choose from a list of signature cocktails and superior sherry options, or try out a menu that revels in comfort food.

Shahid's route takes her from Beijing to Shanghai in three weeks. "I want to see how people actually use the bicycle in China's urban and rural areas. In between Beijing and Shanghai, there are some places that are less developed and that may give us insight into the history of the bicycle and how it has been traditionally used in China," she says.

The Shanghai Library will also house the Shanghai Institute of Scientific and Technological Information.

Set on a private reserve, naked Stables is on one of China’s few wellness properties and is the first resort in the country to achieve LEED Platinum certification. Guests have their choice from a treetop villa or an earth hut along the secluded valley. Naked Stables is easily accessible from Shanghai and a great respite from city life.

Heatherwick Studio's UK Pavilion, Shanghai World Expo, Shanghai, 2007–2010. The exhibition runs through May 24.

Shanghai

Rush Hour / Shanghai 5 by Grethe Sørensen-A tapestry made on a digital jacquard loom, based on video recordings of city lights in Shanghai.

"Zhou Xuan is the voice of Old Shanghai. When she sings about Shanghai in the 1930s and ’40s—the glamorous golden era— her voice says everything."

DESIGN SHANGHAI

DESIGN SHANGHAI

Speech by Mr. Braver Wang, General Manager of Natuzzi Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Shanghai Pudong Development Bank New Office

The Shanghai armchair by Italsofa boasts cherry-red fabric and seemingly delicate metal base.