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new heighTs of luxury
Sipping green tea in the living room
of her 27th floor penthouse,
pauliina
louhiluoto
enjoys a panoramic view of
Shanghai’s Luwan and Xuhui districts.
Buzzing with energy, the noisy streets
below are populated by boutiques,
bakeries and spas, yet the traffic is
inaudible.
“We occasionally hear car horns, fire-
works or dogs barking, but never traffic.
And we love listening to the window
cleaners singing on their suspended
platforms,” says Louhiluoto, CEO of
Helsinki-based fashion and design firm
My o My.
She and her family relocated to
Shanghai last year due to her husband’s
posting in China.
so long, suBurBia
Shanghai is a city ambitiously push-
ing skyward. According to the KONE
survey, four out of five Shanghainese
regard tall buildings as a vital part of
their cityscape. Nearly 80 percent see
skyscrapers as a space-efficient form
of urban development. Similar results
apply globally, with two out of three
metropolitans reporting positive or
very positive attitudes toward tall
buildings.
Whereas most foreigners in
Shanghai choose quiet expatriate
compounds, Louhiluoto fell in love
with the energetic Puxi neighborhood
– an unconventional choice for an ex-
suburban family with three kids.
“I honestly don’t miss the suburbs!
The kids miss playing football in the
backyard, but there’s a tennis court
and outdoor pool right here in our
building.”
Louhiluoto often retreats to her
rooftop garden, a restful oasis where
she reconnects with nature. “In a
high-rise, you really sense the weather
changing. It’s fascinating to see the
clouds rolling in. The view is most
breathtaking by night – the light
shows on buildings are amazing.”
a slice of heaven
For Louhiluoto, the main perk of high-
rise living is being in the heart of a
bustling metropolis far removed from
the noise and commotion.
“I have my own little world up here.
We don’t see the cars or people in
the streets, but we can sense the local
culture around us,” she says.
The same feelings are reported
by the majority of respondents in
KONE’s Tall Buildings survey. The top
three reasons people gave for choos-
ing a high-rise were the scenery (88
percent), absence of traffic and other
noise (60 percent) and privacy (47
percent).
Patrick Wack/VELhOt.cOm