798 District

Entrance gate into the 798 district

Early Saturday morning, accompanied by our friend and fellow architecture student, Fish, the group went to the 798 District. Here, in Beijing, the 798 is the arts district. The site was once a complex of factories of power and manufacturing. Now artists’ studios, workshops, galleries and cafes are all housed in the buildings. Works of paintings, photographs, sculpture, fashion and architecture were all on display among the various buildings. We were fortunate to find architecture exhibits on eco-cities in China, planning of Beijing, and digital modeling from architecture schools world wide. The 798 district was certainly a favorite visit for many of us in the group, offering us insight into Beijing’s art scene.

Architecture installation of digital technologies

Our last day with the Chinese students

Tianjin Eye

Today the group had the opportunity to do some last minute touring of Tianjin. One group traveled to the Tianjin eye, a large ferris wheel mounted atop a bridge. Others went to go see the Olympic buildings in Tianjin.


Tianjin Olympic Sports Center Stadium

We also gathered with the Tianjin architecture students for the last time. We first met at an authentic hot pot restaurant near Tianjin University’s campus. The hot pot style of eating is very unique, characterized by everyone sitting around a table and eating from a steaming pot in the middle. Each person selects morsels of prepared raw food from plates scattered around the table, place them in the pot, wait for them to cook, fish them out of the soup, dip them in a preferred sauce, and then eat them hot. After finishing up our meal at the Chinese restaurant the American students took the Chinese students to an American owned and operated bar. The Chinese students were introduced to a wide range of American delicacies like onion rings, chips and salsa, and margaritas. Everyone had a great time playing liar’s dice, foosball, and darts. The night ended with a lot of fond farewells and plans to meet again when the Chinese students travel to Nebraska.

Dragon and Elsa vs Phish and Josh showing off their skills at foosball

Final Presentation with Students

Xwinston Yan, Professor Tom Laging, Wu Lei and Hu Ying of KX Design, and the students who worked on this project

Ten days of collaborative work between the University of Tianjin students and University of Nebraska students have yielded four site proposals that could be categorized into preservation, central park, arts corridor, and car-free development. The productivity this week was not as rapid as when we are situated in a familiar studio environment and our communication isn’t always centered on an architectural standpoint. We have been exposed to an entirely different studio atmosphere where we are still trying to understand each other’s culture, studio habits, approach to problems and way in which problems are addressed. becomes the primary learning experience.

Professor Paulo and Tom discussing project will all students

The end of our stay here concluded with a digital presentation of the progress of each group and their vision for the redevelopment or renewal of our site. Our groups had the opportunity to present to Tom, Xwinston Yan, and continually influential and dedicated member of this exchange program, Paulo Genovese and Wu Leie from Beijing’s KX International Design and Planning office and Hu Ying from the KX Tianjin Office. All had excellent thoughts on how our projects developed and where we might look to strengthen our views. This critique was more formal considering our audience and each and every member of our diverse group was eager to present their contributions to the jury. This truly illustrated the cooperation we were able to achieve with one another and the architectural dialogue that the two cultures were able to reach. It also gave the Tianjin students a basis of understanding of how our critiques are set up and the outside jury members that are ever present and appreciated for their time commitment to the educational spectrum.


Presentation Group

Though the final presentation in Tianjin is complete the relationships we established as designers and friends will continue and as our studios move ahead separately we expect to keep in contact with the development of our Tianjin partners.

Visiting Scott’s Office in Tianjin

Wu, Lei visiting with us government development strategies

On Tuesday the group was fortunate to visit Scott’s Tianjin office located near our hotel. Wu Lei, executive principal, gave us a tour of the office and showed some of the firm’s recent work. He offered the group insights into the reality of being an architect in China. He spoke about how the market in China is developer driven and the role the architect plays within that system. The group was intrigued by Wu Lei’s many stories about working in the field and getting commissions in China. We are very thankful to Wu Lei for taking the time to introduce the firm to us.

Working Days

An Evening with our classmates

While in Tianjin we were fortunate enough to work alongside architecture students from Tianjin University. After the initial confusion of attempting to illustrate the project to all of them at once with a severely hindering language barrier, we began to communicate in small groups. The UNL students were divided into groups of three, and then paired with two to three Tianjin University students. Talking with the students one-on-one, we were surprised at their impressive grasp of the English language.

The views of the Tianjin students greatly affected some of our previous work and served to guide the project in a much more appropriate direction. Some groups were convinced another site visit was imperative in order to identify specific historical structures and culture that may be worth preserving. During the week we were able to meet the students in the evening for several hours each night to present ideas and further develop design strategies. The dynamic perspective that our Tianjin counterparts provided us is invaluable to the success of our projects. Interacting at such a personal level was an enlightening experience, and the bonds of friendship formed won’t be forgotten.

Pingyao (Ancient Walled City)

An ancient well-preserved city in the Shanxi Province of China, Pingyao is an example of urban planning and the evolution of architecture over 2,700 years. We have had the opportunity to visit and explore this tiny town with a large city wall surrounding it for five days, four nights. Staying in a courtyard house made into a hotel allowed us to begin to see how families lived in these communities.


Yi De Hotel courtyard, rooms


Yi De Hotel, courtyard to rooms.

Pingyao was added to the UNESCO's World Heritage List on Dec. 31st 1997. The World Heritage Committee stated, “the Ancient City of Ping Yao is an outstanding example of a Han Chinese city of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (14th-20th centuries) that has retained all its features to an exceptional degree and in doing so provides a remarkably complete picture of cultural, social, economic, and religious development during one of the most seminal periods of Chinese history.”


View on South Street of Ancient City Building

During the time spent in Pingyao we were able to observe buildings under construction and restoration, daily life without cars, town layout, and gain an appreciation for ancient China and its people.


Building restoration, Building finished with details, Courtyard house construction

Construction techniques are easy to observe and details can be seen in progress and in finished stages throughout Pingyao. The city is caught in a time with no modern glass covered skyscrapers just over the wall. We noticed that the materials used hold up well to the environment and tend to look even better over time. Unlike the dirty buildings we find in large Tianjin. The interesting points of the town were: the layout of large and narrow streets that had nods at some intersections or on the street. Being contained within 12 meter high walls gives a sense of place and direction when you can look at the boundary to locate your position.


Pingyoa City Wall inside city.

Included in our trip to Pingyao was visiting two houses that are popular for their many courtyards. The first house was the Wang Family Courtyard with 88 courtyards and 776 rooms. It was a great experience to be able to move through the houses and explore.

Paulo's lecture of 'Nothing'

Professor Paulo presenting slide (Cognitive Process & Mental Structures)

Pingyao was our next trip within China that was recommended by Paulo, and after a rushed preparation over the weekend; Paulo had prepared an 8am lecture prior to our departure. Based on “Nothing”, an interesting topic about Chinese Culture that focuses on the negative spaces and patterns of traditional Chinese architecture and its applications to modern architecture.

After the lecture we boarded taxis set for the airport, only to discover that our 11:55 flight was canceled and we had to rush to catch an earlier flight. Thanks to the frantic driving skills of our cab drivers, we arrived at the airport with minuets to spare, ran through the airport, and within minutes were in the skies for our weekend study in the walled town of Pingyao.

Upon arrival at the airport our guide who spoke no English greeted us. She then escorted us to the bus we would have for the afternoon. We stopped at the Whang House, a large home the size of a small community containing, 80 courtyards throughout the compound. The courtyards were amazing, each different from the one before. The ancient structures gave a glimpse as to how life must have been in feudal-China.

After a fast lunch of unusual and interesting dishes at a Chinese truck stop, similar to a typical high school cafeteria with mounds of food and lunch trays, our guide motioned that we where on the last leg of the journey to Pingyao.

Presentation Day

Scott Killinger giving his thoughts on the project so far, and feedback of the presentation

After visiting the site we have all been affected and considering the designers roll in the lives of a vibrant social network within this community. Personal interaction with the area and its people is a vital component for starting design considerations. Following the site visit, we were divided equally into three groups, to begin schematic planning and design, before we met with the Tianjin students. After a critique in the morning with Tom to discuss our ideas, we had feedback before we presented our ideas to the Chinese students and faculty. The packed lecture hall was filled with students, our future Chinese partners, Professor Laging and Scott Killinger. This was the first time that Scott had seen any of our ideas since we presented our research and programming document to him in Lincoln.

The event started off with Professor Laging’s lecture about several urban design sketch problems that he has been involved with in New Mexico. His lecture helped to frame many of our views to our design problem, and offer an overview of the design process we would take. Within our class groups of three students, we each presented to the Chinese students. We were lucky to have Scott Killinger in the audience and we were all thankful for his feedback, on our development, progress, and future considerations.

Introduction to Tianjin University

View looking toward the campus gate

Today we had the opportunity to meet with the Chinese students and faculty we would have contacts with. After a warm welcome from their College Dean, we were guided on a tour of the campus. Tianjin University we found to be a very planned and elegant campus. Ponds and bridges with tree and flower lined sidewalks axially divide the space with large classroom buildings on either ends. One of the buildings we found to be most special was the literature and gallery building.

At the end of the ponds, centrally located is the architecture building. Following the tour of the campus, we were invited to a welcome banquet. Many of the Chinese students were able to join us, enjoying many toasts with rice wine and local cuisine.

Tianjin Site Visit

View of Hutongs near the river

Today marked the first trip to the site. By subway, the group traveled through Tianjin and arrived three to four blocks away from our destination. After a short walk through an old neighborhood of four to five story decaying apartments as well as an earthy market that consumed an entire street. In this market you could find anything from fruits, vegetables, fresh meats, and other items like clothing and trinkets. Although this market was in poor condition it is still vibrant and felt like the backbone of the nearby community.

At the end of the market stood our site stretching northward. We broke into several groups, knowing the site covered a large area, and mapped out walking plans for each. One group would follow the river that binds our site to the east, another would travel along the west boundary, the third would take a zigzag route through the center of the site.

The site as a whole was in poor condition. The hutongs were made of brick and concrete. They were linked together by a network of small paths that are not large enough to accommodate an automobile. Larger apartment buildings that are 7 to 8 stories lined the southern part of the site and were also in major disrepair. An automobile accessible road stretched along the river, unpaved and rough, it was the only major access into the site.

One aspect that brings some color and warmth into the site was the growing of vegetables, trees, and vines along the roofs and walls of the hutongs. These gardens and green spaces could be found all throughout the hutongs, but were not evident in the taller apartments due to lack of outdoor space. Although the homes are aged the residents are very pleasant and openly welcome. The people were very clever in their space management and fully utilized their private space. Our visit brought smiles, waves and laughter. The site was not a scary place but one that is in disrepair after 60 years of intense use.

As the site visit came to a close one more area was investigated. A large park that borders our site to the North had an enormous amount of green space. It was quite similar to everything else in the area, showing signs of neglect and age. A carnival at the center of the park for children drew quite a crowd but for the most part the park was desolate compared to its size. After the park, the group boarded the subway back to the hotel no doubt all wondering how to bring modern life to the neighborhood while keeping its values intact.

First Day in Tianjin

After leaving the Huangshan Golf Hotel we ended up in the airport, were we were to depart to Tianjin. We arrived in Tianjin shortly after nightfall, then we took a bus into the city to our hotel.

Our home for the next week will be the Tianjin First Hotel located in the British Concession. As the fourth largest city in China, Tianjin is home to fourteen million people. We are located in the city center, so transportation has been quite easy either by taxi or metro. In close proximity to our hotel is Scott Killinger’s office as well as a small park where locals of all ages play ping pong and Chinese Checkers or exercise. We have found that streets are intimidating to cross because of their size. Tianjin has an interesting night life, especially since we arrived on National Day, October 1st, (a seven day “holiday” that is similar to our Independence Day) in which many Chinese travel around the country for leisure and family. The Chinese enjoy some of the same activities that we do including karaoke bars (KTV), dance clubs, movies, and internet cafes.

Hongcun: A Village of Rivers and Lakes

Entrance into Hongcun
A great example of urban planning and with a village scale of about 30 hectares, Hongcun is roughly the size of our site in Tianjin. The Hongcun Village is nestled in the beautiful hills of China with channels of water giving life to the residents. The white walls and black roofs throughout give a cohesive vernacular to the village. Artificial water channels, three feet deep and two feet wide, hug the edges of both buildings and alleys throughout the village, providing water to each household.


Paths inside Hongcun

These channels meet at the middle of the village forming a crescent moon pond in front of the clan ancestral hall. More channels continue from there through the village to South Lake. This water channel system is often referred to as the Water Buffalo framework of the village, due to certain pieces of the system resembling parts of a water buffalo. The role of the water channel ranges from washing, fire protection, drainage, and temperature and humidity adjustment for the inhabitants. Achieving a tranquil harmony between nature and building, the Hongcun Village is an inspiration for urban planning.


Small canal running through Hongcun

Golf Spa Healthy Apartments

Xwinston Yan and Professor Tom Laging

The Golf Spa Healthy Apartments, located in Huangshan, China were designed by Xwinston Yan. This multi-use complex is composed of four buildings creating an S-shape that follows the contour of the land. Program includes elegant condos, restaurants, and entertainment venues. It is located on a thirty-six whole golf course shared with the Huangshan Golf Hotel.

Construction of Golf Spa Healthy Apartments

With China entering a time of economic growth and power, buildings that cater to a rising economic demographic of affluent citizens is emerging. Economic strengthening provides many firms opportunities to create progressive architecture, but what Winston and his firm did not overlook was the buildings site specific context and how this facility relates to local customs and traditions. It was great to see that this new condominium shows respect for the old city and its unique context in the foothills of the Yellow Mountains.

Humble Administrator’s Garden

Humble Administrator's Garden Pavilion looking over a pond full of Lotus Plants

Humble Administrator’s Garden, one of the most famous gardens in China, is located in the City of Suzhou. Dating back to 1509 during the Ming Dynasty, the garden covers nearly 13 acres. Containing an Eastern, Central, and Western section, it is peppered with lakes, forests, hills, rock formations, and buildings. The garden also features a large bonsai garden. The design utilizes intriguing perspectives and suspense in order to inspire visitors to move throughout the garden. The Humble Administrator’s Garden reveals many ancient Chinese theories and design aspects seen in courtyards and parks throughout China.



(Left) View into Central Garden with Pagoda outside the walls
(Right) Pavilion inside the Humble Administrator's Garden


Pond with Lotus Plants waiting to be harvested

I.M. Pei and the NEW MUSEUM

Street view toward entrance of New Suzhou Museum

I.M. Pei spent much of his childhood in the city of Suzhou were his ancestors had been a significant local family of the region. The New Suzhou Museum is the last work of I.M. Pei and was completed in 2006. It signifies the lasting impressions of Chinese heritage and local building styles of the Suzhou area that Pei reinterpreted into his final work. Local vernacular buildings and the New Suzhou Museum have similar whitewashed walls, dark grey roofs and a minimal color pallet. Pei’s work corresponds well with local established architectural languages.


Entry Hall of New Suzhou Museum


Upper level in a Side Hall looking toward the Main Entrance Hall

He was able to successfully reiterate traditional building practices into a new modern interpretation. Programmatically the facility lends itself well to museum collections and creates a loop that moves one from the entry overlooking the water garden to the collection galleries. The New Suzhou Museum is a great example of minimal architecture with a strong Chinese influence, as architecture students we were able to appreciate I.M. Pei modern interpretation into the vernacular architecture of Suzhou.

Main Courtyard of New Suzhou Museum

Suzhou

“Above, there is heaven, on earth there is Suzhou,” a well known Chinese saying describing the city of Suzhou, China. Suzhou is one of the most beautiful cities in China. Marco Polo described Suzhou as the “Venice of the east,” for its intricate canal system connected to the cities bounding moat. The crisscrossing canal system, is not as elaborate as it once was, having been a victim of the automobile. Based on the transportation requirements to accommodate 4 million people, many canals were filled in to accommodate the growing city, but Suzhou still proudly retains its title. Suzhou’s intersecting walkways and expansive streets create an interesting dialogue of layered transportation modes. The existing canals are still used by the locals to transport goods, while the tree lined streets are divided to create a division between vehicular traffic, bike and scooter corridors and foot traffic. Our group spent an afternoon studying Suzhou’s streetscapes and a wide variety of districts.


Lobby of Courtyard Hotel in Suzhou

Lodging in Suzhou may be one of the most memorable parts of the visit to the city. The group had the opportunity to stay in an authentic Chinese courtyard home. Once belonging to a wealthy local family, the house had one and two story jians and 11 courtyards, distinguishing this as a house of the elite. This home was in a well preserved condition and each jian became a sleeping room opening up to a courtyard. Based on a typical southern Chinese prototype the progression through public space to private courtyards was our first experience with this housing type. Progression of space and its relationship with family hierarchy is an important regulating devise in traditional housing. The farther one moved into the compound the more important the position of that family member. The courtyards and their separation from the lively street activity reinforced by this sequence yielded a quiet retreat from the dense urban fabric.


Public Courtyard before entry into lobby space of Courtyard Hotel

Luzhi

Admission Ticket for Temple and Courtyard Houses

On our way from Shanghai to Suzhou, the group had an opportunity to visit Luzhi, a famous water town in the southeast of China. With a history of more than 1400 years, the town of Luzhi is known as ‘the first water town in China’. Its old stone bridges, winding canals, and preserved historical way of life were a peaceful retreat for the group. Traditional homes and temples gave us a chance to explore the unique Chinese traditional lifestyle.


Water canal with one street in Luzhi

Through sketches and photographs the group was able to analyze the typology of the traditional Chinese water town and its applicability to our design problem in Tianjin. We discovered the typology to be a high density traditional development incorporating residential, commercial, and recreational uses into one cohesive development, working successfully through hundreds of years. The group concluded that Luzhi provided an important precedent that could be incorporated into our design solution.


Water canal with two streets linked by a stone bridge

Jade Buddha Temple

Courtyard and main building in the Jade Buddha Temple

While in Shanghai, we visited the Jade Buddha Temple. It is an active Chan Buddhist monastery that features both a sitting Buddha and reclining Buddha carved from solid white jade stone. The statues were brought to Shanghai from Burma in 1882 by a monk named Huigen. The original temple, built in 1882, was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty and was replaced in 1928 by the current temple building. The temple, with its classical Chinese architectural style, served as a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of the ever growing city outside.

Pudong_District and JinMao_Tower, Shanghai

Pudong district at night

The Pudong district has been rapidly developing in Shanghai. Bounded by the Huangpu River, it now houses two of the tallest skyscrapers in China: the Jin Mao tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center. Development of the Pudong area started in 1990. Before that time, the area was primarily patty fields used for agricultural production. Today, the Pudong district is home to over 1.5 million people and is the new central financial hub for modern China. The District can now be reached by a number of bridges and tunnels. These tunnels connect the Pudong area with the rest of Shanghai.

Looking down from the Jin Mao Tower

Our group was fortunate enough to visit the Jin Mao tower and experience its observation deck which is located on the 88th and final floor. The deck offers an amazing panoramic view of the Shanghai skyline. The buildings construction was completed in 1998 and was the tallest structure in the Peoples Republic of China until 2007 when the neighboring Shanghai World Financial Center surpassed it in height by 234 feet. The building’s postmodern style was designed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill and is architecturally mimics the traditional Chinese tiered pagoda. The Jin Mao tower is a good example of modern style coupled with Chinese tradition.


Jin Mao Tower by SOM in Shanghai's Pudong District

Jiushi Corporation Headquarters

Jiushi Corporation Headquarters

After Chris Abel’s extensive description of the building during our pre-travel studies, the group was excited to visit the Jiushi Corporation Headquarters in Shanghai. The Jiushi Corporation Headquarters building was the first building designed and built by Foster + Partners in Shanghai. The design was developed as a competition entry in 1995 and completed in 2001.

The Jiushi Headquarters building is located in the South Bund area overlooking the Huangpu River and the dominating Pudong skyline. The Foster winning scheme was designed to capture the views of Shanghai. The concrete core of the building sits to the rear of the site, while a triple skinned curved glass curtain wall faces the riverside. In order to break up the uniformity of the building façade and provide oasis for the office personnel, the floor plates step back at three points, forming interior terraces. These terraces, evenly placed over the forty floors, provide common areas for greenery, conference rooms, and meeting places.


Terraced floor plate at the top of Jiushi Tower

(courtesy of foster + parnters website)

While the immediate neighborhood of the Jiushi Tower is in transition, the tower is built in a rather unimposing way. From the walk up perspective, one is pleasantly surprised by the towers simplicity in shape and form. At the lower floors the interior columns are exposed as the curved curtain wall is recessed to welcome the pedestrians. Coupled with the Jiushi tower is a neighboring six-story block containing shops, restaurants, and bars.

Chinese Cuisine

Typical Roundtable Dinner

Eating in China has been an interesting experience in itself. The food has a few fairly consistent themes. Rice or noodles are common foods and appear in most every meal. There is an abundance of fresh local vegetable dishes; a few common items include tofu, cucumbers, mushrooms, peppers, bamboo shoots, and various greens similar to spinach. Steamed buns take the place of breads, but are not usually served with each meal. Meat is not uncommon but is typically pork, fish, or chicken. Beef seems to be less common and shows up more often in areas that cater to foreigners. Dishes are prepared to be eaten with chopsticks, so everything is cut into smaller pieces. Fried foods are very popular, a fact that is supported by the popularity of KFC. It is hard to find salty foods and just as difficult to locate truly sweet food or drink. Surprisingly this trend also holds true in American based fast food chains in China such as KFC and McDonalds.


Assortment of street food from vendors

On most Chinese market streets, individual vendors offer unique varieties of street food. Street foods are often times meat, and frequently on a stick. Again pork is common as well as tofu and fried foods.

Since coming to China, almost every meal we have eaten as a group has been a “round table” meal. This type of meal consists of many different dishes placed in the middle of the table, usually on a “lazy susan” which can be rotated instead of passing dishes back and forth. Each person serves themselves as much of each dish as they want as the food spins in the center. Each meal has at least one type of soup, and dessert is a seasonal fruit, which has by and large been watermelon.

Maglev Train (Shànghǎi Cífú Shìfàn Yùnyíng Xiàn)

The group had a chance to take a round trip ride on Shanghai’s Meg Lev. Running from Shanghai’s Pudong district to the Shanghai International Airport, the mag lev is the first commercial high speed magnetically elevated train in the world. This high speed train reaches 268 mph, taking you from Pudong to the Shanghai International Airport in a matter of minutes, seven to be exact. Plans are to extend this track to the opposite side of the city to help link the maglev with other public transportation lines such as light rail, subway, and bus lines. The maglev train was an exhilarating ride, reminiscent more of an airplane then a train.

Firm Tours

While in Shanghai, the studio had the honor and privilege of attending three firms: SOM, ARUP, and the Architectural office of X Winston Yan a former UNL Faculty (1988-2001).

SOM_

After a brief tour of the modern artist complex known as the Bridge, we were introduced to Silas Chiow, Director of the SOM Shanghai Office. Silas spoke extensively to our group about several China based projects produced by the Shanghai office such as- the Poly International Plaza and the Pearl River tower in Guangzhou, The New Beijing Poly Plaza, the Jinao Tower in Nanjing, and the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai. Mr. Chiow also spoke extensively about the firm’s master plan project on Chongming Island, near Shanghai. This project was a sustainable development competition project judge by Cecil Steward that proposed five eco-communities on the underdeveloped island.

The visit to the firm was also very beneficial in the learning and understanding of how architecture firms work and operate in China. Unlike the United States, Architecture firms in China are only able to work on a project through design development. After this point, the project is sent to a public architectural institute to finish construction documents. Chinese building codes and housing regulations were also presented to the class. One key housing code states that all bedrooms must have direct southern exposure or be 15 degrees to the east or west of direct south. Kitchens and bathrooms must also have direct outdoor ventilation. These principles will become key in the design of our housing complexes on our site in Tianjin.

X Winston Yan_

Winston not only showed off several contest winning submissions produced by himself and his office of 18, but he also bought us some of the best dumplings we have had to date! Winston explained that most of the work done by the office is contest submissions, with the remaining work being commissioned.

One project in particular was of significance to our group. This project was the Golf Hotel in Huangshan, China. This 5 star golf and spa resort hotel would become our home for two nights upon visiting the Yellow Mountains. The hotel was elegantly designed in such a way that more buildings could easily be added to the site. Currently Winston has designed an additional 5 buildings containing condominiums and another hotel that are in the construction phase. Winston gave us a site visit upon our arrival in Huangshan.

ARUP_

After arriving in the ARUP office and gasping at the view from the 39th floor, we realized this tour would be more beneficial for our studio project than we could have imagined initially walking into the conference room. The focus project of our discussion was ARUP’s Eco-city designs- primarily that of Dongtan on the island of Chongming. The masterplan of the community fits within the overall masterplan of the island created by SOM.

Dongtan will not only recycle its waste, but it will produce all its energy from renewable means such as wind, solar, and bio-fuels. The city will also have agricultural plots within the city, while remaining a pedestrian friendly town.

The intricate method and precise equations with which cities such as Dongtan and other Eco-cities are developed by the team members at ARUP was also presented to our group. Through thorough computer calculations and the creation of several graphic matrices, the parameters for such a community are created. This really allowed us to begin formulating more precise measurements that can be used within our project in Tianjin to measure the success of the project not only before and during design, but after the project has been completed.
As a studio we would like to thank all of those professionals who have taken time from their day to speak with us. It has really meant so much to us and has helped immensely in our thinking and the development of our own project in Tianjin, China.

The Bund 外滩 & Nanjing Road 南京路

The Bund

The Bund is a mile long string of 18th and 19th century classical buildings along the bank of the Huangpu River in Shanghai. In total, fifty buildings were designed by primarily European and American Architects. The buildings feature heavy ornamentation in the styles of beaux-arts, gothic, art deco, and neo-classical. All of these styles are in stark contrast with the merely decade old Pudong district across the river.

Nanjing Road

Running perpendicular to the Bund is Nanjing Road, known as the No. 1 shopping street in Shanghai. Nanjing road has served as Shanghai’s center of commerce for more than a century, but unlike the Bund, Nanjing road has undergone major transformations. From its early days as an 18th century market street to its current condition as a largely pedestrian commercial street, it has become a solid corridor of shops extending for some six kilometers. The street attracts nearly a million visitors a day, and at night the street becomes electrified with neon lights reminiscent of Las Vegas.