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With much talk of the skills and technology being brought to China from the West, there is perhaps, sometimes a lack of appreciation of what China is teaching our own firms. The scale and ambition of Shanghai's urban regeneration projects is a case in point. With the demands of these projects producing challenges not often experienced by Western design and construction firms. How these challenges are handled will determine not only their future success in China, but it is hoped, bring useful lessons and experiences back to the UK.
One of the leading projects currently under construction in Shanghai, involves the redevelopment of an 800m stretch of river front along the North Bund, situated just east of the International Ferry Terminal; it is scheduled to complete development in 2007. The size of the project and its high profile location, with sweeping views down river to The Bund and over to Pudong, add to the challenges and responsibilities. Heading the project design is Alsop, a leading UK architectural practice, with offices in London, Toronto, Singapore and Shanghai.
Alsop bring with them an international perspective, with successful projects such as the Marsailles Regional Government Building, France and Clark Key, Singapore. Despite the success of these projects, with the North Bund development projected to include 150,000m?? of above ground offices, serviced apartments and hotel and an additional 150,000m?? of subterranean retail space, its scale is well beyond the average Europe project. Hence the two way challenge, of proven technology and ideas dealing with new concepts of scale.
Alsop's involvement in the project dates back to 2003, when they were asked to produce some speculative design concepts for the site. As these developed, it became clear an office would have to be established in Shanghai, which opened in February 2004 and has now grown to a team of 8 architects. Alsop attribute their successful involvement in the project to three central issues marking out the company's approach: (i) Focus on public spaces and facilities (ii) A free form approach to building design (iii) A 'one-off' branding composition for the site. Each of the above combines to create a development of economic efficiency with public spaces and striking exterior designs.
The development itself, spanning the 800m of river frontage will combine three main layers; to the rear, serviced apartments and hotel, a central sweep of 7 buildings holding offices and retail and at the front, running the length of the site, a pedestrian promenade and park. Unlike many other river front developments, this one actually opens up the river frontage for public use and enjoyment. The whole site is further interconnected by a series of walk ways and 3 principal courtyards; a performance courtyard, media garden and food court. Each courtyard encourages a sense of progressive movement through the site and places for public meeting and entertainment.
In keeping with the necessity of retaining public access and enjoyment of the river frontage, the site has been designed to rise away from the river. So the park rises up to the 7 principal office/retail buildings back down to the river. The raising of the site has also allowed for the subterranean development (approximately 150,000m??) of retail space, which will be located underneath the main office buildings.
The need to make money out of the space obviously remains a primary concern for the developer. Given the reasonably low building density rates across the site, this has been achieved in three principal ways: first, by extensive use of subterranean shopping facilities. Second, by flexible planning and space utilization, in the 7 office/retail buildings; this includes floor to ceiling heights of 4m and clear span floor areas, allowing the developer to adjust the ratios of office and retail according to demand, at very little extra cost. Third, the branding of the site and taking advantage of its location; this includes external building designs, combining glass and steel in convex and concave shapes on the facades, making for a series of interlocking shapes (thus avoiding boring flat glass and steel designs).
Clearly Alsop have not been working in isolation on this project. ARUP (Hong Kong) have acted as structural engineers with RFR (Paris), working as fa??ade engineers. The local design institute in Shanghai has responsibility for the actual construction of the buildings. Particularly in the case of the construction techniques and ordering, co-ordinating this part of the project has presented a new set of challenges to Alsop, as has the speed with which things can be done in China; meaning the traditional sequence of design and build which might be followed in the UK, has to be more flexible. Such characteristics have been evident across a range of China projects being worked on, which also include a projected residential development at Nanchang.
However, for ambition and scale of design, combined with an opportunity to work from a 'clean sheet' in terms of design brief and ideas, the project has been quite unique. One hopes this current contribution to Shanghai's skyline may also help Britain re-think some of its' approaches to larger schemes and private building.
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