Visit to Chapman and Taylor

Today we found ourselves in one, of many others, Shanghai' towers where you can enjoy a spectacular view over the city. This tower also houses the international office of Chapman and Tayler, established in the UK in 1959 and already expanded all over the world.
We were well received by one of the header of Shanghai's office - Andy Hudson- in a very informal meeting near the coffee corner. 

After going through the development of the company and the business management he showed us some of the projects that are currently being done.

As they are well known all over the world by their retailing projects, in China couldn't be different and they are working in some commercial centers all over the country. 
Like in other offices we visit, Andy could not pass unnoticed the fact that in China a project runs much faster that we are used in Europe.

http://www.chapmantaylor.com/en/

6th of May: Chen Haoru Lecture

6th of May
Lecture Chen Haoru at the Faculty of architecture of University of Hong Kong in Shanghai:

“This Monday, our lecture series ‘The Next Decade’ at HKU/Shanghai Study Centre will focus on the future of the countryside. In his talk, Chen Haoru will discuss ‘The village surveys and the design approach to nature’.

Behind every wave of urbanization, there’s a massive destruction of ways of lives. However, in the rural areas of China’s Southeastern region remain villages with an inspiring way of life: a sophisticated sustainable living that we have long forgotten. The survey of these villages brings together the understanding of the old with an alternative approach to a greener and more sustainable way of architecture. In this talk, Chen Haoru will discuss the possibilities of this revival in a new time.

Chen Haoru is the principal of Hangzhou based CITIARC design studio and a professor of architecture at the China Academy of Art. Chen has received his education from NYU and the City University of New York. He was trained as an architect in New York City and returned to China to practice in 2001. He is currently a candidate for a doctorate degree from CAA.”

http://ash.arch.hku.hk/2013/05/03/6-may-lecture-chen-haoru/

BRANDING IDENTITY

25th of April
Miguel Luengo organized an academic presentation and debate tittled Branding Identity:

"Learning from Las Vegas emerged from a healthy controversy that took place in 1972, in which it concluded that architects should be more receptive to the tastes and values of the common people and less immodest in their erections as “heroes” of high monuments to themselves. GG, 1998.

Learning from the existing landscape is the way to become a revolutionary architect. And not in an obvious way, like that wiping Paris to start again as proposed by Le Corbusier in the twenties, but in a different, more tolerant and thus questioning own way of looking at things.

Robert Venturi, Denise Scott Brown and Steven Izenour. Learning from las Vegas, 1977

Architecture is also a way to communicate, and although International Style positioned itself as the only true understanding of the discipline (objective, structure and function-ruled, white…)soon after new voices emerged and claimed for complexity and the symbolism of form.

Contemporary architecture around the world is looking for recognition, the Internet_ional Style that we are facing deletes identity and favours a rendered vision of fashion and immediate appareance. In a world full of brands, being recognizable (and desired) is crutial.

This open debate focuses on this branding framework, where already tested (and commercially approved) companies are exporting their identity mottos and are designing/building “little” portions of their homelands.

Commodities tabula rasa."

Visit to Atelier Liu Yuyang Architects & visit to Pro-form Architectural Design

19th April Atelier Liu Yuyang Architects

In the same building as the EMBT office at Tianjing Rd there are several architectural offices. In that way, they could have some shared spaces such as meeting rooms, kitchen and bathrooms.

This time we visited Atelier Liu Yuyang Architects. We gathered directly with him and he kindly spent a lot of time with us explaining his projects.

He studied abroad so the feelings of his work are related more to the western architecture than the eastern one.

The same day we visited also ShanghaiPro-form Architectural Design Consultants where Mr. Fangji Wang explained us their projects. 

Visit to ENCLAVE planning landscape architecture

12 April ENCLAVE planning landscape architecture

In the same day but a little bit later, we went to another and very different company from the other one. This office is established in Shanghai, Chengdu, Beijing, Madrid and Melbourne. Their architectural line of work consist on the interior renovation from concept to construction of old buildings. They transform it in more flexible office environments with moveable meeting room partitions and numerous communal spaces. 

http://www.enclave.com.cn/cn/events.html

Visit to Nei & Hu Office

12 April Neri & Hu Design and Research Office

This studio was established on a fantastic building called the black box, where they develop a lot of projects from industrial design to urban landscape. On the ground floor we could see an amazing shop of designed furniture.

The multi-cultural staff who speaks over 30 different languages is the main key of the office. That makes it a very international place with such different and interesting points of view.

http://en.neriandhu.com/

Visit to BAU office

5 April BAU

This is an international Australian office leaded by Mr James Brearly and his partner and wife Mrs Qun Fang.

He explained us their projects in his welcoming office (and on a holyday dayJ!). They had developed a lot of work during ten years and in different scales:

 “Australian trained James Brearley and Qun Fang established BAU, an Australian design focused architecture and urban design firm based in Shanghai. An inter-disciplinary approach to architecture, landscape, urban design and planning encourage the success and comprehensiveness of their projects. BAU, along with Steve Whitford, won the first prize in the 2001 International Urban Ideas Competition for their project “City Centre: City of Ningbo, Beilun”. Brearley is adjunct professor at RMIT University.”

http://www.cityedge.org.au/ee2/speakers.html

www.bau.com

Visit to EMBT office

2^nd. April EMBT

Our first contact with the architectural work was during the visit at the spanish office EMBT established in Shanghai. There, Igor Peraza, the director of the abroad company explained us some of their current projects. We finally could see an amazing video about the creative process on the recent competition of Disney Park in Shanghai.

http://www.mirallestagliabue.com/

CHINA! TJAD (Tongji Architectural Design Group Co. Ltd., Shanghai)

During this period, we have been working at the Tongji Institute where we could experience the different stages of the architectural projects development.

And thanks to Miguel Luengo, on this first second part of the master degree we went to different architectural office to understand how the architectural practice works in China.