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Yesterday we finished our evening at a rooftop bar overlooking the Bund, with the glimmering city as our backdrop. At precisely 11pm the city dimmed and the 30 storey billboards ceased dazzling. This is one Shanghai. Today we travelled the breadth of this enormous city and along the way viewed the Shanghai that accommodates most of its people, the cloned apartments towers that are stamped out across the horizon. Whether this is progress was a question that each of us considered.
Our first visit was the Giant Campus, designed by Morphosis, for an Internet gaming company. In its contrast to the city fringy where it is set, it’s almost like a concession, where other rules apply. Through a guided tour, we were able to see how soaring formal ambitions where translated into the local context. The sweeping roof garden, covered with flowers, was a delightful highlight.
We then visited the office-workshop of Archi Union, set in a Creative Park, AKA former industrial estate. Their compound is shrouded by an undulating wall made from concrete blocks, that acts as a dynamic screen. Scattered in the grounds were other prototypes and models, the tools of a practice deeply engaged with rethinking how a new architecture can be made in the new China, where skill is replaced by labour. Archi Union also curate exhibitions and conferences and are emerging as leaders in their research into digital tectonics.
Inspired, challenged, and weary we departed this amazing city, bound for London… All luggage accounted for and with a final horhorhohohohoho…. AP

We have arrived in London, it’s rainy and grey – typical London really.
Shortly we will meet with our good friend Ken Allinson for his famous walking tour.
We will finish at 4pm at The Shard viewing platform, and then a quick G & T at the bar at top of the Gherkin.
Adam will then post a catch up post from yesterday…and Amy will post about today’s adventure at the conclusion of the day.
Bernadette

Day 1 …well better late than never!  …Excuse the casual banter….day 1 blogs a toughly! we did os travel thing! The run starts tomorrow with a ripper walking tour of the city! ..but to elaborate slightly… And we have lift off!….10.5hrs of China Air, a couple of bad movies….& dare I say it….a fosters! Mix it all in with a few mid flight chin wags, the hoarding of bread rolls, chicken with potato & potato with chicken and we have touchdown!…  Let’s face it after 10.5hrs in the air with CA excitement was going to come think & fast…and it did! Welcome to Shanghai…. Oh my, airports are usually cavanous rabbit warrens of disparate spaces, but here what grabbed me was the SCALE! cavanous rabbit warren!…disembarking in shanghai international in the evening we were greeted by what could quite easily be describe as one EPIC space! By no means an architectural feat – un inspiringly drab certainly….but epic!….heightened by the fact it was pretty empty and just…kept…on…going, kinda like Escher messing with perspective!  Thankful that we only disembarked at gate 79 we just kept on walking, taking in the BIGNESS of emptiness!  ….Hello mag-lev & a 301km/hr dart across to Pudong, and straight into heated discussion with the taxi mafia! But thanks to some bolshy quip, we were able to hold our heads high knowing that we only paid 4x the going rate! Shanghai at night, a technicolor sea of visual craziness….deciding in to the maelstrom zipping off the freeway via a concentric spiralling ramp, seemingly down through the roof tops & between the sky scrapers was just plain old cool! All checked in, knackered & hanging out for some shut-eye we finished the day quite sensibly…..an amazing meal, accompanied by non other than fish-balls, warm longnecks and discussions on things that go boom!…..or was it boom boom?…. It was a long day, but a cracker!  SH

Shanghai….. a city of extremes. From the fine grain of the small shops and lanes to the super-skyscrapers of Pudong, today we have been given a fantastic walking tour of the city by the lovely, and enthusiastic Ansgar. It was ‘study tour boot camp’ with non stop walking and no breaks, the group held up well and the delicious lunch at 3pm was well worth the wait.

As an architect there is a sense that one should be impressed by all of the progress. There has been a huge amount of development in such a short time and the scale and size of the city and its buildings certainly are impressive. However, the things that stand out for me are the small moments of occupation and engagement with the city: the washing hanging out over the street, the men carrying the waste for recycling on their bikes and the shared kitchen facilities in a small villa with a tap and light for each tenant.

With a visit to the Urban Planning exhibition centre there was much discussion on the planning of the city. It is possible to clearly see the points where the planning has shifted from being pedestrian and bike focused to a focus on the car. In the older areas the buildings are bursting at their seams and the streets are filled with activity spilling onto the street. The mix of program at a fine grain gives the areas texture and life. In the new areas the large and impressive skyscrapers dominate the skyline, the scale shift is huge and the space between the buildings vast. Life in these areas is more about moving quickly in your car to the next destination, it is not the place for a pedestrian or a game of cards on the street.

My building highlight of the day was the tobacco tycoons’ villa at Bubbling Well lane, beautiful brick detailing with custom corner bricks made for each corner. The street highlight was the elevated planters that maintained space for bike parking underneath.

A wonderful way to start the trip and a truly great city to visit.
Mel

for pics of the day see @MAKE_arch twitter or #duluxstudytour

With only four days until we depart, the logistics are just about in place.

Practice visits confirmed are as follows………

More to be finalised, and hopefully a few surprise…good surprises that is!

All systems go for our Powered by PechaKucha event.

Please feel free to come along if you are in London, click on the invite below for a full image.

The itinerary is nearly confirmed, just a few tweaks here and

there…its a giant game of Tetris…fun stuff

!

ADAM PUSTOLA Adam Pustola graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2004 with first class honours and is a registered architect in Victoria. He impressed the jury through the breadth of his contribution to architecture. In practice, this has involved strong self-direction in his career, a significant contribution to architectural practice and to design education, as well as his contribution to the architectural community and engagement with the public through Melbourne Open House. Adam began teaching after graduation and is now leading studios in the Master of Architecture program at the University of Melbourne, which focus on the changing nature of public architecture and hybrid typologies, and on a research-based and reflective aspect to practice. At the same time, he has contributed to architectural practice through his work within McBride Charles Ryan, on award-winning projects that challenge formal, technical and spatial norms. Currently at Lyons, he has contributed to innovative public-sector projects, in particular the Australian National University Colleges of Sciences Precinct. The jury agreed that with his commitment to critical inquiry in design, his eagerness for ongoing learning and his involvement in the broader work of the profession, the 2013 Dulux Study Tour would be of great benefit to Adam and his ability to add great value within the field of architecture.

AMY MUIR Amy graduated with first class honours from RMIT University and, after extensive practice experience, is now a co-owner and director of the South Melbourne based practice, Muir Mendes. Amy’s credentials in all four of the Dulux Study Tour selection criteria – practice, design, education and community – are exemplary. Muir Mendes practices internationally and its exceptional work has been widely published and awarded. The passion for design that Amy has demonstrated through her current practice and previous senior roles with Carr Design and HPA Architects conveys her strong interest in an urban approach to architecture and the city, while being precise and sophisticated in material and structure. Amy’s contribution is far from limited to her practice and clients. She has engaged very productively in teaching roles at Monash and RMIT Universities, bringing to her students a mature and carefully articulated position on architecture, aligned with a strong studio agenda. Amy has also made time to contribute a great deal to the architectural community, through participation in a number of Awards juries, and through numerous published articles, guest lectures and exhibitions. The jury considered Amy an outstanding ambassador for Australia’s emerging architects and a most worthy participant in the 2013 Dulux Study Tour.

LUKE PENDERGAST Luke Pendergast’s commitment to and passion for architecture are evident in the energy and focus he has applied to his architectural career, since graduating in 2007. His projects in the Queensland Government’s experimental Architecture Practice Academy, and then at Riddel Architecture, have developed rapidly from small to complex, always delivered with thoughtful and meticulous execution. His volunteer work illustrates a young architect willing to help others and to have a go – firstly in a New Guinea village, secondly co-organising Brisbane Pecha Kucha, and then at the highly successful 2012 National Architecture Conference, where he organized the ‘Experience’ fringe events as the EmAGN Queensland Representative. Having now committed to a Masters in Project Management, Luke again demonstrates his keenness to grasp the whole nettle of architectural and building practice. His breadth of experience to date indicates that Luke will gain immensely from the 2013 Dulux Study Tour, will be an enthusiastic member of the group, and will be well placed to share his learning from this experience through his ongoing work in architecture.

MELISSA BRIGHT Melissa Bright graduated from RMIT with first class honours and is a Registered Architect in Victoria. After nine years employment as a student and graduate in several well regarded practices, Melissa established her own practice, MAKE Architecture, in 2006. Through MAKE Architecture’s idiosyncratic and innovative completed work, and in combination with her varied teaching commitments at RMIT over the past decade, Melissa has demonstrated an astonishing and ongoing commitment to the realisation of creative architecture and a dedication to the next generation of students. In her practice, her work has received several awards and she has contributed to the architectural community through delivery of talks and lectures. In her academic work and in practice, she has augmented scholarship in the design and professional spheres through the mentorship of students at RMIT and within her own practice, and through her high standard of resultant exhibitions and publications. This high calibre of design work, dedication to teaching and promotion of the profession as a small practice director, all delivered whilst juggling family commitments, make Melissa an outstanding role model within our profession, and a highly worthy recipient of a place on the 2013 Dulux Study Tour.

SEAN HUMPHRIES Sean Humphries received a Bachelor of Architecture with first class honours from the University of South Australia in 2006 and has maintained ties with the University ever since as an architectural design tutor, final year moderator and more recently as a member of the university’s Architecture & Design Advisory Board. Having had six years practice experience, Sean has recently become a director of Alternative Design Studio as well as a director of the design collaborative S+B. In 2011 Sean was awarded the Institute’s Emerging Architect Prize and in 2012 earned the jury’s favour at the SA Chapter Architecture Awards, taking home three accolades on the evening. In addition, he has made a significant contribution to the Australian Institute of Architects as a Chapter Councillor, and member of several committees, and has involved himself in architectural education over many years. Sean is now at the helm of an up and coming design studio specialising in high-quality and affordable residential architecture through to bespoke commercial projects. He impressed the jury in his personal commitment to architectural practice, and also in the way he has enthusiastically devoted his time to the broader architectural world through his role as a tutor and involvement with the Institute. The Jury agreed that Sean was an excellent candidate and would benefit greatly from the experience gained on the 2013 Dulux study tour.

JURY

Shelley Penn FRAIA Australian Institute of Architects National President

David Parken LFRAIA Australian Institute of Architects CEO

Ross Clark FRAIA Australian Institute of Architects COO

Michael Rayner LFRAIA Cox Rayner Architecture

Jacqueline Connor RAIA EmAGN

Drum roll please…..the five well deserved winners of the 2013 are….

Adam Pustola, LYONS, Melbourne

Amy Muir, Muir Mendes, Melbourne

Luke Pendergast, Conrad Gargett Riddel, Brisbane

Mel Bright, MAKE Architecture, Melbourne

Sean Humphries, Alternative Design Studio, Adelaide

Congratulations to you all.