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
