Exploring Southern China: An Urban Study of Kunming James Anderson. Sam Eadington. Vlad Georgescu. Matt Grimshaw. Tom Sharlot. Iuliana Silvi
/Contents Introductions Acknowledgments 1 Foreword 2 Kunming Fact File 5 Chapter One : The Journal 72 Personal Reflections 85 Chapter Two : Overall Context 90 History 92 Vernacular Architecture of Yunnan 98 Transport 102 Climate 104 Culture 106 Gateways 108 Chapter Three : Photo Catalogue 110 People 118 Activities 126 Vegetation 132 Interior & Exterior 136 Products 142 Doors 144 Windows 148 Routes Through 160 Response to Climate 164 Boundaries 168 Landmarks 174 Nodes 180 Level Changes 184 Signage 188 Textures 206 Details 210 Furniture 214 Animals & Wildlife
218 Chapter Four : Site Data Plans 220 Land use 222 Elevations 226 Sections 250 Massing 256 Circulation 258 Zones 264 Timeline 266 Roof Topography 270 Axis Elevation 272 280 282 286 290 294 298 300 304
Chapter Five : Personal Reflections James Anderson Sam Eadington Vlad Georgescu Matt Grimshaw Tom Sharlot Iuliana Silvi Interviews
306 Chapter Six : Development 308 Sketches 340 Model 346 References
/Acknowledgements Great thanks to the students and guides who welcomed us in China. Thanks also to Dr. Yun Gao and Professor Nicholas Temple who aided and guided us through the study visit and the creation of this book.
/Foreword This book gives an insight into our third year urban study trip to China. This visit allowed our group a view into a fraction of the diverse cultures of Yunnan, China where our final design project will be set. Our journey is documented from leaving the UK through to the beginnings of the design projects. From the very first day of our first year at University we were told about the international trip. It would be the highlight of our course, providing an unrivalled opportunity to experience a new culture with our course-mates before creating a design solution suitable for whichever unfamiliar context we happen to visit. Trips to Amsterdam in first year and Barcelona the following year, as enjoyable and informative as they were, came nowhere near the unforgettable experience of our final year trip to China. Firstly we chart our journey through China with personal thoughts and feelings. We then explore the wider view of our site in Kunming, Yunnan within the context of China. Secondly we document our site, Jinbi Square, with a photographic catalogue that is then analysed to deconstruct its image. Site data is then provided after this to give an accurate measured view of the complexity of the place. Finally we individually give our personal reflections on both the trip and the site along with what interventions would be suitable.
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Kunming Fact File Country
China
Currency
RMB (The People’s Currency)
Altitude
1,892 m
First Inhabited
279 B.C.E.
Urban Area
4,615 km2
Population (Urban Area)
3.9 Million
Density (Urban Area)
840/km2
Google Maps (2015)
Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province in South East China, it is the 21st largest city by urban population in China. The Provinece borders Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. Due to its geographical position it has become a transportation hub connecting to the rest of South East Asia. Kuniming sits on the north side of the Lake Dian which was partially filled in during the cultural revolution to reclaim building land. The city has seven universities all located in the south of the city in the ‘University Town.’
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/Chapter One /The Journal This first part of the book looks at our trip through Yunnan and Hong Kong day by day from the moment we left Queen Street Studios behind, focusing on our many personal memories and points for reflection. It gives an insight into all the little moments and activities contributing to our experience which, as well as the obvious academic benefits, have impacted on us all in different ways.
/Day One
22.11.14
Sam Eadington
The moment we’d all been waiting for had arrived. China time. The whole group gathered in studio eagerly awaiting the 2am departure from Queen Street. Not long before the first problem. Not all the bags could fit into the coach. The panic was quickly brought to an end as the driver found a secret compartment for the rest of the luggage. We were on our way. The coach journey down to Heathrow was unremarkable and consisted mainly of sleep. The unremarkableness continued at Heathrow as we passed through security and waited to board. Once on the plane, we quickly flicked through the available entertainment options with ‘plane cam’ proving popular with its live stream from beneath the fuselage supplying some stunning images as we penetrated the stubborn English clouds. The most impressive sight of all came as we passed over an illuminated Moscow, exhibiting its uncomprimising concentric plan in stunning fashion. Before we knew it we were approaching Hong Kong. Jaw dropping views out of the window gave us a glimpse of the epic scale of construction taking place in Hong Kong. After landing we had 5 hours to wait in Foster’s Hong Kong Airport, which opened in 1998, before our flight on to Kunming. By this point I think most of the initial excitement about travelling had worn off and we were just looking forward to finally arriving.
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/Day Two
23.11.14
Iuliana Silvi
After an 11 hour flight to Hong Kong and a 5 hour wait to get onto the next plane I was not really looking forward to another 2 hour flight as all I needed was to lie down and get a good sleep. However time passed quickly and we finally landed in Kunming, of course our first interaction with the city’s architecture was at the airport. Built in 2012 the airport was designed by Arup and it features an innovative gold “ribbon” structure. From the airport we were picked up by some of the staff from Yunnan Arts University, it took us an hour to get to the hotel. After having a good dinner in the hotel we went outside to explore the nearby area. We were first struck by the illumination of the buildings which was quite extravagant with all the different patterns and colours. That evening we got to see groups of people dancing around the different squares in the city and we even joined one of them. That was actually a funny experience as we had the impression that the dance is pretty easy to learn but we could not actually match their rhythm.
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/Day Three 24.11.14 James Anderson Finally our first full day, after a tentative breakfast experimenting with unfamiliar dishes, we headed out to Yunnan Arts University. After a warm welcome, complete with electronic banner greeting us, we were given a quick tour of the university. We saw some of the students work before we were ushered into a room full of Chinese students where we had a lecture on China and Kunming’s architectural history and heritage. This was followed by spending too much money in the arts supplies shop and a delicious buffet lunch. Another lecture was then given by our own Nick Temple on globalisation, before a bus home and out for a meal for my birthday. With no English speaking locals and our lack of linguistic ability we ordered by pointing at pictures on the wall. This had varying levels of success and a lot of confusion, but certainly a good meal out.
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/Day Four 25.11.14 Vlad Georgescu This was the first day we met the Chinese students from the Yunnan Arts University. We didn’t know what to expect because we had no idea whether they could speak or even understand English. To our surprise, they could understand English pretty well and some of them could speak a little and with the help of some translation apps they had on their phones communication was not a problem at all.
We were also lucky to have in our group a former masters student from Huddersfield, originally from Kunming, who helped us quite a lot with translation. The Chinese students were great and so friendly; they showed us around different parts of the city for the entire day and even paid for our taxi fares. We all ended up in a really nice French Pub where we discussed various ideas for the presentation next day.
/Day Five 26.11.14 James Anderson Back to the University. We had a short while to frantically compile our work with the Chinese students’ into a cohesive presentation, completed just in time. Morning presentations, followed by another excellent university lunch, another trip to the arts shop and a little sketching before returning to the afternoon presentations. Our presentation went to plan, and was well received. After swapping contact details with the students in our group we travelled home before another meal out. We visited an ‘English Steak House’, possibly the most bizarre culture clash I’ve experienced, with the steaks being served on a skillet with pasta, in the ‘traditional English way’.
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/Day Six
27.11.14
Tom Sharlot
We explored the city using the Metro finding old markets and new shopping malls both with tourist prices. The architecture is a clash of the International Style and Post Modern influenced by traditional Chinese Styles. It feels like the International Style has become the part of Chinese culture. We then went on to visit the two pagodas that were once in the rural countryside, but have been swallowed up by the city and are now the oldest buildings in Kunming dating from the 6th Century CE. These golden monuments were impressive in their contrast against the brilliant blue sky. One of the more intriguing places in Kunming was stumbled upon by accident; a showroom for what was to be a new development comprising of a hotel, brewery and shops among other things. However instead of knocking down all the existing buildings they were going to renovate and refit the existing industrial buildings all in the time scale of about two years! The last call of the day was some night-time photography along some of Kunming’s busier roads with some skyscrapers in the background.
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/Day Seven
28.11.14
Iuliana Silvi
After 5 days in Kunming I actually started to get fed up with the breakfast at the hotel and Chinese food in general. in the morning we met with the Chinese students and went together to the site to start our urban study. When we got there we spotted a tall building from which we thought we could get good pictures of the site. In order to get up on to its highest terrace we had to go inside an office and the Chinese students asked for permission to take pictures from there. Then we went to Starbucks where we got some drinks and started planning our strategy for the analysis of the site. We wrote in our sketchbooks a plan with all the things that we wanted to cover. After this each of us picked what we would want to photograph for our bits of analysis. I chose windows, doors, exterior-interior and products for sale. Afterwards Nick and Yun joined us in Starbucks and they had a look at what we want to do and gave us some advice. Back on the site we spent an hour taking photos and later on we explored the underground area. In the evening we played pool, got some ice cream from Dicos and got back to the hotel where we all gathered in one room and planned the layout for the book and what we had to do in the next days for the analysis.
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/Day Eight 29.11.14 Sam Eadington After the usual breakfast of a boiled egg, egg fried rice, cabbage and some spicy noodles, we got to work finishing off the front pages for each section of the analysis and sketching out a rough plan of the site which we could then use to build a more detailed one from. We made our way back to site to gather any photos we were lacking for our own analytical pages and started work on the plan of the site. This wasn’t an easy job and even with 4 of us doing it at the same time it was apparent that this would take a couple of days. This is thanks to the complexity of the network of shops and the lacking availability of good maps of the area. After doing this for a few hours I did start to finally feel like I was really getting to know the site well. After wearing ourselves out collecting information, the group split up with James, Matt and Vlad staying to play some pool and Iulia, Tom and I heading back to the hotel before getting some delicious street food.
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/Day Nine 30.11.14 Sam Eadington Egg, rice, cabbage and noodles again. Then straight off to site to finish off putting the plan together. We worked quickly and got back to the hotel in the early afternoon where we met and put together a fairly concise plan of what we wanted to aim for with the contents of the book. It was good that we managed to get this done as it gave us a clear direction and schedule for what we needed to achieve in our remaining days in Kunming. After the group meeting I had time to have a siesta. I love siestas, they’re among my favourite things. We had a quick meeting with Nick post siesta to run through the information we had and our plan going forward. Nick was really positive about it which was encouraging and gave us confidence to keep going as we were. In the evening we headed back to the site where we had food before going to the pool club. I was on pretty good form, potting balls at will. Probably not but that’s how I remember it.
The night got a bit hazy from that point as we moved on to Pandora’s; a bar which sold beer by the crate. We had a few in there and did the obligatory Hudds Arch Macarena on stage in front of a very bewildered audience who took our suspect dance moves in the humour they were intended. The night only got wilder from there as we joined an intensive game of rock, paper scissors with a group of Chinese lads. Energy levels dropped as the night slipped away so we sensibly decided to get a taxi back to the hotel.
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/Day Ten 1.12.14 Tom Sharlot
Managing to get up to the 27th floor of a skyscraper, Mission Impossible style, enabled us to get a cracking view over the site and Kunming as a whole. The escapade did reveal how lax security was in places considering we just tagged on after someone had opened a pass-coded gate and then waltzed passed a security guard on the way to the lift. There was a little moment of confusion in the law office that was continently located at the top of the building, but they got the message that we wanted photos out of the window not of them! The view shows the city and its mass of tower blocks and skyscrapers stretching off towards the mountain backdrop. It leaves the thought of how much more room is there for buildings? Well clearly the space next to and including our site are ripe for a high rise block or two. We returned to the courtyard restaurant in the Old Town that we had been to with the Chinese students on our first day exploring Kunming.
/Day Eleven 2.12.14 Matt Grimshaw Up early for sunrise, ready for 5 on the dot. We had experienced the site from around 10am until 2am so far, but hadn’t seen activity this early. The job on this day was to video different areas, in order to produce a full time lapse video of the site. Quite a dull job really, especially when stood in an area smelling of urine for 2 hours waiting for the sun to come up above the roof line. It did however make for a really good video in the end, when all pieced together. The locals became increasingly curious in the camera, as I did numerous time lapse videos throughout the day. Later on I took a video of the main circulation space just north of the gates. This video highlighted the colour change of the space, as the huge led screen projected light all the way across to the other side of the street.
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/Day Twelve 3.12.14 Vlad Georgescu In the morning we met up with a new group of Chinese students who helped us interview various shop owners and people using our site. We had a list of questions translated into Chinese which the students asked different people and wrote down their answers for us. They were extremely kind and helpful and we had a good time together that morning. An interesting thing that happened later on was when we were shooting some images and footage of children coming out from school after finishing their classes. Lots of children were really curious about what we were doing and they were trying to get in the frame, so when I came down from the ledge that we were shooting from, I immediately got surrounded by children who wanted to see my photos. So I sat down between them and showed them images while trying to explain what certain photos were in my limited and probably quite bad Mandarin.
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/Day Thirteen 4.12.14 Iuliana Silvi After quite a few days of hard work on site we were quite happy to leave Kunming to see the villages. We got there in about 2 hours and after we checked in at the hotel, we got the bus to the restaurant where we were served lunch. Then we got to see the Zixi Yi Village home of some Yi people who represent the largest ethnic minority in the region. When we got to the village we were welcomed by the architect, who gave us a guided tour. We stopped at key points such as the “well-being sheep” statue, the relief artwork of the “Rite of Yi people” honoring the ancestors and the village history museum. Even though the architect explained to us the thinking process behind the design of the village and the meaning behind the usage of the colours the entire place actually felt artificial. The place had no real connections to the villagers’ authentic way of living.
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Later on we got back to Chuxiong and we had time to wander around the village and explore it on our own. The streets were full of kiosks, where people were selling souvenirs. That night there was a festival where people from the Yi village were dancing to traditional music. The streets were illuminated by red Chinese lamps, which were casting a yellow-reddish glow, creating a very pleasant atmosphere. At the end of our time in Chuxiong, we wondered if the real local Yi culture had been completely destroyed.
/Day Fourteen 5.12.14 Vlad Georgescu This was the day we visited Dali, the second town on our way up to Lijiang. I had high hopes about this place because I had seen images of the three pagodas which were part of a really beautiful and unique landscape. Unfortunately after spending quite a bit of time walking around a touristy market, which was really no different than other markets we had seen up to that point, we were told that we weren’t going to visit the pagodas because there was no more time and apparently they were quite some distance away. On our way out of Dali though, not even 5 minutes on the bus, we passed by the pagodas which seemed to be pretty close and easily accessible. This was probably the only disappointing day of the trip because the three pagodas were the main attraction in Dali and instead of seeing yet another market, we could’ve seen something far more interesting.
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/Day Fifteen 6.12.14 Matt Grimshaw
Having been in populated parts of China, it was great to go out into more rural areas of Lijiang. Through exploration of the area, we came across the Baisha Naxi Embroidery School. It was the first time we had really seen any hand crafted activity of great quality in the time we had been in China. The embroidery had been very carefully executed, with some pieces taking a full year of work to complete. I took the opportunity to take a slice of the craft home, by buying a couple of pictures.
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/Day Sixteen 7.12.14 Sam Eadington The last morning of the trip around the ‘villages’. Myself and Jack decided to brave the breakfast after realising that adding lots of sugar to the noodles makes them taste reasonable. We engaged in a few moments of cultural exchange as a Chinese group (probably) asked if they could sit at the table with us and we of course said yes. The conversation died from here. We finished our noodles, got our bags and got back on the coach ready for a long bus drive back to Kunming.
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The coach made the usual stops at service stations and it was at one of these where we got the only whole group (apart from Jordan who was hungover on the bus) photo of the trip. We followed the meandering road through the beautiful mountains edging ever closer back to the familiar lands of Kunming. Then came the traffic jam. We had already been on the coach since morning and now the sun was setting as we moved at walking pace along the motorway. I used this slow pace and lack of bumps to watch a Peter Eisenman lecture where he talked primarily about his Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. After this I tried to sleep more but I was tired of sleeping so I just looked at cars. We eventually made it back to Kunming where we checked back into our rooms and went downstairs for a meal in the hotel. We ended this longest of days by planning the following day. The rock solid bed felt nice that night.
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/Day Seventeen 8.12.14 Matt Grimshaw The 8th became a bit of a rest day in Kunming, with everyone feeling tired from the previous day of travelling. The group split up, as everyone wanted to do something different. I took the opportunity to revisit a couple of the sites on my own, to try and start thinking about possible projects. I feel that there is a strong link between old and new forms of gaming in Kunming, which I find really interesting. It might become a concept to explore for the upcoming project. Later that night everyone met up at the roller disco for a session of chaotic roller blading with the locals. They were very friendly in fact, and were keen to hold everyone’s hand whilst guiding us around, in a mission to avoid the experts.
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/Day Eighteen 9.12.14 James Anderson Saddened with it being our last day, but looking forward to Hong Kong, we headed to site for a final look around gathering anything we could have missed. We had a large group of us for lunch meeting the Chinese students we worked with originally at the courtyard restaurant where they took us on our second day. After a tiny bit of shopping some of us headed out to the Golden Temple, a beautiful place, hilly paths and walkways with isolated pagodas and lakes. We headed back and regrouped to get street food one last time, before going back for more pool and roller disco. A perfect end to our time in Kunming.
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/Day Nineteen 10.12.14 Tom Sharlot Fly. Night. Massive Port. Cargo. Long Bridges. Mainland. Buzzing with Life. Tight & Tall. Neon Signs. Bright Lights. British? Chinese? London? Hong Kong?
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/Day Twenty 11.12.14 Tom Sharlot Today we crossed the harbour from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island on the Star Ferry. We walked amongst the skyscrapers including Norman Foster’s HSBC building and I. M. Pei’s Bank of China that make up the famous skyline. We took the funicular railway up to Victoria Peak but sadly the fog obscured the view. Their was a weird shopping mall at the top which was rather out of place and had clearly just been built for tourists. There is something rather multicultural about Hong Kong, a London of the Orient. Yes there is the obligatory mention of the British influence however it runs deeper than that, with influences from all over the Far East. It has the usual tourist issues that most big major cities suffer from, however it doesn’t feel over run by them. It also manages to maintain its connection with the harbour, its line of life.
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Sketch/Photo
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/Day Twenty-One 12.12.14 Matt Grimshaw Having really enjoyed the experience of Daniel Libeskind’s Royal Ontario Museum in Canada, I was quite looking forward to seeing his creative centre in Hong Kong. This was however a little disappointing in comparison. The very long corridors and the internal hospital feel, meant that the building didn’t really reflect its external exuberance. Architourism was the main objective of the day as we also saw Zaha Hadid’s School of Design. The building itself had some very cool spaces within the central concrete staircase, however there were a few design flaws. As a group we explored the building floor by floor, in search of exciting spaces.
/Reflections on China James Anderson This was the first time I had left Europe, I have travelled and experienced different cultures but nothing to the extent experienced on this trip. To be totally immersed in a culture so different to anything previously experienced was an amazing opportunity; I am struggling to articulate quite how inspiring it was. Everyday activities from ordering food, to finding your way became challenges because of the language barrier, and the absence of commonplace things from bread to handrails impacted us constantly. As we navigated the difficulties that we encountered, we began to really gain an understanding of the place and culture along with wholly enjoying the experience. The large image explains a theme we found running through our visit, that was evident nowhere more so than in Zixi Yi. Here, the vibrant colours and patterns are traditional for the people who live here, who developed a culture and language found nowhere else in the world, yet the paint is peeling revealing the concrete below, almost the sole material used to construct this entire village in the last decade. The amalgamation of modern and traditional was evident in Lijang. Here the river historically ran through the streets to provide drinking water. This has recently been supplemented by a smoke machine to make it more ‘atmospheric’ we guessed. My final images show the beauty of the natural environment in China; a view to the Himalayas in Dali, the exquisiteness of the built environment and the gateway to the walled town.
Sam Eadington The first evening in Kunming shocked me. The alternative universe I had imagined turned out to be disconcertingly familiar with a similar feel to some of Southern Spain’s worse for wear towns. Locals enjoying the comfortable climate, enjoying the outdoors, dancing, eating sharing each other’s company. The discomfort I was expecting couldn’t be further from the reality that unfolded. The People of the Spring City were intrigued by our presence and welcomed us in a heartwarming manner, intrigued, as most people are, by the behaviour of architecture students. The aforementioned street dancing was one of the highlights of the night and the whole trip. After walking along 3 streets we’d seen as many groups of middle aged and elderly ladies, interspersed with the odd bloke, dancing to catchy Chinese pop songs that have remained lodged deeply in my mind. We couldn’t resist joining in. So as not to cause ourselves too much embarrassment we opted for a spot at the back of the group and tried to follow the locals’ moves. The plan crumbled as the dance hurled the group into a 180 degree turn, stranding us at the front leading the 30+ strong dance troop. On reflection, we could have perhaps found a more subtle way to announce our arrival in Kunming. The architecture of Kunming was contrasting. Ranging from neon lined glass towers to fragile ad hoc structures seemingly thrown together in gaps between buildings. Walking through the city centre in the day I was a little disheartened by the characterless post modern shopping centres, office blocks and residential towers that are dwarfing the individual shops and restaurants. That’s not to say the character has been eradicated, it hasn’t, I enjoyed the life that the open shop fronts brought to the streets as their goods and crafts flowed from inside to out, blurring any boundary between footpath and shop. This genuine sense of life was reinforced when put into context alongside towns such as Lijiang who’s neo-vernacular shopping centres lacked any authenticity and even felt uncomfortable with their contemporary interpretation of ancient culture which has been reduced to a superficial stage set. My view of China has left me with mixed feelings about the places we visited. The people and the food were highlights for me, a lifelong lover of rice and relaxed attitudes, I will certainly miss them both.
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Vlad Georgescu At the end of second year, when the international trip was announced and I found out that we were going to China, I got really excited because I had been interested in the Chinese culture for a while and I was considering undertaking my placement year in China. So this trip provided me with the opportunity to experience everything first hand and see if at the end of it I would still be as keen on going to live there for a year. In preparation for my placement year and even for this trip I started learning Mandarin Chinese on my own at the end of second year, eventually I signed up for an accredited course at university at the beginning of third year. So going to China was a great chance for me to practice what I had learnt by that point and it really came in handy. Even though my vocabulary was limited I managed to do things like ordering food and drinks at restaurants, not only for myself but also for others in our group. Along with this I was able to understand bits of what people were saying, thus managing to make out what they wanted.
Matt Grimshaw I knew very little about China upon entering. I didn’t do too much research on Kunming either, so everything that I experienced was new. When travelling I like to avoid doing too much research so I can go and experience the place without any preconceived ideas. Arriving at Yunnan Arts University for the first few days was an early test with the language barrier. I have never really been to another country where there is virtually no similarities in language. We did however manage to get by with lots of pointing and hand gestures. When it came to other cultural differences it was this language barrier that became an inconvenience. Questions about all things architectural, weren’t able to be answered. This was quite frustrating early on because it was fascinating to see differences, but to not know much about them. Having had a few trips around Kunming the scale of the city could be seen with the ‘copy and paste’ like building blocks. It wasn’t just the height and depth of the blocks that were surprising, but the quantity that were under construction which was even more extraordinary. I’ve experienced different parts of America and so I imagined the growing scale, to be slightly similar to huge expanding cities such as Los Angeles. Cities in America continue to grow outwards, whilst Kunming seems to have grown outwards and upwards in areas well away from the centre. The architectural system in Kunming seems to be a very odd one, especially with the handling of old and new developments. With the amount of change that’s occurred in the last 30 years, it’s very hard to predict how it will look in another 30 years as the entire system seems to be continuously moving and changing.
Tom Sharlot The imagery that China wishes to present is very much a ‘traditional’ view however it is a modern country, at least in the cities. We may not consider it as developed as the UK however there are things to be learnt such as the decent public transport network that is state owned. Being the first place I have visited in the Orient it has opened my eyes to what is literally ‘a different world.’ A lot of the architecture is eerily familiar however the people, language, traditions and food among other things, are vastly in contrast. It is most likely one of the few remaining places on Earth, Mainland China especially, that only knowing English will not get you by; virtually no one speaks it. One of the reasons being is that the two languages (English and Mandarin) are based in completely different forms of communication, the why ideas are formed and expressed is in almost total contrast. However nothing epitomizes the contrast between these two regions of the world than their attitude to spirituality. Where in the UK religion has an effective monopoly on this in China it does not and the religions are far less ‘organised’ The food in China is, surprisingly, not far removed from what I expected there were of course some surprises like horseradish for breakfast. Learning to use chopsticks was rather frustrating at times especially when your hungry and you can see food but can’t eat it! I got in to the swing of things after a few days though. The best food was undoubtedly the street food – noodles and various grilled skewers consisting of veg, meat, fish and other seafood.
Iuliana Silvi As I had not visited any other countries outside Europe I can say that I was really looking forward to the third year trip, no matter where we would have gone. However, I got very excited when we were told that we are going to China as I have always been fascinated by their culture and traditions. Travelling from London to Hong Kong was the longest time I have ever been on a plane and I have to be honest and say that it was really tiring. However when we arrived I felt really energised by my curiosity that had overwhelmed me, as well as the need to explore and discover. This feeling stayed with me for the entire time we were there and it helped to keep me going even when my feet were swollen and hurting. The entire trip constituted a great insight into Chinese culture and the shift to a developed nation from a traditional civilisation. I knew before leaving the UK that China held the record for the fastest developing major country in the history of the world but it was still shocking to see the speed at which modern skyscrapers were rising into the sky. I was really surprised to discover that there were so few Chinese people that could understand or speak English. Their language was always alien to me and it seemed that learning it would be really difficult. Being there and having to communicate with people made me realise that not knowing the language can prove to be a big barrier. At the same time it made me realise that there were other ways of making myself understood. For example using body language and pointing at pictures on the wall when I had to order food in restaurants, or when I had to draw to explain our proposal ideas to the Chinese students. Prior to going there I did not really think that the Chinese food would be very different from what is available in the West. Yun warned us that when we got there we might realise that we would not really like their cuisine. However, once we had our first meal there I knew that I had not really eaten Chinese food before, but only a Western adaptation of it. Now that I know how real Chinese food tastes I can say that I really enjoyed some of it. The veggie noodles from the street vendors in the night market were a particular favourite, but there was a few times when I did not really look forward to eating because I was fed up with the Chinese food.
/Chapter Two /Overall Context
/The Site
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/The Courtyard
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Google Maps (2015) 90
Jinbi Square
/History The comparison of the two maps shows how much Kunming has grown from 1946 to the present day. The city started off as a small walled settlement on the Silk Road, it didn’t change much in size until the Cultural Revolution, or “10 years of madness” that took place between 1966-1976. The Revolution was the single most important event in the history of not just the built environment and architecture in China but of art, music and literature. In essence the Revolution was a civil war unleashed by the then leader Mao Zedong on the people, with around 1.5 million people being killed. It dispensed violently with the old ‘traditional’ ways that were to be banished from modern China, it targeted intellectuals unlike the ‘Great Leap Forward’ (death toll of 40 million) whose victims were largely peasant farmers (Lovell 2011). It only came to an end with the death of the almighty leader Mao in 1976. It has been referred to by China itself as a “cultural desert” (Random House Group 2015). Even so the current view of these events is that Mao was “70 per cent right, 30 per cent wrong,” (Lovell 2011).
Zhu, M. (2012) 91
/Vernacular Architecture of Southern Yunnan Province
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MIT Sustainable Urban Housing. (2013) Map showing the vernacular architecture specific to the different regions in China
The main material used for the construction of the vernacular architecture of Yunnan is timber as it is the most common local material. The typical housing is therefore constructed of this along with thatch for the roofs and bamboo mats for the floors and seating areas. Generally this type of house comprises of three to five rooms, the inhabitants carry out their daily activities on the first floor. This vernacular house is well adapted to the mild climate of the region by using a passive strategy design. During the summer, exposure to solar radiation is controlled in order to prevent the interior space from overheating.
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/Architecture of Northern China
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Below: a typical two-courtyard house 1. Main entrance 2. Rooms for the servants if the family was well-off. 3. First courtyard: cooking was carried out here, and the second courtyard was a living space. 4. Rooms for the children 5. Inner Hall: the family would greet guests and family ceremonies would take place here 6. Main building: living space for the parents. 7. Small side rooms: accommodation for other family members.
Unknown (n.d.)
Unknown (n.d.)
Above: diagram of a two-courtyard house
The most represented traditional architectural style in China is the courtyard house which appeared more than 2000 years ago, its design being adapted to the different climatic regions along with people’s needs and desires. The courtyard within the house can be rectangular, square or circular and is enclosed by the other rooms of the house. A multi-courtyard house can be created by putting numerous courtyards together as shown in the images on this page. In the courtyard there are usually trees, potted plants and a fish tank. The courtyards are an integral part of the building as they encourage ventilation and provide light, privacy and wind protection. Along with this they also create a space for undertaking activities such as cooking and washing. The courtyards also provide a place for adults to socialise and for children to play.
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/Architecture of Southern China
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In southern China the summer lasts longer than in the north and the winter is fairly warm, therefore there is a need to stop the penetration of the sun reaching the interior of the dwellings. This is achieved by using only a small number of high windows and thick white walls. The southern houses can be more than five metres deep, about twice the depth of the northern ones, so that the sun cannot penetrate deep into the rooms. Overhanging eaves and caps over windows and doors are used in order to further block the summer suns rays. Most of these houses are painted with a white lime plaster which helps to reflect solar energy. Abruptly pitched roofs, 30째 or more, are characteristic for the southern dwellings as during the summer, the area is affected by heavy rainfall. Thatching was once used as a roofing material. This was often replaced by baked tiles, which form large eaves overhangs in order to protect the walls from the rain. Beside the protection from the sun, another significant requirement of southern houses is ventilation, which is usually achieved through the use of sky wells and verandas. The sky wells represent sunken spaces, which open the interior of the houses by forming a narrow shaft that provides light and air and a catchment area for rainwater. Verandas are formed under the deep eaves, as overhangs open spaces. They stop the blowing rain from entering in the houses and serve as covered corridors and outdoor sitting areas for the inhabitants, even in unfavourable weather conditions.
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/Transport
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Urbanrail (2014)
Kunming is well positioned geographically to be a major transport hub in South East Asia. The road network already connects though to Thailand, Laos and Vietnam as part of the Asian Highway Network project. Kunming has two main railway stations; The main station to the south of the city centre and the North Railway Station, these connect Kunming to Chengdu (China) and Hanoi (Vietnam) for example. There are high speed railways under construction to Shanghai, Nanning, Vietnam and Singapore (via Laos, Thailand and Malaysia). There is also the plan to build a line running to Delhi (India) via Myanmar. The speeds of these lines are intended to be between 120 and 220 mph. The Kunming Metro System is currently under construction with a planned 6 lines. Lines 1 & 2 are almost complete with the majority of these lines operational. Line 6, which connects to the new international airport is also complete up to the urban area. Line 3 is currently under construction, which will connect Line 6 to the city centre (passing through Jinbi Square) and out to the west. Line 4 & 5 are currently in the planning stage with the whole system due to be completed by 2018. There is a comprehensive bus network within Kunming, which costs ¥1 for a single trip on a non-airconditioned bus and ¥2 for a single trip on an air-conditioned bus. The cost doesn’t increase based on the distanced travelled. Bikes & Mopeds outnumber another vehicle on Kunming’s roads, most are electric powered and provide most of the street noise with their faint whirring sound. They abide by one rule: if they fit they will go! Cars are numerous however clearly lacking in numbers compared to the mopeds however the numbers are increasing furthering the congestion within the city. Kunming relocated its airport 15 miles to the North East of the city centre in 2012 from its previous location 2.5 miles South East of the city. This allowed for expansion to a second runway along with a larger terminal building.
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/Climate Kunming is nicknamed “the City of Eternal Spring” as it is pleasant all year round with an average temperature of 15°C. It is located in the low-latitude monsoon climate zone which allows for mild winters and comfortably warm summers. The temperature ranges from an average of 8°C in January to 18°C in July. The rainy season occurs between May and October where there is an annual precipitation of 1101mm.
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/Culture There are 26 ethnic minority groups in Yunnan, with 15 being specific to Kunming. The Yi, Bai, Dai, Naxi, and Zang (Tibetan) being the most well known. Each one of the groups has its own culture, customs, language, history, specific architecture and religion, including Tibetan Buddhism, Taoism, and Islamism. Over the last 2000 years they have coexisted in peace and harmony and today some even live in the same area and they practice biracial marriages. Since there are so many ethnic groups, there are a number of different festivals taking place throughout the year, the majority of them being celebrated between March and October. Some of the more important ones include the Lisu Sword Festival, which takes place in March, the Dai Water Splashing Festival, in April and the Yi Torch Festival, in August. The Dian opera is specific to the Yunnan Province and it comprises of various types of Chinese opera introduced into Yunnan during the Qing Dynasty. The Dian opera has created several plays portraying different aspects from the daily lives of some ethnic groups such as the Bai, Dai or Han people. These plays integrate local customs, dialects and folk songs from all over Yunnan. The performers put the emphasis on singing and dancing which are representative and highly valued arts in China. Specific to the city of Kunming is a type of singing performance called Kunming Tune. One rule is that the performers must not wear any make-up. The singings of people belonging to specific ethnic groups will vary but most of the songs will transmit messages about love, wisdom or praising the motherland. When it comes to traditions, Chinese people are highly conservative and one traditional skill that is still prevalent among people in Yunnan is wax printing. This is something that contributes quite significantly to the economic growth of the province through creating highquality souvenirs and cloths displaying elements of the local scenery and customs. The Bai and Miao ethnic groups are the ones best known for their wax printing works, which require superior weaving skills resulting in tender cloths bearing distinctive patterns and great designs. 105 Jiang, B. (2013)
/Gateways The site contains two gateways and is at the end of a city axis that has a further two gates located on it. Chinese gateways traditionally have a variety of uses and meanings. They are predominantly seen as thresholds between different areas and places for rituals that originate in Chinese cosmic forces. These ‘forces’ manifest themselves in Chinese religions such as Confucianism and Daoism (Jiang 2013). The rituals performed at these entry and transition points are mainly in favour of the God that protects that gate. Other Gods can also be invoked for protection, luck and other good fortune. Sometimes sacrifices where made as part of these rituals such as animals and paper money (Jiang 2013). The gateways were fundamental in the laying out of towns and cities; even though a large number have been demolished their influence on the plans of these settlements can still be read today (Jiang 2013). The two gateways on our site; The Golden Horse & Jade Cock Gates, are named after the mountains, to the East and West respectively, that surround Kunming (see image below).
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JLiu, X. (2003)
/Chapter Three /Photo Catalogue The following chapter looks in detail at all of the different elements, which give Jinbi Square and Shopping Mall its character and complexity. Each section is analysed with the assistance of photographs, diagrams and the site model, which uses analytical frames suspended over the plan to highlight specific areas interest.
/People
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The site is usually buzzing with people from early morning through to midnight. There is a huge variety of different groups of people that use the site. These include shop owners and the people who have come to buy souvenirs or Chinese tea. Other people, such as those performing Tai-Chi, use the site as a place to exercise. The site provides for all ages with toddlers and their parents, children from the nearby school, teenagers hanging out at the roller disco along with adults and elders who attend the daily Tai-Chi sessions in the square.
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/Activities
The main activity taking place on the site is the sale of goods. The range of goods on sale attracts different groups of people including tourists and locals. There is also a variety of food served on the site from fast food and street vendors to sit down restaurants. A large number of the products for sale are created on site by the people selling them. Some of these products include jewelry, like bracelets or earrings and clothes or other beautiful pieces of traditional fabrics. This shows that there is still some importance give to hand crafted items in China.
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There is evidence of some illegal merchants operating on the site such as food vendors and shoe cleaners. They are clearly aware when the police are present as they disappear into the busy streets of the market to blend in and not be caught. When the police approach it is remarkable how fast everyone can flee the scene. The photograph below was taken just before a police patrol arrived, the woman in the image quickly took her stuff and disappeared, leaving her client there, with only one clean shoe.
Another important activity taking place on the site is Tai Chi; a Chinese martial art practiced by a large number of people for both its defensive training and health benefits. It is characterised by slow movements and is said to bring balance and improvement to the health of those who practice it on a daily basis. It is very popular throughout China. Tai Chi is practiced mainly in the sunken square, where there are a couple of studios led by professional Tai Chi masters. However it is also performed in between the two gates in front of the market, where the large open space provides a great location for groups of seniors to come and exercise in the morning.
/Vegetation
One thing which was very noticeable around the sunken courtyard area was the relationship between shop fronts and greenery. Numerous shops would present potted plants and small trees just by the entrance area, which arguably could be positioned to draw attention. Areas more notably around the south end of the market place inhabit hanging wall vines and overhead canopies, which create sheltered entrance ways into the more central spaces of the market. A permanent flower bed area creates a barrier between the two gates and the start of the market place. This is the only large, dedicated green space around. It isn’t celebrated to the public very well due to the fact that there is a lack of provided seating and because there is no space within it for people to enjoy. Interior greenery is very limited within the shops and restaurants in the surrounding vicinity. Floor space is limited and so potted interior plants are rare. A few restaurants use space effectively and use bamboo shoots. Others use artificial plants, which usually hang from areas of the ceiling. Vegetation appears across all levels right from below ground level with potted plants in the sunken square, up to roof level where vines and small trees can be seen. Hanging vines across walls create links to above and below. The potted plants indicate life. Wherever a plant is seen up high, it always indicates that the roof terrace is being used for something.
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/Interior & /Exterior
Thresholds The typology of the majority of buildings in Jinbi Square are shops. The passing from the external narrow alleys found between the buildings to the interior of the shops is done by a rise in the ground level of one to three steps, one being the most widely used. This elevation change defines the transitional space between the outdoor environment and the interior of the shops.
Exterior-Interior The shops, despite having wide entrances, have little space for entry and circulation once inside because they are crammed with shelves and tables on the middle for displaying products. Most of the shops have large signs with pictures and information of the products that are on sale and most of them have the products displayed outside of the shop either in cardboard boxes, timber crates, bags or hung over head. The way that these items are displayed in and around the shops makes them look crowded which gives a really busy feeling to the whole area.
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/Products
The Jinbi market in Kunming is an ideal place for buying local products and souvenirs from the entire region of Yunnan. There are many stores selling handcrafts of various nationalities. One can find a great range of products such as coffee, tea, jade and silver jewelery, local food, medicinal plants and traditional costumes . Yunnan’s climatic characteristics provide optimal conditions for tea cultivation. There are historic records showing that the domestication of the earliest tea tree known as the “wild tree” happened about 2100 years ago. From then to the present day there are 199 recorded species of local tea trees and are prepared into 100s of different products. Jade is processed and sold as bracelets, earrings, necklaces, tea sets, vessels, chopsticks and carvings of flowers, plants, fruits and figures. Chinese people appreciate Jade for its beauty and meaning in their culture of as it expresses the Confucian attributes of wisdom, justice, compassion, modesty and courage. One of Kunming’s famous local handy work is brocade known as Dai Jin, which is woven by Dai women. It is a kind of drapery with colorful and unique designs used to make bags, curtains, scarfs, bed clothes and cushions.
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/Doors
/Windows
There are not many windows found around Jinbi Square and most of them seem to be barely used. I think the reason that there aren’t a large amount of windows is that there is plenty of natural ventilation on the ground floor of the buildings as the shop entrances are often open to the outdoor environment. The majority of windows don’t look as if they are being used due to them having broken glass and the recesses in the walls having been covered. However, the ones that are used are usually windows from kitchens in restaurants. There is a clear difference in the style of the vernacular way of framing a window and the contemporary one. While the vernacular frame is covered in carved wooden ornamentation, showcasing the excellent workmanship of the Chinese ancestors, the new ones are just plain timber frames with no decoration or connection to Chinese culture.
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/Routes Through
Jinbi Square is flanked by the Golden Horse and Jade Chicken Gates and sits between the small pedestrianised steers of Jinbi Shopping Mall and Jinbi Road. This square is a largely static space where various activities take place throughout the day.
Jinbi Square
Golden Horse and Jade Cock Gates
The majority of the pedestrian traffic entering the small shopping streets of Jinbi Mall comes from the direction Zhengyi Road, to the north of the site, via Jinbi Square. Zhengyi Road is the primary shopping street in Kunming and is also a pedestrianised area. Pedestrians cross Jinbi Road before arriving in Jinbi Square.
Jinbi Road
Zhengyi Road
The network of streets in Jinbi Shopping mall is fairly complex and can leave visitors easily disorientated with many of the streets appearing to be almost identical. This is compounded during the busier times of the day when the street vendors fill the pathways with their stalls turning a straight path into a confusing meander by blocking views and disguising adjoining paths. The shops and the routes through have no clear separation.
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There are four different routes into the sunken square; three from the ground level and one from the underground level. Broken escalators on each side link the square with the main streets at ground level. Stairs on the southern side of the square, opposite the doorway on the northern side, lead to the subterranean walkways. None of these entrances to the square are clearly visible from the more occupied streets and squares meaning that few people come across this space by chance, adding to the secluded nature of the square.
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Zhengyi Road
Shoppers filter into Jinbi Mall from Zhengyi Road.
Lack of clear connection between ground level and sunken square creates a separation between the two levels of the site.
The disconnection means a completely different set of usages occupy the different levels, creating layers of diverse activities and character.
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/Response to Climate
With the climate being mild for the majority of the year the shading is permanent in places to shade shop owners. With south facing stalls, umbrellas are positioned behind the merchandise to allow objects to be seen in direct sunlight, whilst the owners vision is shaded.
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During the middle of the day sunlight is cast directly down the market alleyways and into the square spaces, prompting market stalls to set out additional shades.
During the afternoon the majority of the alleyways become shaded by buildings and so the market holders respond by taking the square umbrellas down. They create more space within the pathways for the later afternoon, where more people enter the space.
Tai Chi activity within the sunken square is changeable all through the week. Small group sessions are set up at varying times during the day. On regular occasions there are one or two practicing on their own, changing between being in the sun and in the shade.
In the early stages of the morning when the entire square is in shade and the temperatures are cool, people begin to practice Tai Chi.
When larger sections of the square are exposed to sunlight, Tai Chi members move across to gain extra warmth.
Throughout the warmest months, the temperature averages at around 20ยบ. The large square receives plenty of sunlight despite the fact it is surrounded by 4 and 5 storey buildings. This allows Tai Chi members to practice all year round in mild temperatures as they use the north end.
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/Boundaries
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The site features a lot of implied boundaries created by the paving patterns, shop and market awnings and bridges that cross over the pathways. These boundaries control the flow of people and dictate the setting out of stalls and racks. This results in a rather ordered space for the market stalls and circulation. Within the sunken square, badminton courts have been painted on to the paving along with other writing for one of the unused units that was once a bar. The planters around the marital arts places create a higher level of privacy providing some level of separation from the main square. The rest of the boundaries are all edges to buildings, walls or fences that create solid barriers and clearly define the surrounding space. The most important of these is the boundary of shop fronts that border the archway square and the smaller scale blocks that surround the sunken square. This is the southern border of the major city route that terminates in the archway square, providing what is a clear break between the super-blocks that line this route and the small individual feeling buildings of the development surrounding the sunken square. The unused central escalators, in a rather bizzah move, have had metal fences erected around them rather than fix them or replace them with steps. This metal fencing is juxtaposed strongly against the rather more elaborate stone effect concrete walls that surround the squares balconies and walkways. The most curious fencing attempts to stop mopeds invading the whole complex of narrow streets and squares as well as the archway square. These low level fences are something of a trip hazard and do not stop the most determined from just lifting their mopeds over them! However the amount of mopeds is dramatically reduced from the rest of the city.
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/Landmarks
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The most prominent landmarks are the two gates at the north end of the site, these form the end of a main city route, They are also placed uniquely compared to the other gates in Kunming as they stand opposite each other in close proximity. This makes them landmarks city wide, not just within the context of the site. The sunken square can also be considered a city landmark although visually obscured it can remain elusive to find in this context. The bar in the southern square is visually distinctive to the surrounding buildings and due to its position of prominence within the square becomes an easy point of reference and location finder. The tower blocks that surround the site are landmarks within the site and provide a way of orientation. They have omnipresence over the site and being of a totally different scale to those landmarks within the site, and of the site itself. These buildings are not landmarks within the city context as they are not individually distinctive enough to escape the mass of the other blocks. Due to there being few visible from within the site their individual features become more embellished.
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/Nodes
There are 3 major nodes; the space between the two arches, the sunken square and the square in front of the bar at the south of the site. The rest are all minor nodes comprising of spaces where the routes through the site meet and cross. All these nodes act as venues for events. The archway square acts a strong meeting point within the city context and at night hosts a temporary market. The sunken square hosts the martial arts during the day and also acts as a spill out space for the Roller Disco both at day and night. The square at the south side hosts market stalls selling various ‘trinkets’ for tourists as well as having limited seating for the bar. The relationship between these squares and their size is dependent on their location through the site. As the perception of density increases through the site (from North to South) the squares decrease in size. They also nearly lye on an axis through the site however there is not an obvious route between them meaning their relationship is unclear and not connected when walking through the site. The other nodes are the small squares where paths meet. The manor of the routes meeting creates squares that are enclosed with limited views along the paths. This leads to a sense of discovery while moving through the spaces. There is an exception to this with a node underground, where the routes through meet under the archways as views are visible along the whole route.
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/Level Changes
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The site is flat apart from human made interventions. The sunken square is the most dramatic of these creating a clearly defined space. This level however continues under the surrounding buildings although this is unclear from the forms above ground. The six unused escalators, two of which are fenced off, have just been taken to be used as steps, although slightly more awkward to walk down its an obvious economical solution to the expenses of running them or ripping them out. There are steps up to the tops of the escalators, which seems a little odd given that they were installed when the complex was built, so its not for compensating for the mechanics of them. The various bridges that fly over the pathways add a sense of enclosure to a lot of the routes. They also have an experiential quality as they provide a barrier to sight, allowing for some amount of denial and reward. The other level changes are all minor and consist of steps up into stalls and shops (there is no exception as all the shops have this step up), and various platforms and minor steps into squares. The step up into the shops and stalls does not have an obvious purpose and maybe a historic left over. There’s a small platform at the bottom of the steps into the sunken square, which doesn’t seem to have a purpose, although has been utilised as seating. There are no lifts down into the sunken square so anyone in a wheelchair cannot access this level. The number of smaller steps around the site makes it difficult to access the shops.
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/Signage
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The majority of the signs are for shops and stalls, displaying their name and advertising what they sell. They are commercial looking and machine manufactured, although on the majority of stalls these signs seem to be custom made. This contrasts with the more consumerist brands at the north of the site along the shops that border the archway square. These are in fewer numbers, however due to their positioning are a lot more prominent in the street scene. These signs also don’t compete for visual space while those in the denser streets visually compete with one another. The range of colours and typefaces reflect the number of shops and the consumerist attitude to branding that is prevalent. They all in themselves scream for attention, although a large number become a part of the visual background noise and probably make little impact upon passers by. Most of the shop signs light up in some way either with rudimentary spotlights, with embedded LEDs or as a neon or LED overlay. There are also a few scrolling LED displays on the shop fronts that border the archway square. This lighting of signs makes sense as the shops and stalls are open late into the night. There are few adverts and signs that are pictorial, the exceptions being for the wedding shop, the billiards club and then product descriptions for one of the tea shops. Approximately 40% of the signs have some English words on them (all the signs have Chinese characters), this is a little strange considering the lack of English understood by the local Chinese population, the lack of foreigners also means this translation is practically pointless.
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/Textures Part of the nature of the site, was the varied and diverse surfaces and textures. The following pages display texture separated into categories, where they are removed from their surrounding context. Here all the textures are suspended over the site as a representation of this vast range of texture.
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/Floor Textures
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/Wall Textures
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/Object Textures
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/Roof Textures
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These images show the difference in the number of separate textures between a view out of the site and a view in the site. There is a far more limited variety outside the site with large planes of single textures compared to the inside which, despite the closer scale, has far fewer large planes and greater variety of colour and material. 203
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/Details
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The buildings that can be found on our site are mix of traditional and contemporary construction. The site is dominated by concrete pillar and beam structures. These elements are usually exposed with some of them being beautifully decorated, while others are painted in plain colours. Despite this colour, when walking around the site, one can see that the buildings are not in the best condition. Particular areas such as the sunken square have arguably been more neglected than the main streets of the market. The cracked paintwork and grime on some walls, as well as the poor condition of the pavement pillars, and signage show that there has been a lack of maintenance.
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/Furniture
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A number of restaurants create cramped seating spaces with plastic stackable seats, to be used for quick meals. This layout continues to create a sociable atmosphere around the market place. The street furniture around the market place is dependent on the circulation that occurs throughout the range of spaces. This diversity in internal and external spaces result in a range of different seating ranging from bar stools to cushioned sofas. Small independent stalls have external stools, which allow passers by to quickly perch whilst taking interest in products. These stool arrangements don’t clutter the narrow streets, but do provide a 1 on 1 discussion space which can be quickly addressed when the customer takes a seat. Furniture within eating spaces creates a open image for the passing public. The spaces are generally left completely open for people to have a clear view all the way through the ground level. The seating creates a visual hierarchy of both quality and type of restaurant.
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/Animals & Wildlife
When it comes to animals, there are few examples found within the site’s boundaries, comprising of dogs and cats who have become attached to some of the shop owners and spend their day outside certain shops. Other than that, the only other animals were passing through the site with their owners, such as the dog in the image on the left, who attracted everyone’s attention with its friendly behavior and the fact that it was wearing tiny red boots that led it to slide around everywhere.
/Chapter Four /Site Data
/Plans
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/Land Use Ground Level
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/Land Use Basement Level
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/Elevations Looking into the site
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/Elevations
Looking out of square
Looking West
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Looking North
Looking East
Looking South
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/Elevations
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Looking into the site
/North Elevation
/East Elevation
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/Elevations
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Looking into the site
/South Elevation
/West Elevation
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/Elevations Looking out of the site
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/Elevations
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Looking out of the site
/Looking North
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/Elevations
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Looking out of the site
/Looking East
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/Elevations
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Looking out of the site
/Looking South
/Looking South
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/Elevations
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Looking out of the site
/Looking West
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/Section
North-South
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/Section
East West
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/Section
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East West
/Massing
/Circulation
Sunken Square
/Circulation
/Sunken Square
/Zones The site comprises 4 different parts. These are Jinbi Square and the gates (orange), Jinbi shopping mall (blue), the basement level (green), and the sunken square (red). Each different part has its own unique character and range of uses. These are shown in the timelines, which demonstrate the activities of each space during a typical day. Each part contributes to the richness and diversity of the whole site, bringing its own inhabitants at different times of day to maintain vitality in the various spaces from early morning unit late into the night.
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/Timeline
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/Roof Topography
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/Elevation
Zhengyi Road
The site is at the end of Zhengyi Road; an axis that runs north from the Jinbi Square. It is a major city street running though the commercial centre of Kunming with most of the city’s chain and consumerist stores on it. The scale of the buildings along this street are on a larger scale than those on the site. The distances between buildings also increase almost proportionally with this.
Huashan South Road
At the north end of Zhengyi Road there are government and police buildings. The first buildings on the elevation however are mainly residential up to Renmin Middle Road, for the next two blocks up
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to Qingyun Street, the street level is composed of shops, with upper residential floors. The block between Qingyun Street and Dongfeng West Road is empty land with a large wall along the street. Past Dongfeng West Road the buildings are of a far larger size reaching between 25 and 15 stories in height. One of these is a mega-block consisting of a single shopping centre ‘Brilliant Plaza’. From here onwards, the heights of the buildings start to reduce towards Jinbi Road. The tallest background buildings are the skyscrapers halfway along Zhengyi Road. These buildings reach in excess of 40 stories, compared with there being almost no background buildings at the northern end of the Road. At the intersections of Dongfeng West Road and Jinbi Road the spacing between the buildings are greatly increased, leading to the buildings down these roads having an affect on the feeling of Zhengyi Road.
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Weiyuan Street
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/Chapter Five /Personal Reflections
/James Anderson Kunming Site Misunderstood is probably how I’d best describe the site. The sheer complexity is mind boggling, the complexity of the surrounding building fabric with the organic maze like streets with no relation to the subterranean grid below. The complexity of the building uses; commercial to catering, dining to discos. The complexity of the location; the arches separated from their primary purpose, the termination of a major street and the questionable reasoning for the original construction. There is complexity in the activities, including shopping and dining, but also the illegal vendors, dancing, communal activities, Tai Chi and children playing. This complexity leads there to be so many contrasting impressions of the site depending on the perspective it is viewed from. Viewed as a market it seems fairly typical, aside from the meandering narrow streets. Viewed as a public space, it seems neglected and under used however this is before the ‘real’ activities are observed. Viewed as a place for activities it seems contradicting that the roller disco and tai chi somehow appear to coexist despite their huge differences. The images below show the varied views around the site, and the large image shows the roller disco and tai chi with the mock-traditional mixed use buildings above, with the skyscrapers looming behind. The site can be viewed in countless ways and is seen differently depending on one’s own opinions and preconceptions, even with our extensive study, I feel there is more to be discovered, all creating the misunderstood nature of the site.
Potential Project The vast scope of activities in and around the site means there are a number of possible functions for our potential project. I personally feel it is important in the design not to prevent or hinder any of the existing activities that take place; this will almost certainly involve the retention of a large open space, most probably the existing sunken courtyard. My previous reflections have shown the diversity of both the site and China as a whole, but many new developments, are becoming repetitive. This is creating a ‘corporate’ skyline. The diversity should therefore be maintained, including the diversity of the existing activities on the site. Coexisting in the current urban fabric I intend to add a new activity to the site, with the current diversity of activities. An ice rink was suggested by a local during our interviews on site and I was considering a bowling alley already. Perhaps the design could include both these activities and be an addition to the roller disco already on site.
/Sam Eadington Kunming Site I see our site as incredibly complex. Physically, socially, historically and architecturally it contradicts itself and its surroundings. Despite having walked around the labyrinth of narrow streets, flanked by indistinguishable shops with their products claiming territory from the walkways, turning straight paths into a meandering obstacle course, I had no idea that there was a sunken square at its heart. It wasn’t until the second site visit that the sunken square and the mysterious life that takes place within, revealed themselves to me. It came as a great surprise to leave the hectic space between the two gates to discover a sword wielding group practicing Tai Chi in such a peaceful manner. As I spent more time at the site it became clearer and clearer that this square is a concentration of unlikely harmonies, such as the youthful roller disco goers weaving between elderly martial artists, disrepair and vitality, movement and tranquility. The existence of such a place is made even more unlikely by its position at the end of Kunming’s primary shopping street. The street layout of Jinbi shopping mall manages to create an environment and atmosphere which are in complete contrast with the surrounding streets, slowing the pace of movement and comforting people with an architecture which, although unashamedly superficial, relates far better to the human scale and local culture than the neighboring contemporary Western style shopping centres. I believe that the site’s ambiguity is behind it’s success, a place offering something for everyone in the midst of a changing city that is alienating many.
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Potential Project One fascination that grew during my time on the site was the relationship between the different activities that take place in the sunken square, and how these activities and relationships fit within the wider social, economic, political and urban context. The way in which this derelict site is used so unpretentiously has pushed me to think about ways in which these activities of integrity and defiance will handle the turbulently transforming culture that surrounds them. I think a fitting structure would be one of intrigue, architecture which visually and functionally provides a more existential alternative to the Westernised consumer culture that is sweeping through China at an unprecedented rate.
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/Vlad Georgescu Kunming Living in Kunming for a couple of weeks was a great experience altogether, although for some people it represented quite a challenge due to the significant differences between the Western and Chinese cultures. These differences range from food types all the way to the people living there. Personally, I enjoyed every moment in Kunming and although getting used to some of the really spicy foods was a bit difficult, by the time we got back to England, I was already missing it. One thing that remained with me even after coming back is eating with chopsticks, which I still do on a daily basis. Getting a taste of the night life in Kunming is something worth mentioning because it was completely different to what I was used to experiencing in England. Going to Pandora’s, a club located on our side, proved to be an interesting experience to say the least. Seeing Chinese artists perform live on a stage running through the middle of the club, with club dancers to either side of them is not something we were used with. Also, there were different dance routines taking place in between the songs however the calmness of the patrons was making for quite a dull atmosphere. People were quite laid back, which is a totally different from the night clubs in England.
Overall Trip After the trip I can confidently say that I would still like to go to China to work for a year and that I believe I could adapt fairy quickly. Especially as the place where I want to go, Shenzhen, is just outside Hong Kong so it will have a lot more western influences, thus making everything seem more familiar. Both China and Hong Kong, although really different places, were great to visit and we had a great time everywhere we went. Each one had its good and bad sides, but that’s how it is all around the world. There is no perfect place, every place has its own beauty and character, but getting to experience all of this is something that some people can only dream about. I am grateful for it all and looking forward to going back.
/Matt Grimshaw Kunming Site Explaining the entire experience of the site can be tough, especially with there being so many different elements. I like to think of the site when I experienced it for the first time. Walking into it from the north side, in a small group we all began to wander into the first shops we saw. With no knowledge of how large this space was, I continued to explore, looking for a few of the others who were further ahead. With no success of finding them, I headed back towards the gates after getting a bit lost, meandering through different paths around the site. My first real description was a ‘huge maze of shops’. Another visit to the site allowed us to look through all the shops again. At this point we still hadn’t even discovered the sunken square or the underground labyrinth. It wasn’t until we started the site analysis that we explored the full site and the sunken square. This space is in complete contrast to the space at ground level. A range of different activities all below ground, which almost hide away from the busy market area above. The square is flexible for a range of uses, in my opinion it works very well as it currently is.
Potential Project A large area underneath the two arches is home to an online gaming community. It’s location was very unexpected, as it hides away beneath the city’s main arches. The community is contained, controlled and behind the scenes to any city pedestrian. The conditions of these gaming rooms are poor, as areas are dimly lit and unhygienic. The gamers spend multiple hours at a time hooked at their desks, meaning they rarely take any breaks or go outside. About a mile North of this site lies the old temple, which serves an older gaming community. A sense of containment is also met as the community is all of the older generation, where the space is dedicated for their gaming and singing activities. This temple space is quite run-down and so the community would like a new place, which perhaps serves their needs better. The relationship between old and new is very interesting in China, not only in terms of architectural language, but also within communities. There is a strong possibility that the value of traditional games will be lost over time. The communities both need improved areas and I feel it would be interesting to design a space which creates a community across different generations.
/Tom Sharlot Kunming Site When we first arrived at the site I viewed it as ‘traditional’ architecture however as we explored it and realised that it had two basement levels and was composed of a concrete super structure my view became one of ‘well this is fakery!’ However going to see the Zixi Yi Village and Chuxiong, which were both ‘traditional’ style but built very recently, showed that this ‘fakery’ was of a high standard and the atmosphere and spirit of the place were indeed authentic. This is even more surprising considering the culture clash that occurs within the sunken square between the subculture of roller bladers and gamers with the more traditional tie chi. I think it is interesting to note that where traditional and modern collide in architecture they do so in the activities and generations that gather there. This collision is however peaceful, although not quite!
Potential Project I think that the sunken square is disconnected from the main city route that runs north from Jinbi Square. The main road that runs parallel with the northern edge of the site disrupts this route. The metro line that will run East-West along this same route provides the opportunity to solve these problems. An intervention as such would allow for an exploration of the ‘underground cultures’ that would have to interact with this new intrusion. As there is a metro station planned for Jinbi Square I think undertaking this as a project would make sense within the real world context, as it is a project that will be undertaken in the near future.
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/luliana Silvi Kunming For me, the whole trip to Kunming represented a unique experience that made me more aware of the changing times in which we find ourselves. This is evident from an architectural point of view, as tall buildings made mainly out of concrete, steel and glass become more and more predominant in the construction industry. This building process is happening at a fast-paced rate in Kunming regardless of the culture of the place.There is no consideration of the vernacular architecture as well as for environmental problems such as climate change. The days spent in Kunming were really pleasant as we got to experience the sunny spring weather most of the time. I have really enjoyed seeing how people take maximum advantage of the nice weather by undertaking a lot of their daily activities outside. These happen in public squares from early in the morning until around midnight. I consider the dancing and the TaiChi that take place all over the city a really clever way to exercise and disconnect from life’s daily problems, without having to pay money to go to a gym, and to meet new people and socialise. In my opinion, the best day in Kunming was the one when we got to meet our group of Chinese students and walk around the city. I was impressed with the fact that even though they didn’t know too much English they were willing to explain to us about the places that we were seeing. That day we went to a traditional Chinese courtyard restaurant and they picked all the food for us and the atmosphere was really nice as well as the typical dishes. After an entire day of walking we stopped, in the evening, at a pub where we started thinking about our proposal. It was really challenging to make our ideas and theirs come together as a single project. However at the same time it was very engaging as we had to do a lot of sketches in order to explain what we were thinking.
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Potential Project Within this project, I am interested in exploring the ideas that I have expressed in my dissertation entitled: ‘Holistic approach towards architecture’. The main principle of this holistic approach is to regard the new building that I will be designing, as an integrated part of the entire shopping area, which considers the larger scale of Kunming and China. At the moment, one of the main issues in China is pollution and the loss of identity as a result of the rapid development. My aim is to produce a piece of architecture that will represent a manifest against the unconsidered urbanization by enhancing the traditional architecture of the place through the use of contemporary technology. I will be using recycled materials similar to the Chinese architect, Wang Shu, who uses materials from the demolition of old buildings. I will use the available renewable resources as much as possible, as well as local labour and craft. The main function of this building will be related to one or more of the activities that are taking place throughout the day, within the shopping area and the sunken square, such as Tai Chi, pool, gaming and roller-skating. I am particularly interested in Tai Chi as it is related to the feng shui philosophy, which will represent another key element for the construction of this building.
/Interviews with Site Users 1. What is your opinion of Kunming? Wonderful place for tourism, its a spring city so that weather all year round, people very hospitable, weather wonderful unique in country, people down to earth, best living conditions (top 5 in country) Traffic jams 2. What activities do you do here? Every day from 9am-10am & 6.30-7.30pm ti chi, dance group in the morning in the public square, use time out of work for ti chi, fishing and planting (gardening). First Person: 25 years old demonstrating soft side of ti chi. Second Person: 23 yr old powerful side of ti chi. Both professional ti chi teachers. 3. Are your activities the same through the whole year? Yes 4. Is this space good for these activities Yes, its quiet in the daytime; good for ti chi as there are not many people around. 5. Do any special events take place here? Karaoke, ping pong, snooker, internet cafe. 6. If you could change this space, how would you change it? Would add more public leisure space and parking space. Very crowded so more ‘green areas’ trees, keep historic and cultural values of the place. very close to nature (go back to nature). 7. If there was to be a new building here, how would you like it to be? Pub, ice rink, something that represents the local culture, parking space.
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The previous pages show a series of development works, they are predominantly sketches and diagrams that show interpretations of the site along with potential concepts. Also included are drawings showing the raw site data that we collected when on. The following pages show the construction process of the site model.
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/References All images are owned by the authors, unless otherwise stated. Ching, F. (2007). Architecture: form, space and order. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Franรงois, A. et al. (2000). Panorama of Everyday life in Yunnan at the End of the Qing Dynasty and Early Republic. Kunming: Yunnan Fine Arts Publishing House. Google Maps (2015) [Image] Retrieved from : https://www.google.co.uk/maps Jiang, B. (2013). Chinese Gates of the Late Imperial China in the Context of Cosmo-Religious Rituals (Unpublished PhD Thesis). University of Sheffield, Sheffield. Knapp, R.G. (1990). The Chinese House. New York: Oxford University Press Knapp, R.G. (1990). Fig 1.9 [Drawing]. In G. R. Knapp. The Chinese House. New York: Oxford University Press Knapp, R.G. (1990). Fig 1.11 [Photography]. In G. R. Knapp. The Chinese House. New York: Oxford University Press Knapp, R.G. (2013). Wooden storied house drawing. [Drawing]. F. Sun. Buildings, 3(1), 143-172; doi:10.3390/buildings3010143 Knapp, R.G. (2013). After wooden storied house section. [Drawing]. F. Sun. Buildings, 3(1), 143-172; doi:10.3390/buildings3010143 Knapp, R.G. (2013). Wooden storied structure. [Drawing]. F. Sun. Buildings, 3(1), 143-172; doi:10.3390/ buildings3010143 Liu, X. (2003). Spring City Kunming - the past, the present and the future. Kunming: Yunnan Fine Arts Publishing House, p.16 Lovell, J. (2011). Review of Debating the Cultural Revolution in China. Retrieved from http://www. history.ac.uk/reviews/review/1179 MIT Sustainable Urban Housing. (2013). Vernacular architecture map. [Drawing]. F. Sun. Buildings, 3(1), 143-172; doi:10.3390/buildings3010143 346
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Group Alpha Productions 2015