An Urban Vision for XiangMen by Salvatore Andrea Bilardo

FOREWORD _ 1 CHINESE GROWTH _ 1.1 Why Study Chi-

nese Architecture _ 1.2 Urban Environment Today _ 2 CITY OF SUZHOU _ 2.1 Suzhou Today _ 2.2 The Ancient Suzhou _ 2.3 Canal System _ 2.4 The Gardens _ 2.5 Urban Scene _ 2.6 Courtyard Dwelling _ 3 A URBAN VI-

SION FOR XIANG MEN

3.1 Project Area _ 3.2 Site Analy-

sis _ 3.3 The Concept _ 3.4 The Masterplan _ 3.5 Urban Design _ 3.6 Landscape _ 4 THE AR-

CHITECTURAL

DESIGN

_ 4.1 Urban Block _ 4.2 Design Concept _ 4.3 The Building _ 4.4 Functions & Paths _ 4.5 Private Elevated Courtyard _ 4.6 Case Studies _ 5 CONCLUSION _ 6 POSTCARDS FROM CHINA _ BIBLIOGRAPHY

FOREWORD _ 1 CHINESE GROWTH _ 1.1 Why Study Chi-

SION FOR XIANG MEN

3.1 Project Area _ 3.2 Site Analy-

sis _ 3.3 The Concept _ 3.4 The Masterplan _ 3.5 Urban Design _ 3.6 Landscape _ 4 THE AR-

CHITECTURAL

DESIGN

_ 4.1 Urban Block _ 4.2 Design Concept _ 4.3 The Building _ 4.4 Functions & Paths _ 4.5 Private Elevated Courtyard _ 4.6 Case Studies _ 5 CONCLUSION _ 6 POSTCARDS FROM CHINA _ BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nowadays it is proper to say that China is one of the countries, or maybe the first, with the greatest growth and highest potential urban development. Furthermore the factors leading to a rumination on the mode of action and the resulting responsibilities. Right now the urban population exceed the rural one with its 51% still to increase up to 83% in 2035, when the process will be stabilized. The figures of urban growth are stunning: 23 Chinese cities have a population of over 5 million people whereas just three cities in the whole Europe have. Many cities will become mega-cities following Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin that already have more than 10 million inhabitants and Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s urban system may evolve into several different scenarios1. The urban population asks for services and facilities leading to a design approach based on big numbers. This make Chinese architects reduce the time for design and construction. The project is becoming very fast, i.e a mechanic process as if it were an industrial production without the time to go over it. All these factors have created the typical Chinese urban environment with its low-house buildings cut by high skyscraper blocks. The con-

1. Weiping Wu and Piper Gaubatz, The Chinese City, London, New York, Routledge, 2013.

Fig.1 A farmer between the high-house buildings in Chongqing. http://www.archdaily. com/612385/tim-franco-captures-the-overscaled-urbanization-of-chongqing

cept of sustainability at any scale of intervention becomes a key to solve the problem of an architecture that is trying to find its identity. The Government is willing to recognize its architectural identity through icons and images, looking up to the western life style that creates an hybrid architecture. This is the consequence of the new global position that China took at the end of the Cold War and after the Cultural Revolution, when the reconstruction was massive2 and the economic situation started to have great influence on the architectural design process. The current capitalistic economic system creates a urbanization that has produced new forms of inequality, both social and spatial which arose in the recent years3. The American architect Peter Eisenman, in his essay â&#x20AC;&#x153;Critical Architecture in a Geopolitical Worldâ&#x20AC;? discusses the problem of the theoretical lack in Chinese architecture, as well as the influence of economic issues over it. The theoretical Chinese architect Ho Chang claims the necessity to have a controversial architecture in China, too, to go against the current consumer society, through the re-interpretation of radical forms and vernacular architecture. China wants respect and visibility, so

2. Duanfang Lu, Remaking Chinese Urban Form: Modernity, Scarcity and Space, 1949-2005, London, New York, Routledge, 2011. 3. Xuefei Ren, Urban China, Cambridge, Malden, Polity Press, 2013.

Fig.2 Chinese tabula rasa. Collage of Le Corbusierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Plan Sur plastic put on the historical chinese city. http://www.artribune. com/2013/03/la-condizione-dellarchitettura-cinese/3-starting-from-scratch/

Fig.3 Installation outside the West Bund Art & Design, Shangai (personal photo).

4. http://www.artribune. com/2013/03/la-condizione-dellarchitettura-cinese/

the Government requests recognizable, impressive and iconic worldwide architectures. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Archistarsâ&#x20AC;? design the most important buildings in order to celebrate the achieved importance of the country. China becomes the new international set for architects like Manhattan was one hundred years ago. Thus competing to built the highest skyscraper is an attempt to impose and show the Chinese superiority over its competitors. The great Chinese figures, the economic growth give the possibility and the need to built, but right now China is still there, trying to find its own way4. Right now working in China for a western architect could have a lot of meanings. First of all it is a design challenge, controlled by the differences between European knowledge and background and the developing rules of the Asian country. Secondly the comparison between different types of living that could affect the architecture giving advantages to the whole social life. Furthermore, grasping a different concept of past as part of the present and not only as memory may reverse the Chinese thinking. All these concepts have to be supported by ideas of sustainability and integration, i.e basic rules for good architecture.

My Chinese experience.

This thesis figures out from the intention to go for a different culture and architecture. I have always thought that the aim of architecture was to answer peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs and it was established by the popular culture that change how the space is used. So it is essential for architects to spread their knowledge and widen their background within as many different contexts as possible, learning a design process that could improve the social life in each of them. By the way China, as already said, is top of the list for architects; a further discussion is needed about which its architecture is and about the most efficient way to provide a good urban and architectural development without producing any deeper social inequality. Designing in China means to me the opportunity to learn a design process that connects mass architecture with concepts of sustainability and integration, which is essential for the big housing needs of the Chinese population. These are the reasons why I made my way to China, to study at Xiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;An Jiaotong - Liverpool University, the international university of Suzhou where I learned from such a different culture from mine. I have attended all the first semester modules in the

Fig.4 Central Building of Xiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;An Jiaotong - Liverpool University .

Master of Architectural Design programme as if i were a student of the Polytechnic of Turin, using the project of Design Studio1 as the project for my master degree thesis. The aim for the studio, which turned out to be quite challenging, was to give urban and architectural form to the redevelopment of the Xiang Men area in the historical city of Suzhou. The task was to make urban design proposals, and architectural designs. As for the urban design students were allowed to work in international teams in the first few weeks, learning from the different students background. As for the architectural design, students had to match the urban design ideas developed in the first few weeks of the semester, and they had to work out a building with a functional program defined after the Interim Review. In particular the core of my thesis is about courtyard houses, specifically about a different way to use the courtyard as a housing space, keeping its identity, utility and Chinese character. As for the urban design the project tries to answer the commercial and housing requests, whereas the architectural design tries to explore the concept of the courtyard, in particular about its use and location.

Fig.5 View of the pedestrian path of Xi’An Jiaotong - Liverpool University’s campus . http://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/ en/

FOREWORD _ 1 CHINESE GROWTH _ 1.1 Why Study Chi-

SION FOR XIANG MEN

3.1 Project Area _ 3.2 Site Analy-

sis _ 3.3 The Concept _ 3.4 The Masterplan _ 3.5 Urban Design _ 3.6 Landscape _ 4 THE AR-

CHITECTURAL

DESIGN

_ 4.1 Urban Block _ 4.2 Design Concept _ 4.3 The Building _ 4.4 Functions & Paths _ 4.5 Private Elevated Courtyard _ 4.6 Case Studies _ 5 CONCLUSION _ 6 POSTCARDS FROM CHINA _ BIBLIOGRAPHY

FOREWORD _ 1 CHINESE GROWTH _ 1.1 Why Study Chi-

SION FOR XIANG MEN

3.1 Project Area _ 3.2 Site Analy-

sis _ 3.3 The Concept _ 3.4 The Masterplan _ 3.5 Urban Design _ 3.6 Landscape _ 4 THE AR-

CHITECTURAL

DESIGN

_ 4.1 Urban Block _ 4.2 Design Concept _ 4.3 The Building _ 4.4 Functions & Paths _ 4.5 Private Elevated Courtyard _ 4.6 Case Studies _ 5 CONCLUSION _ 6 POSTCARDS FROM CHINA _ BIBLIOGRAPHY

“Studying Chinese architecture can be seen as a task against the time. Chinese life has become westernized amid the dramatic changes of recent years; a tendency has destroyed indigenous architecture and its affiliated arts in China. [...] The old cityscape of pure Chinese character, whether delicate or magnificent, is completely gone or present a mere shadow of its former self, with no regrets on the part of public.”1 These are the words by Liang Sicheng2 in his article published the first time into the Bulletin of the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture in 1944. He is regarded as the “Father of Modern Chinese Architecture” and authored the first modern hystory on Chinese Architecture. He used to focus on the knowledge of the Chinese building structures and he published several books and articles with the aim to preserve them. In fact they are so important for the study of the technological features of Chinese Architecture. As far as I am concerned one of the most important problem on Chinese architecture is the past idea of historic, the way in which old buildings have to be destroyed and re-built with new materials and techniques in order to maintain the connection

1. Sicheng L., “Why Study Chinese Architecture?”, in Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 73, Nr. 1, 2014, pag. 8. First publication: Bulletin of the Society for Research in Chinese Architecture, Vol. 7, Nr. 1, 1944. 2. Liang Sicheng (20 April 1901 – 9 January 1972) was a Chinese architect and scholar, often known as the father of modern Chinese architecture.

Fig. 1 Comparison between Chinese architectural temporal line and Occidental one. http://www.artribune. com/2013/03/la-condizione-dellarchitettura-cinese/2013-01-27-time-line-relation/

with the past. That is not enough, anyway, since the re-built needs an in depth know-how of the Chinese architecture rules and influences. This is when the problems arise, i.e the mere rebuilding without thinking about the traditional atmosphere linked to both space and material; a simple re-production of traditional forms and features of Chinese buildings could bring designers and architects to make big mistakes and to fail. “Historical landmarks that have stood majestically for hundreds of years, city blocks full of special artistic local colour have been sacrificed in the name of improvement.”3 There are three reasons for the destruction of traditional Chinese architecture of the past. Firstly, due to the economic downturn, the government was unable to protect the official buildings and temples and left them to decay naturally; secondly the infiltration of western arts damaged the traditional gardens, streets, and towers. Thirdly, both the government and the public have not been keen on preserving and protecting old facilities. “As far as new building is concerned, more time is needed to cultivate the knowledge and skill necessary for artistic progress. Fortunately at the same

3. 4. Sicheng L., “Why Study Chinese Architecture?”, in Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 73, No. 1, 2014, pag. 9

time, a consciousness of national culture has arisen in the nation. Collecting physical remains of the past for research has become a principle of scholarship.â&#x20AC;?4 Many buildings are the expression of Chinese culture. The main goal of the current Chinese debate is to understand the importance and to learn how to respect the culture of the ancient nation, not to continue to ignore the study of Chinese architecture and to mimic the western buildings carelessly, and finally to research and protect the Chinese cultural heritage. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The preservation of Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s architectural heritage today can help revive Chinese architecture in the future, a more important task. We should not overlook the relationship between appreciating and critiquing the arts of the past and creating art in the future. [...] What is the future of a new architectural expression in Chinese nation? Without a doubt, China in the future will use western technology and a vast quantity of modern western building materials. How to express characteristically Chinese style and meaning while simultaneously using materials and methods of a new science, that is truly a problem. [...] Until now, the cityscape of China was usually altered by ignorant

craftsmen, who have typically abandoned indigenous styles and structures, regardless of their historical and artistic value, to create a ridiculous architecture that is neither Chinese nor Western. [So what are the possible ways to express the Chinese spirit on architecture? Liang Sicheng said...] To extract the essential Chinese character of old architecture, we need to improve our understanding of its structural system and composition. Many compositions, whether as large as a city or town or as small as a house or garden, are responses to Chinese life or thought. We have our traditional customs and taste: our family organization, our living standard, work, and recreation, as well as cooking, sewing, interior décor of calligraphy and painting, outdoor gardens and plantings, none of them the same as for a Westerner. We do not need now to cut our feet to fit into European and American shoes, or force our lives to comply with European and American arrangements. We need to create an architecture that is appropriate for us.”5 This is, in my opinion, the real key point that architecture and architects, now working in China, need to comply with. The present Chinese architecture cannot just mimic the

5. Sicheng L., “Why Study Chinese Architecture?”, in Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 73, No. 1, 2014, pag. 11

Fig. 2 The theoretical situation of Chinese architecture at present time. http://www.artribune. com/2013/03/la-condizione-dellarchitettura-cinese/ condition-chinese-architecture/

European or American architecture but have to find its own identity that can only be derived from its past heritage. Moreover with reference to the great economic growth of the last decades and to the idea of building up the nation as one of the most important and powerfull country within the international carnet. Furthermore this is not only a political task but also an effort to avoid bad massive over urbanization of the land. It is necessary to start ideas of sustainability both for the environment and the urban contest. This evidence is unavoidable if we think that â&#x20AC;&#x153;China has compressed 50 years of urban development into 20â&#x20AC;? 6, using in the last 2 years an amount of concrete that is 20% more than that used by the United States in the last 20. This means that the situation is similar to the post-war New York and that, right now, China is one of the most vibrant place for an architect where to learn about the capacity to respect the past creating some new architectural modes for a nation which needs a real improvement on this side in order to keep up with the huge urban and economic growth and to enhance its standard of living.

6. Austin Williams, â&#x20AC;&#x153;http://www.archdaily. com/337276/indias-evolution-vs-chinas-revolution

Fig.3 Diagram about Inhabitants / Architects proportion. http://www.artribune. com/2013/03/la-condizione-dellarchitettura-cinese/ condition-chinese-architecture-architects/

FOREWORD _ 1 CHINESE GROWTH _ 1.1 Why Study Chi-

SION FOR XIANG MEN

3.1 Project Area _ 3.2 Site Analy-

sis _ 3.3 The Concept _ 3.4 The Masterplan _ 3.5 Urban Design _ 3.6 Landscape _ 4 THE AR-

CHITECTURAL

DESIGN

_ 4.1 Urban Block _ 4.2 Design Concept _ 4.3 The Building _ 4.4 Functions & Paths _ 4.5 Private Elevated Courtyard _ 4.6 Case Studies _ 5 CONCLUSION _ 6 POSTCARDS FROM CHINA _ BIBLIOGRAPHY

“China is pushing ahead with a sweeping plan to move 250 million rural residents into newly constructed towns and cities over the next dozen years.”7 This is the beginning of the article by Ian Johnson in the New York Times about the effort of Chinese Government to move the population from the rural land to the cities. This movement sharply increased the population in the urban areas, as result the number of Megacities is growing very fast. “The plan could set off a new wave of growth or saddle the country with problem for the generations to come.”8 In 1950, during the rural reform, the Communist Party gave people the land to cultivate, but nowadays bulldozers are levelling villages that date to long-ago dynasties. “The primary motivation for the urbanization push is to change China’s economic structure, with growth based on domestic demand for products instead of relying so much on export. In theory, new urbanites mean vast new opportunities for construction companies, public transportation, utilities and appliance makers, and a break from the cycle of farmers consuming only what they produce.”9 Li Xiangyang, vice director of the Institute of World Economics

7. 8. 9. Johnson I., “China’s Great Uprooting: Moving Million into Cities”, in New York Times, 16/06/2013 * The articles in this series look at how China’s government-driven effort to push the population to towns and cities is reshaping a nation that for millenniums has been defined by its rural pattern.

Fig.4 Top view of Minxin Jiayuan, a low-income housing project in Chongqing for the landless farmers. http://www.nytimes. com/2013/06/16/world/ asia/chinas-great-uprooting-moving-250-million-into-cities. html?pagewanted=all&_ r=0&slide=20130601_CHINAURBAN-slide-GS4I&name=urban

and Politics, part of a government research institute, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;If half of Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population starts consuming, growth is inevitable, right now they are living in rural areas where they do not consume.â&#x20AC;? As a result, in the early 1980s, about 80% of Chinese lived in the countryside versus 47% today, plus an additional 17% that works in cities but is classified as rural. The idea is to speed up this process and achieve a urbanized China much faster than would have occurred organically. Without analizing the unsolved problem about people catapulted from a rural life to a megacities scenario, the process has brought modernization to the country and to the cities, new facilities, such as hospitals, roads, schools and community centres have been provided to the new urban environment. As a result the current urban environment is made up of big cities spreading in the surroundings were million of people live inside tall housing buildings. The economic growth and the urban development have run together very fast in the last two decades. However in-depth ruminations about its negative points are needed, i.e how to rush farmers into the new city pattern helping them to settle down.

Fig.5 (above) Proportion of the urban population in different city sizes. Sources: Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision and World Urbanization Prospects: The 2010 Revision. From: China National Human Development Report 2013. Fig.6 (below) Distribution of the urban population in different regions. Sources: “The Yearbook of China’s Cities” (1985, 1998, 2011) and the “China Statistical Yearbook 2012.” From: China National Human Development Report 2013.

Fig. 7 Comparison between Shanghai Pudong District in 1990 (above) and 2010 (below).

Fig. 8 Visitors from the countryside amid a giant project under construction in Chongqing. In southwestern China, away from the coast, it is the engine of Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inland economic development. http://www.nytimes. com/2013/06/16/world/ asia/chinas-great-uprooting-moving-250-million-into-cities. html?pagewanted=all&_ r=0&slide=20130601_CHINAURBAN-slide-34YA&name=urban

FOREWORD _ 1 CHINESE GROWTH _ 1.1 Why Study Chi-

SION FOR XIANG MEN

3.1 Project Area _ 3.2 Site Analy-

sis _ 3.3 The Concept _ 3.4 The Masterplan _ 3.5 Urban Design _ 3.6 Landscape _ 4 THE AR-

CHITECTURAL

DESIGN

_ 4.1 Urban Block _ 4.2 Design Concept _ 4.3 The Building _ 4.4 Functions & Paths _ 4.5 Private Elevated Courtyard _ 4.6 Case Studies _ 5 CONCLUSION _ 6 POSTCARDS FROM CHINA _ BIBLIOGRAPHY

FOREWORD _ 1 CHINESE GROWTH _ 1.1 Why Study Chi-

SION FOR XIANG MEN

3.1 Project Area _ 3.2 Site Analy-

sis _ 3.3 The Concept _ 3.4 The Masterplan _ 3.5 Urban Design _ 3.6 Landscape _ 4 THE AR-

CHITECTURAL

DESIGN

_ 4.1 Urban Block _ 4.2 Design Concept _ 4.3 The Building _ 4.4 Functions & Paths _ 4.5 Private Elevated Courtyard _ 4.6 Case Studies _ 5 CONCLUSION _ 6 POSTCARDS FROM CHINA _ BIBLIOGRAPHY

The design project centered on the city of Suzhou (苏州), formerly renamed Soochow, a major city in Jiangsu Province, southeast China, about 100 km northwest of Shanghai. At present Suzhou is the second largest city of the province, after its capital Nanjing, it is one of the most important economic and commercial centres of the whole country and a fundamental niçe of cultural and academic research. The city is located between Shanghai (on the southeast) and Wuxi (on the northwest), on the lowest bank of the Yangtze river and the shores of lake Tai and belongs to the Yangtze River Delta Region. Suzhou is surrounded by lakes, densely distributed not only outside the city but also in the city center and crossed by canals, that are important ways of transportation used in ancient time and still essential today. That is the reason why it is often called the “Venice of the East” or the “Venice of China”; so urban planning and the city structure are closely related with this water system. Its location and the influence of foreign capital from the nearby Shanghai gave a strong and fast development to Suzhou. At the same time the city is really important about tourism with its gardens and temples.

Fig.1 A view of Jinji Lake, Suzhou (personal photo).

Fig2. (on the left) Map of Suzhou, view of the Old Town Suzhou with the Waicheng River. 1. http://www.chinadaily. com.cn/english/doc/200401/06/content_296130. htm

The resident population is 10.58 million people in its administrative area with an extension of 8488 square kilometers, divided into many districts. The urban core of Suzhou is called Old Town Suzhou surrounded by The Ancient Wall and The Waicheng River. The old part of the town has an original set of canals along with streets and bridges that create a strong and charming attraction for worldwide tourism. Another important district is the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), on the east side of the old town. Suzhou Industrial Park is was project between the Chinese and Singaporean governments that decided to join hands developing the modern industrial area site of Dushu Lake Higher Education Town, home to many universities. “Today’s Suzhou is an open city with developed economy and frequent exchanges with the outside world. It has been officially declared as part of the coastal economic open zone of the Yangtze River Delta. Comprehensive industrial system has taken shape, and Suzhou has seen tremendous expansion in foreign trade and international economic co-operation, establishing friendship with cities in Italy, Canada, Japan and the United States.”1

Fig.3 A view of Pingjiang Lu, Old Town Suzhou (personal photo).

Fig.4 A view of Times Square, Suzhou Industrial Park (personal photo).

FOREWORD _ 1 CHINESE GROWTH _ 1.1 Why Study Chi-

SION FOR XIANG MEN

3.1 Project Area _ 3.2 Site Analy-

sis _ 3.3 The Concept _ 3.4 The Masterplan _ 3.5 Urban Design _ 3.6 Landscape _ 4 THE AR-

CHITECTURAL

DESIGN

_ 4.1 Urban Block _ 4.2 Design Concept _ 4.3 The Building _ 4.4 Functions & Paths _ 4.5 Private Elevated Courtyard _ 4.6 Case Studies _ 5 CONCLUSION _ 6 POSTCARDS FROM CHINA _ BIBLIOGRAPHY

Suzhou is one of the oldest Chinese cities, founded in 525 BC during the Chou dynasty. The city was built to resemble heaven and earth so like heaven it was to have eight water gates and like earth eight foot gates. During the Song period these were reduced to five. The city gates were used for both road and water traffic and are located asymmetrically because of the topography of the site, on this way the northern gate for example was located on the north-west part of the old town. In the ancient time water transport was the most efficient way to move people and materials , which along with the need for irrigation influenced the form and characters of the town planning during the Song dynasty. This means that Suzhou has a water-orientation because the canals are the principal generator of its urban plan. Through the centuries some of these canals have disappeared but from the past until now the water system has remained the main way of transportation in the old town. Unlike many other Chinese cities, which were rebuilt many times during their history, Suzhou substantially remained in the same place. The ancient part of the city follows the most typical Chinese city plan and

Fig.5 (on the right) Lü Yen’s plan of Suzhou, 1229. Johnston, R. Stewart. “The Ancient City of Suzhou: Town Planning in the Sung Dynasty.” In The Town Planning Review. Liverpool University Press, Vol 54, N.2 1983, p. 198. The map was carefully carved on a stone tablet that measures 1980mm x 1340mm.

shows a walled rectangular area with a network of streets and canals on the north-south and east-west axes. The area inside the walls is 14 square kilometers wide, the distance from north to south is slightly over 4.5 km long and from east to west over 3 km long. The orientation of the plan doesn’t follow the true direction north-south but it is rotated of about 8 degrees to provide a better wind orientation. In this way the prevailing south-east winds would cool the city during the summer months and bring some warmth in winter. If we look at the Lü Yen’s plan of the city we can easily recognize that the spatial pattern and the movement are created by the system of streets and canals that produce a unique framework for the building-up of the urban environment. An important part of the visual effect of the urban scene are the many “T” and “Zig-Zag”2 street junctions which are part of the layout which adjoin two linear streets. This movement is even replicated inside the classical Chinese courtyard houses, where it is possible to go through the houses by turning left or right in each courtyard. The above mentioned movement will influence the urban and architectural design of the project.

Fig.6 Analysis of the movement and spatial pattern. Johnston, R. Stewart. “The Ancient City of Suzhou: Town Planning in the Sung Dynasty.” In The Town Planning Review. Liverpool University Press, Vol 54, N.2 1983, p. 201. 2. Johnston, R. Stewart. “The Ancient City of Suzhou: Town Planning in the Sung Dynasty.” In The Town Planning Review. Liverpool University Press, Vol 54, N.2 1983, p. 202.

Fig.7 Personal sketch of the canal of Pingjiang Lu.

Fig.8 View of the canal and the lane in the old town, Suzhou (personal photo).

FOREWORD _ 1 CHINESE GROWTH _ 1.1 Why Study Chi-

SION FOR XIANG MEN

3.1 Project Area _ 3.2 Site Analy-

sis _ 3.3 The Concept _ 3.4 The Masterplan _ 3.5 Urban Design _ 3.6 Landscape _ 4 THE AR-

CHITECTURAL

DESIGN

_ 4.1 Urban Block _ 4.2 Design Concept _ 4.3 The Building _ 4.4 Functions & Paths _ 4.5 Private Elevated Courtyard _ 4.6 Case Studies _ 5 CONCLUSION _ 6 POSTCARDS FROM CHINA _ BIBLIOGRAPHY

As already said Suzhou is a water oriented city in the south of the Yangtze Basin of China because there are a lot of canals and it has a special oriented water landscape. The canals run north-south and east-west along the city creating a special geometrical pattern and define the street way and the residencesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; location. Canals become important spaces in the construction of Suzhou, creating rectangular-shaped areas that influence the residential development of the city. During all the dynasties the canals network changed, many canals disappeared because of several reasons. For instance the wars damaged China as well as the strong increase in the population to cause the need of more land. Following a boost of pollution and to maintain a clean environment some canals were filled up. One of the main target of the canals was to provide the city with a good way of transport of materials and people but even with the water for domestic and manufacturing use. Furthermore the waterways were used as a natural drainage system in order to dispose of the heavy rainfall in this region of China3. The large amount of water of the canals also served to temper the weather. In the summer months,

3. The annual avarage rainfall rate is from 1100 mm to 1200 mm.

Fig.9 Sketch showing lane and canal with bridge. Johnston, R. Stewart. “The Ancient City of Suzhou: Town Planning in the Sung Dynasty.” In The Town Planning Review. Liverpool University Press, Vol 54, N.2 1983, p. 206.

in fact, there is a heavy increase in humidity which the water masters greatly also helped by the growth of vegetation near the canals. The environment is thus tempered by trees and plants, and this factor has did much to stimulate the important tradition of the gardens of the city during later dynasties. Lü Yen’s plan of Suzhou (1229, page 11) describes the situation of the city during the Song dynasty, it shows 82-kmlong canals. It is possible to understand better the changes of the water system during the dynasties by the next schemes. 63

If we look at the map of the canal system during the Song Dynasty (960 - 1276) five major canals on the north - south axis and three major canals on west - east direction can be easily recognized. Other secondary canals are connected with these primary canals dividing the urban space in rectangles in the middle of the city. Hundreds of canals composed water networks and gave the urban environment a clear identity making up rectangular blocks with similar shape and dimensions. Later, during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), the total length of canals increased, the longest in its history, but substantially there were no changes.

Fig.10 (on the right) The Canal System during the Song Dynasty. Personal rielaboration of diagram into http://www.arch.oita-u. ac.jp/urban/yanli/international-paper/2000-korea. htm

Legenda Gates Primary Canals Secondary Canals

The map of canal system during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) shows that canals in the west and centre of the city disappeared mostly but many in the east remained and some new ones were created. One of the north-south major canals almost completely disappeared, and one of the reasons why many canals disappeared was that canals had not been cleaned for a long time, for about 50 years. So the total length of the canals decreased to 57 km.

Fig.11 (on the right) The Canal System during the Qing Dynasty. Personal rielaboration of diagram into http://www.arch.oita-u. ac.jp/urban/yanli/international-paper/2000-korea. htm

Legenda Gates New Canals Secondary Canals

The third map of the canal system in the modern times enables us to realize that some parts of the primary canals disappeared, in particular one of them totally disappeared and a lot of inner canals were filled up. The reason for filling these canals was to renovate the environment of the old city and to follow its growth since 1949. The actual total length of canals is about 35 km and it is clear that the canal system formed from the Song Dynasty onward has almost disappeared. Looking at the three steps we are lead to say that Suzhou is different from all other cities, which are set up by a road network. Throughout the centuries the canal system has proved to be the main urban structure of the city and the canals defined the locations and the directions of the roads and the buildings setting up the layout of the whole city.

Fig.12 (on the right) The Canal System in Modern Times. Personal rielaboration of diagram into http://www.arch.oita-u. ac.jp/urban/yanli/international-paper/2000-korea. htm

Legenda Gates Canals

One generator of the city and its spaces is the canal, so it is very interesting to understand the kind of situations that the section canal/lane provide to the urban space. It is possible to recognize 4 typical sections of the canal followed by the lanes. In the A section there is canal with a wall, i.e on one side we find the street and on the other side a wall that close a garden or a courtyard. The “wall” is an important element in the Chinese architecture since it means a protection of the house from the outside and it gives a sense of introversion recognizable in the urban environment of the old town. The B section shows the presence of two lanes which go along the canal. All over the lanes there are trees and plants which create a charming atmosphere. In the C section on one side stands a building and on the other side runs a lane. The building is usually the service part of a house and the lane separates the canal from the entrance of another house following the south-north axis. Finally the D section shows a situation in which the canal lies between two buildings and there aren’t any lanes or vegetation along the canal. These are the cleanest sections that you can find but Suzhou’s streets undergo a lot of changes.

A Wall - Lane

Fig.13 Types of Canal/ Lane sections (personal sketches).

B Lane - Lane 71

C Building - Lane

D Building - Building

Fig.14 View of section Wall - Canal - Lane (personal photo).

Fig.15 View of section Building - Canal - Lane (personal photo).

Fig.16 View of Pingjiang Lu, Suzhou (personal photo).

Fig.17 View of Pingjiang Lu Lane - Canal - Lane section (personal photo).

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“The traditional character for garden, above, is a pictogram where one can imagine the outer square as a wall that encloses a garden. The radical at the top resembles the shape of a roof and may represent shelter or a pavilion. The middle radical depicts an inner bounded area, such as a pool or pond, which is commonly the center of a garden. The lower radical is shared with the character for a pomegranate tree, a symbol of fertility and thus, family. The garden, then, can be distilled as a bounded space that has, at its essence, three elements: shelter, water, and fruiting trees”4. The garden shows its aim to give pleasure and relax to the family and to invite guests, it is a place to enjoy life and to come back to nature. Gardens are strictly influenced by Taoism and the contrast between Tao and Qui; Tao is the intangible whereas Qui in the tangible, the natural things. These places are also intended for human beings to pray and meditate. This one of the reason why the “hide” concept, i.e a way to escape from the mortal life and be isolated from the mortal world, is very important in Chinese gardens. As a result gardens are always surrounded by white walls and are designed in order to be

4. Henderson, Ron. Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture : Gardens of Suzhou. Philadelphia, PA, USA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012, pag. V

seen step by step and not all at once. There are four common elements in each Chinese garden: the rocks or hills, the water, the vegetation and the buildings. The main purpose of the rocks or hills is to replicate real mountains but this target is often difficult to achieve because the space of the garden is not big enough. So sometimes it is possible to see one single high rock to represent a particular mountain inside the garden according to the important idea of “expressing the whole through details”. Moreover the stones recall some literaly significance, for example, the thick, heavy stones correspond to the personal morality whereas some strange stones recall firmness and self-insistence. The water, as already said, is another key point in the Chinese gardens. It is always in the center and we can have two layouts, i.e water surrounded by hills or hills surrounded by water. The main buildings are usually placed around it because it is the soul of the garden. The lotus plants and the colored fish bring even more enjoyment to the scenery and the reflection of the water give largeness, power and charm. We can see the water in the form of square pond, “curvilinear water” or stream.

Fig.18 View of a rock in Lingering Garden, Suzhou (personal photo).

Fig.19 View of rocks in Lingering Garden, Suzhou (personal photo).

Fig.20 View of water and rocks in Lingering Garden, Suzhou (personal photo).

Fig.21 View of water, buildings and vegetation in Lingering Garden, Suzhou (personal photo).

The third element of the gardens is the vegetation. Clearly the purpose of this element is to imitate nature creating some natural scenery to have a rest, creating an atmosphere of quietness and depth. There are many various kinds of plants in a garden with a different range of dimensions and colors, a lot of flowers and trees that change with season and function. The vegetation even provides shadow to improve the fascinating atmosphere. The common plants used in Suzhou gardens are orchids, prunus mumes, bamboos and chrysanthemums, where the bamboos are used most. The latest element is the buildings that covers most of the space. The buildings inside the gardens are different as for shape and dimension, and have different functions. They not only provide a place to rest or to enjoy other activities for visitors but even emphasize the scenery as well. The TingTang is always the biggest building of the garden and represent the central core. It has two functions, i.e the business one (Ting), and the leisure one (Tang). It consists of big halls organized also on two or more storeys. Sometimes it is replaced by the Xuan, not as big as the TingTang and as small as a room.

Fig.22 View of vegetation and hall in Lingering Garden, Suzhou (personal photo).

Fig.23 Types of windows in Lingering Garden, Suzhou (personal photos).

The window is an important element in Chinese architecture, ornamental windows have to show something about the garden behind, mantaining introversion and detachment from outside.

Fig.24 View of hall where some people have a rest in Lingering Garden, Suzhou (personal photo).

Fig.25 Lang in Lingering Garden, Suzhou (personal photo). 88

Lang is a covered path which connects the different buildings inside the garden, it has normally a zig-zag shape.

Fig.26 Moongate in Lingering Garden, Suzhou (personal photo). Moongate is a particolar gate to go through the courtyards in the garden. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s possible to find it even in the houses.

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The previous paragraphs explained how the city structure is influenced by several elements as canals, roads, bridges. Consequently all these elements also influence the residential planning of the old town which shows a very clear and recognizable layout. Looking at the example (Fig. 27) we can see a traditional rectangular block in Suzhou with twelve residential lots having a fixed depth of 150 metres and widths which vary from 30 to 70 meters. By the way the total length of the block is 500 meters. Each lot has its own gated-entrance on south and a sequence of courtyards north-south oriented which sometimes includes a garden in the north part of the lot, next to the canal. “For the access to the waterway, there were small quays or steps set within the cartilage of the property (north side, Fig. 28) and on the opposite side (south) [...] similar quays and steps gave access to the public street (Fig. 29). The main entrance to a house was from the street, while the canal gave access to the rear or service entrance”5. The schematic houses plans of the lot 9 and 12 show the middle range of Chinese house size during the Sung Dynasty in Suzhou. The common layout used was that of courtyards, i.e

5. Johnston, R. Stewart. “The Ancient City of Suzhou: Town Planning in the Sung Dynasty.” In The Town Planning Review. Liverpool University Press, Vol 54, N.2 1983, p. 208210.

Fig.27 Residential block in north-eastern sector of city (after Yu Shengfang). Johnston, R. Stewart. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Ancient City of Suzhou: Town Planning in the Sung Dynasty.â&#x20AC;? In The Town Planning Review. Liverpool University Press, Vol 54, N.2 1983, p. 208.

one behind the other on a north - south axis. Each courtyard was surrounded by two main central halls on the north and south side and two lateral wings of smaller-sized rooms on east and west side. This layout followed the traditional idea of increasing privacy, the public and service rooms are near the main entrance on the south and the most private rooms and halls are towards the rear. So from south to north the spaces become private, from public and semi-public spaces to private and more intimate spaces. A more specific internal analysis of the house will be carried out in the next paragraph.

Fig.28 View of the north service entrance of a house in the old town, Suzhou. The house is directly connected to the canal (personal photo).

Fig.29 View of the south access to the street from the canal. By steps it is possible to access to the main street and then to the houses or the shops above. (personal photo)

Fig.30 (on the right) Analysis of the traditional Suzhou lots in the old town of the bounded area on the map on the left.

It is possible to see the traditional north-south orientation of the lots that even influence space and function division of the houses. In the past each lot used to include the house of one family so the main entrance was one, on the south; now one house is shared by more families so the entrances have become more than one for each lot.

Legenda Canal Primary street Secondary street 97 Lot boundary Entry to lot Bridge

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The traditional house in the Old Suzhou is the courtyard dwelling that defines the whole residential planning of the old city. Since the ancient times the houses followed clear rules about axis, height, movement and spaces. “ [...], houses and living quarters were flat, rising two or three stores at most. They were often next to the ground, and ideally protected by surrounding walls. No house could be higher than that of the local mandarin or than the residence of the emperor. In fact, since ancient times, tall towers were considered extravagant and therefore restricted. The prohibition against buildings taller than those of the officials reinforced this idea”6. These houses are composed by a complex structure of buildings, courtyards and corridors that follow the main north-south axis. One of the most important features of this housing typology is the “introversion” and the sequence “built-courtyard-built-courtyard”. Walls surround each house blocking the view from outside and providing intimacy to the internal spaces. It goes now to analyze each important element of the courtyard typology that will be the starting point of the architectural design.

6. Sisci Francesco, A Brave New China: The Big Change, Florence, goWare, 2014.

Fig. 31. Plan of Chenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence at Dongbei Street. Congzhou Chen, Traditional Suzhou Dwellings, Shanghai, Shanghai Joint Publishing, 2003, pag. 158

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Axes.

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The courtyard houses have a north-south orientation, the main entrance is always on the south side of the house so the inside movement goes from south to north. The north part is the private space of the house, only for the family and has a secondary access that is directly north-bound to the street or canal. It is possible to recognize two important axes, the main one going through the courtyards and the internal spaces. The second axis goes through the main corridor that connects the spaces from south to north and is lateral7. The north-south orientation also defines the traditional Suzhou house sequence of â&#x20AC;&#x153;courtyard-built-courtyard-builtâ&#x20AC;?.

Fig.32 Diagram of the axes about Chenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence (Fig.31). Legenda: Main Axis Second Axis 7. The use of the corridors has changed over the years due to family needs and divisions (look at Corridors on the next page).

Fig.33 Diagram of the hierarchy of Chenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence (Fig.31). Legenda: Outdoor Activities Indoor Activities Service Sector

Hierarchy. The axes define the level of privacy. Starting from the south the public and semi-public spaces make up the house. This part consists of meeting spaces, study rooms, guest rooms or courtyards to have a rest. The second part of the dwelling hosts more private spaces as the bedrooms. Finally the service sector, on the north side of the house, is the most private part. This is the location for the kitchen, the service rooms and the secondary entrance.

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Courtyards.

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The courtyards could have different functions in relation with their uses and size. In the past the courtyards were private because the house belonged to one sole family. Nowadays courtyards have become collective because the houses are shared between more families. So right now courtyards could have more users which change their function and fruition. It’s possible to recognize the “lighting and ventilation” courtyard with small dimensions just to provide inner spaces with light and air circulation. Secondly the “service” courtyard is used to add spaces. At present the housing needs are very high so these courtyards are used to add rooms, small kitchens and bathrooms. The big one is also used to grow little plants to eat or enjoy a green space. The last one is the “meeting” courtyard; it is usually at the front of the house (so on the southern part) and provides space to meet the neighbours and to have a rest. These courtyards are the biggest as for the dimensions. The courtyards, in plan and section, is always behind a built-up space, following the north-south orientation and giving the typical spatial feeling to be easily recognizable in the section below (Fig.35).

Fig.34 (on the left) Diagram of the courtyards about Chen’s residence (Fig.31). Legenda: Lighting and Ventilation Courtyards Service Courtyards Meeting Courtyards Fig.35 (at the bottom) Section A-A’ of Chen’s residence (Fig.31).

Fig.36 Different kinds of courtyards. On top “service”, in the middle “light and ventilation” and at the bottom “meeting” courtyard.

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Corridors. The corridors used to connect all the courtyard dwellings. They connected the sequence of built spaces and courtyards following the north-south orientation. As already said, in the past one big house was used by one single family so the corridors didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a connection with outer space. Later on the houses were shared between more families so they needed a direct connection with the outer street. Like the courtyards themselves, the corridors were private but nowadays they are collective and used by more people. As result the corridors have become more semi-public spaces used by the inhabitants to make their way to the houses. The corridors may be totally or partially covered.

Fig. 37. View of a corridor in the old city (personal photo).

Fig. 38. Plan of Guâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence at Tieping Lane. Congzhou Chen, Traditional Suzhou Dwellings, Shanghai, Shanghai Joint Publishing, 2003, pag. 169

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Fig.1 (on the left) View of Old Town Suzhou with project area marked. http://www.map512.cn/ Fig.2 (next page, on the left) Panoramic views of the project area (personal photos). Fig.3 (next page, on the right) View of the Ping Jiang Historical District with project area marked. Personal rielaboration of photos on http://www.map512.cn/ 1. A punt-style boat is a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow, designed for use in small rivers or other shallow water. https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Punt_(boat)

We are going to introduce the site project area as follows, marking the elements which will influence the urban and architectural design. The project area is located on the east side of the old city of Suzhou (Fig.1, on the left), on the north of the ancient West-East axis of the city and immediately north of the rebuilt Xiang Men (gate). Actually the whole area is abandoned and empty, just a few old buildings are still on site on the western part. The area needs a new urban concept and development in order to maintain and improve the changing contemporary urban scene of Suzhou. In this sense this area has to be considered as the extension to the east of the Ping Jiang Historical District, with a special attention to touristic, commercial, cultural and residential facilities. Ping Jiang Road is the centre of the cultural life of the city; it is lined with bookshops, teahouses, local opera theaters. Punt-style1 boats run on the Gran Canal. The site project has a north-south length of about 640 meters and about 180 meters on the west-east axis, with an extra 70-meters on the north-south axis and 220-meters on the west-east axis on the north-west corner. The total surface is 125000 square meters.

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The site borders (Fig.4) to the north with Daxinqiao Alley which it is a pedestrian way, by a Unesco World Heritage Garden and the Suzhou Zoo. On the east the rebuilt City Wall marks the project area with its City Wall Museum and the nearest New Xiang Men (gate). On the east side runs the popular Waicheng River which surrounds the whole old city with a width of 90 meters near the gate. The south limit of the site corresponds to Gan Jiang Street, the west-east street way axis of the city. This is a remarkable feature to be considered in the future design (like the City Wall) because it is a main street with public transportation and underground service. In fact the Xiang Men Underground Station on the south-west corner of the site is also important. By the way it is currently closed (the line 1 is still under construction) but it must be considered for the future people flow. The Soochow University on the south side of Gan Jiang Street, which hosts about 39000 students, is important, too . Finally the west boundary is Cang Street, i.e a vehicular road which cuts the site project in the northern part. Ping Jiang Road is also highlighted for the many tourists. Lindun Road marks the west boundary of the Ping Jiang District.

Fig.4 (on the right) Boundaries of the site project area. Fig.5 (next page, on the left) View of Ping Jiang Historical District with streets marked. Fig.6 (next page, on the right) View of the Ping Jiang Historical District with canals marked. Personal rielaboration of photos on http://www.map512.cn/

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The site area is currently empty; some lower hills and green vegetation that covers the whole area can be seen nearby. There is even a large parking inside for the surrounding areas and some old buildings on the western part. Looking at the canal system, a west-east-oriented canal divides the whole area in two big parts. The navigable canal connects the Gran Canal, alongside Ping Jiang Road, with the Xiang Men Gate and the Waicheng River, giving a transport waterway used up to now by residents and tourists. In the past the use of water was different, since the waterways were more widely used than now. They are now used by tourists who want to have a fascinating trip through the canals or by some residents that have boats to fish, too. Finally there is an old silk weaving factory on the north-west part of the project area, which is not used anymore.

Fig.7 View of the project area, with streets, canals and points of interest. Personal rielaboration of photos on http://www.map512.cn/

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To improve the knowledge of the urban environment and to master the skills in order to develop the urban and architectural design in a coherent and new way, a urban analysis has been carried out in order to understand the building scenario. The task is to produce urban design proposals starting from some research, analysis and ruminations on the Ping Jiang Historical District, to the studying of buildings under conservation of this area. This analysis has been carried out by walking randomly through the district and by looking at the houses. It is important to understand the internal house division and the use of space of classical Chinese courtyard houses. The Ping Jiang district has several buildings under conservation and the next pages are going to introduce sketches and diagrams which show the built and un-built parts of these houses, the familiy division, the circulation, the passages inside the houses, the different types of courtyard (residential, “service”, “light and ventilation”), the spaces added later on and the sequence from the exterior public spaces to the inner private ones. This exploration starts from the outer space in the district that is so “open” to welcome all the

2.4.6. Personal interviews with the current residents of Ping Jiang Historical District. 3. The Cultural Revolution was a Chinese socio-political movement (1966 - 1976). https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Cultural_Revolution 5. The Great Leap Forward was an economic and social campaign by the Communist Party of China (CPC) from 1958 to 1961. The campaign rapidly transformed the country from a rural economy into a socialist society through rapid industrialization and collectivization. https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Great_Leap_Forward

suggestions and the feelings of the old town. They have to be replicated in some good design, meeting the future residents and tourists’ needs. The analysis produced several sketches and diagrams useful to feel the spaces which mark this historical and suggestive Suzhou’s scene. From some residents’ interviews it is possible to infer that in the past “the streets were smaller and very few people used to stay in Xiang Men area.”2 During the Cultural Revolution3 the big Chinese houses were given to several peasants. “This is the reason why actually you can see one big house shared by many families, so it is possible to see many partitions in one single room”4. One big space is converted into smaller spaces. During the Great Leap Forward5 many houses were converted to workshops using the bricks and earth from the Xiang Men Wall. This is how the wall was destroyed. “The present situation is okay and we are happy with it. We go for a walk and do some exercises in the park near Xiang Men. We chat with the neighbors in the courtyards and the gardens near this area.”6 The next pages show sketches, diagrams, sections about the wall, places and houses under conservation in the Ping Jiang District.

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Fig.8 Personal sketch of the New City Wall 126

The new wall is very regular and constructed by modern material bricks, the wall and the vegetation are mixed together.

Fig.9 Personal sketch of a “service” courtyard.

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Fig.13 (on the left) Conservation plan for PingJiang District

Fig.12 Personal sketch of a library in the Ping Jiang District. Fig.13 (next page) Conservation plan for PingJiang District

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Looking at the previous paragraph (Site Analysis) a traditional movement inside the Suzhou’s houses can be recognizable. The “T” or “Zig-Zag” movement is always used to go through the building from a courtyard to the next. Let’s imagine a hypothetical resident while entering the building through the main entrance on the street (or canal) and moving along a linear opened or covered passage until the first courtyard. Then turning right or left to go along a second linear passage he can move on. In the big houses these passages connect the building, courtyard by courtyard, from south to north. Like for a big house on the urban scale, the urban design uses this concept of “zig-zag” movement in the whole area (Fig. 10). By a large lane, the design is able to connect a sequence of squares (like big courtyards) for public uses from south to north of the project area. Starting from the first square it is possible to move on to the next. So the key point is making a urban area into a “urban” Suzhou’s house. The aim is to preserve the feeling of movin on of the old town’s residents proposing a similar urban scene but in a new way, keeping the connections and the dense built-up situation of the Ping Jiang District.

Fig. 10 (on the right) Scheme of movement of the urban design.

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The Masterplan on the next pages shows the urban development of the site; it follows the general guidelines about this area by the Suzhou Planning Bureau7. This office is responsible for: “1. Executing law, regulations related to town and country planning of national, province, and city, and responsible for preparing regulations of city planning, town planning, country planning. 2. For preparing urban general arrangement, organizing the development of urban and rural system planning, detail planning and historical famous city’s protection planning. Organizing and preparing territorial, regional, economical and social development plan and the professional planning which are related to urban and rural planning. It is in charge of declaring, audit protection planning of urban historical and cultural cities together with the cultural relics management department. [...] 3. It is in charge of the city’s urban and rural planning and the supervision of its implementation as well as it is responsable for checking the urban and rural planning.”8

7. http://www.szghj.gov. cn/szghj/Eng/szghjEng. html 8. http://www.szghj.gov. cn/szghj/Eng/FunMore. html

The City Planning Bureau announced a private competition to develop the area giving detailed information that could be summarized by four general guidelines. It must guarantee the continuity of the existing landscape and the cultural atmosphere; it must design a combination of commercial and housing building typology to revive the whole area. It must pay attention to the elevations along the roads and channels along with the faĂ§ade looking over the Xiang Gate (XiangMen) and respect the traditional Suzhou double-pitch-roof building typology. The above mentioned guidelines were assumed as a starting point for the design studio, even if the project doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t meet them completely because they are suggestions to improve. The aim has been to give new social life and sustainable urban completion to the district. Starting from the idea of protecting the atmosphere, the feeling and the historical memory it is possible to provide a range of commercial, public and service spaces along with the needed housing units for an overpopulated country. The challenge has been to find the right solution to satisfy the future generation of dwellers without altering the old space features much.

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The urban design is also focused on section, in order to keep the image of “horizontal city”. The whole old district is made up of two-to-three-storey buildings so the goal is to meet this image, designing urban blocks with one-two floor volumes and three-to-five-storey small “towers”. For instance the buildings’ height decrease going to the New Suzhou Wall and is never over five storeys in order to respect the hierarchical height of the wall9. Each block designed can have a different density on purpose, i.e (Fig. 11), low (1.14), medium (1.33) or high (1.6), in order to achieve and control the whole built quantity of 100000 m2 indicated by the City Planning Bureau. Besides any block has a residential part on the upper floors, too and some “public” aims on the ground floor and possibly on the second floor, too. The design process wanted at first to explore a solution for the urban block that could be replicated with few changes on the overall planning. The final masterplan consists of the result of the process of “organic growth” with the addition of the blocks as “cells”. The next paragraph is going to explain the rules of viability, the urban fabric and the intentions (“celebration”) that govern the whole urban design.

Fig. 11 (on the right) Diagram of plot’s density. The density of the block has made by: density of the block = total built surface/surface of the lot. 9. The height of the New Wall is about 12 meters.

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Viability.

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The system proposed redraws the abandoned area following a precise guideline, i.e to continue the dense district on the west-east axis (Fig. 14) and to use the â&#x20AC;&#x153;courtyard-movementâ&#x20AC;? concept (paragraph 3.4 ) on the north-south axis. As already said the project area has to be considered as the eastern extension of Ping Jiang Historical District so the viability, too, is intended like an extension of the district. In Fig.1 the diagram shows the target of the viability design clearly. On the westeast axis, the several roads are extended through the project area as far as the new wall and its green walking path on the east. Inside the area the whole movement is made possible by pedestrian paths only which connect 5 squares for public activities. These sensitive connections are an opportunity that should not be seen just like the product of urban design, but also to improve the quality of life. All cars are set aside out of the area and into the underground parking for the future residents (Fig. 13). It is possible to reach the parking by Cang Street and go up to the developed area by elevator and stairs. In this way it will be possible to guarantee a pedestrian mobility, like in the surrounding areas, and the already existing public

Fig. 12 (on the right) Viability diagram.

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transportation alongside Gan Jiang Street. The canals are also important transportation ways in the area, since a navigable canal splits the area in two big parts and a new canal in the south part continues a west-east axis. The rebuilt wall, its canal and the green path are an artificial boundary that connects all the new lanes.

Fig. 13 Diagram of the underground parking.

Fig. 14 Diagram of the new axes.

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Urban Fabric.

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The attempt to create continuity with the existing dwellings from the western to the eastern part of the area is clearly visible by looking at the diagram. The western part is more dense with houses, which decreases going east, with more empty space for the public activities. The aim is to create a stronger â&#x20AC;&#x153;built-barrierâ&#x20AC;? to the west, as a defense from the vehicle way of Cang Street, whereas the tissue becomes more rarefied on the eastern part to enjoy the landmarks and future green areas. The presence of the new wall with its museum and green walking path represent the chance to lighten up the stressed and dense blocks which mark the whole district. It is possible to keep the familiar atmosphere giving residents new relaxed space without forgetting that conception of introversion so important in the Chinese culture. The new urban blocks try to replicate the old ones, following the rules of density and internal intimacy. They were born from an analysis aimed to understand the proportions and the inside movement. The housing typology of courtyard houses was interpreted by simplifying forms and elements. Each block can be used both for residences and public activities (look at chapter 4).

Fig. 15 (on the right) Urban fabric diagram.

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Celebration.

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The choice to use thr ground floor for both commercial and public purposes makes the whole area heterogeneous and dynamic. Anyway the urban design creates five openings in the dense tissue; these are five focal public points of the project and represent the “courtyards” for the public activities. Starting from the south the first square is used as an area for “transport exchange” for the nearest metro station. A space to leave the bike or to reach the metro station from the underground parking. The nearest Soochow University entrance makes an empty space essential for the people who cross this area every day. The second square is the biggest of the project and can host several entertainment shows as festivals, collective projections and other group activities. The third more intimate square will host cultural events with fewer users or relaxing space for the citizens. The fourth square, located on the northern part of the area, will be used as an open market, a point of commercialization, attracting tourists and dwellers and also favouring people’s movement to the further northern area. The last square, on the western part, is more closed and intimate and will host exhibitions and little events.

Fig. 16 (on the right) Celebration areas diagram.

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The new urban landscape arises to answer an important question about the huge underground parking that will be built in the area. How can the huge quantity of excavated earth will be used? Even if normally the earth is taken away, this is not considered as a sustainable way to perform. The aim is to reuse the excavated earth, for the formation of an artificial new topography. This is shared by the tradition of the Chinese garden, the earth is excavated for creating pounds, canals and reused for artificial hills. A second point is the big dimension of the area, i.e the biggest void in all the historical city of Suzhou. How is it possible to propose a new identity for the area, without mimiking the previous urban structure? It is possible to imagine new public space, with exceptional features. The landscape design offers good possibilities to give the whole area some new originality. This is the reason why the design proposes four big green areas with hills and new surrounding green environment. Starting from south the target of the first big hill is to defend the square and buildings behind from the noise of Gan Jiang street, actually the main west-east axis of the city. This solution is

Fig. 17 (on the right) Landscape diagram.

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the first breaking point through the dense historical tissue and a beautiful view over the near Xiang Men gate. It even provides people with a more relaxed atmosphere to enjoy the public activities in the square. A kind of â&#x20AC;&#x153;water-platformâ&#x20AC;? with some fascinating buildings on it for commercial activities or workshop space are even expected. In the central part, two hills create an important spot. They run alongside the central canal providing a fascinating way to cross it by walking over a bridge. Once up there it is possible to enjoy the view of the wall and the surrounding area, also building up interesting architectural space and a new canal section without houses but with hills on both sides. Northward the last hill is situated inside a closed green space as a Chinese garden. The choice to create a garden comes from the nearby Unesco World Heritage Garden in the north and from Dongyuan Park. The space is surrounded by a wall preventing the view from outside in order to follow and respect the traditional Chinese garden and to give some intimate space to have a rest during the day. Finally some other green areas along the eastern part of the site provide open leisure space.

Fig. 18 (on the right) Conceptual personal sections of the landscape design.

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After the first phase of urban design the project developed into the architectural design. Each student intended the design work on the Masterplan as ended and chose a smaller urban block, working on a more in-depth scale. Everybody chose a urban previous block to develop, studying the architectural problems in depth until the final presentation on the 19th December. The long work on Masterplan allows the students to complete the urban tissue in a proper way with some good urban design and let them understand the rules of space and aims in the building environment. The new task for the architectural design was to improve and study a â&#x20AC;&#x153;buildingâ&#x20AC;?1 which could be used for the whole project area, considering the needs of housing space and commercial space to improve the feeling tourists may have of the district. As for the architectural design I chose to develop a urban block with a strategic position. It is in the central part of the site area close to the main existing canal which splits the site into two parts. The position is influenced by the corner between east-west-oriented canal and the north-south-oriented one which runs alongside the new city wall. Two green areas, se-

Fig. 1 (on the right) Plan view of the central part of the Masterplan with developed urban block marked. (On the left) Masterplan navigator. 1. With the word building is meant the set of walls, houses, courtyards and spaces that make up a urban block.

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veral shops and the direct view over the new wall all together make the block an important spot and a chance to study the architectural form. The project was born from the blending of different uses and levels of height. The aim is to propose an attractive urban â&#x20AC;&#x153;buildingâ&#x20AC;? far from the simple accumulations of residential units. The project tries to manage the concept of inside movement through the building on the ground floor and interprets the traditional courtyard house on the upper floors. The idea of permeability is essential inside an important touristic district to create a sustainable urban block dealing with commercial and public activities. This is the reason which lies behind the choice to put the housing space on the highest floors and the commercial activities on the ground floor. The building is not higher than

three floors to keep the identity of the linear city of the old town and to respect the importance of the nearby new city wall, which is higher than the highest designed building. The design uses a sequence of public courtyards that allows the dwellers to enter the shops on the ground floor or their houses on the upper floors with private staircases. The sections below show the aim of having a semi-public ground floor with public courtyards and houses on the upper floors with private elevated courtyards that provide an intimate open space for each house. These courtyards are always surrounded by walls which screen off the space from the outer view keeping up privacy. Only some holes allow people to recognize plants beyond the walls like traditional windows do from outside the traditional Suzhouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gardens.

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Fig. 2 View A of the architectural design.

Fig. 3 View B of the architectural design.

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Fig. 4 View C of the architectural design.

Fig. 5 View D of the architectural design.

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The final architectural design comes out from the deep analysis carried out on the Pingjiang District houses and the design concept tries to re-use the rigid north-south urban block orientation. The first step of the process was to rotate the block orientation. The analysis showed a strict sequence of built-up and courtyard spaces from south to north. So the design tried to re-interpret this sequence dealing with the new division. The architectural program provided a sequence of space with two different dimensions as for depth which match the traditional built and courtyard depth. Furthermore the possibility to add covered space in the “courtyard area” or remove “closed areas” in the built-up space made the program suitable to fit any size of the urban block. This was one of the key points of the design because it tried to answer the high housing requests without altering the atmosphere of the old town. The sequence is marked by walls which are one of the most important elements of the traditional Suzhou architecture. Step by step it is possible to go through the building courtyard by courtyard, going past the gates which connect every open space on the ground floor. The movement on the

Fig. 6 Concept of architectural design.

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ground floor matches the urban design concept. The sequence of courtyards and gates looks up to the zig-zag movement through the traditional Suzhou houses (look at paragraph 3.2 Site Analysis). Every courtyard is a semi-public space from which you can go the next one by a gate. From each courtyard it is possible to access both to the bussiness activities and to the house by a staircase either on the right or on the left.

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Fig. 7 Personal sketch about traditional courtyard pattern with staircases.

Fig. 8 Movement concept inside the designed building, comparison between traditional Suzhou courtyard house and the design.

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The housing typology used for the building is the courtyard one. As already said this type of housing is typical of the Chinese tradition, it can change in relation with the different regions but favoured by the years and by the intimacy offered by the enclosed courtyard space. Chinese housing don’t allow big open courtyard without screening off the view from the outer space. The idea of introversion is the key point of traditional Chinese houses and finding a re-interpretation of this typology is one of the focal point of the design. The sequence of west-east orientation walls which set the space step by step is recognizable on the ground floor plan. The “walls” are strong elements; they close the space on the north and south side and provide a way through consecutive gates which are their only opening on the ground floor. The semi-public courtyards guarantee socialization among the inhabitants, full fruition of the surrounding commercial and service space and direct access to the houses. Inner courtyards provide a secondary entrance to the shops which can be reached both from the outer and inner path. On the west and east side the ground-floor space leaves the view open thanks to glass façade.

Fig.9 (on the right) Plan view of the ground floor. Fig.10 (next page, on the left) Plan view of the first floor. Fig.11 (next page, on the right) Plan view of the second floor.

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The housing space lies on the first floor introducing a new kind of courtyard, the private elevated courtyard. The PEC follows the idea of traditional Suzhou gardens where the green area is surrounded by walls. The concept of introversion is the one of the most important connection with the Suzhou traditional atmosphere. From the street is not possible to see inside the courtyard; on one hand from outside is possible to understand that something is going on but the view is blocked, on the other hand from inside people canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look on the outside but they can

discover the surroundings through regular openings on the wall. The design provides different accomodation depending on the family size. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;wallsâ&#x20AC;? are recognizable on this floor, too; they are closed on the northern side and open on the southern one in accordance with the solar radiation. Each room always overlooks an open private courtyard to the south. The courtyard becomes the core of the house, the inner and the outer space have no interruption, i.e there is a formal continuity just broken up by a glass faĂ§ade. In this way it is possible to open the space to the exterior.

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The second floor houses the upper parts of the place. This area includes the living, dining and kitchen in the same open space. The upper part of the building gets connected with the outer world by a big glass opening on almost every side apart from the northern one. On one hand the southern opening gives the possibility to look over the underlying private courtyard, on the other hand the other one lets the observer enjoy the new city wall on the east and the interesting designed hill and canal with its building on the west. Some 192

houses have an inner area marked by some glass windows for introducing a new idea of courtyard by its formal expression. The new area allows the view over the inner space without any change in the original intimacy of the old pattern, i.e the screening off by the house walls. This operation could be considered as a continuity with the past where the courtyards were the space of one single family getting the shared part of a block of houses in time to come. Small terraces give more open-air space to the others providing a good mixed-up type. 193

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_ 4.1 Urban Block _ 4.2 Design Concept _ 4.3 The Building _ 4.4 Functions & Paths _ 4.5 Private Elevated Courtyard _ 4.6 Case Studies _ 5 CONCLUSION _ 6 POSTCARDS FROM CHINA _ BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Legenda Commercial Space

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Staircase to upper floor Commercial access Staicase access

Fig. 12 (on the left) Scheme of the movement of the ground floor.

The scheme describes the sequence of courtyards and of the built-up space on the ground floor. Two main gates are located on the northern and southern sides, giving direct access to the enclosed urban block preserving some total crossing on the north-south axis. The red lines refer to the access to each shop and bussiness or public space such as for instance the library or the workshop laboratory. The courtyards are public and granted a common public space where inhabitants can socialize. They provide a secondary entrance to each bussiness space and the traditional permeability of the courtyard house. At some points staircases on the eastern and western side of the courtyards allow the owners to reach their private houses providing a direct access to the upper floor. By means of that it is not only possible to join the social life of the urban contest, but also to enjoy the intimacy of your own house in a fast and simple way, just going upstairs.

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Legenda 200

Housing Space Orientation opening

Fig. 13 (on the left) Scheme of the courtyard and the orientation of the houses on the first floor.

The scheme on the left shows the orientation of the opening of the houses. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clearly recognizable that the south orientation is the most important. The openings work together with the main east-west orientation walls in order to manage the private space in the most suitable way. In each house the north walls are totally closed, i.e screening off the solar radiation and providing privacy to each single elevated private courtyard while on the south walls big glass openings are provided in order to granted the maximum fruition of the open space and the solar radiation. Both on the east and on the west other windows assure the lighting needed for the rooms located on the northern part of each house.

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Legenda Commercial 202

Housing Staircase to houses

Fig. 14 (on the left) Scheme of the function.

The 3D visualization is figured out to describe the function division. The whole bussiness activities on the ground floor are marginalised whereas the housing space on the first and second floor is. A function distribution per storey could preserve inner intimacy without endangering the public fruition of the ground floor.

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Fig. 15 3D visualization A, view of a semi-public courtyard on the ground floor.

Fig. 16 3D visualization B, view of a semi-public courtyard on the ground floor.

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Fig. 17 (on the left) 3D visualization A, view of an internal commercial space on the ground floor. Fig. 18 (on the right) 3D visualization B, view of a semi-public courtyard on the ground floor.

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The courtyard is the most important feature of the traditional house of Suzhou. It is a space strictly mastered by private activities but also influenced by public interaction. As a result a courtyard hosts a perfectly balanced mixture between intimacy, privacy, sharing and relation among its inhabitants. This space warps the rigid distinction between private and public, it is a real and original place of Suzhou urban environment and Chinese housing, too. A house in the old town of Suzhou cannot stand up without the courtyard and its related uses. As far as this project area is concerned, every new design needs ruminations on this specific architectural space and this project copes with it consequently. The architectural design proposes a sequence of semi-public courtyards on the ground floor to make the fruition of the commercial activities on this level easier. This space provides both a public way to the bissiness activities and some kind of privacy because of the shielded position of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;buildingâ&#x20AC;?2. It gives protection from passers-by on the outer pedestrian path and in the nearby square. The courtyards provide permeability to the whole building, too. It is possible to go through it

2. With the word building is meant the set of walls, houses, courtyards and spaces that make up an urban block.

on the north-south axis without any obstacles. Gates on each courtyard permit the movement on the ground floor closing the view from the previous one to the next one. So, on the north-south orientation, there is a continuity of movement and a discontinuity of sight. The opposite happens on the west-east axis, where the glass faรงade of the bussiness space allows the continuity of view but there is a discontinuity on movement because people can only enter the bussiness space itself. On the upper floors the space become private, the design brings the traditional courtyard on the ground to an upper level. The courtyard becomes elevated and private without losing the features of the traditional one, i.e. the above mentioned courtyard can be used as space to have a rest or it can be shared to enjoy leisure time with the guests. At the same time it becomes more intimate and grantes a shielded place from the outer caos caused by people coming and going down the street. It is necessary to remember that the district, the project is focusing on, is touristic and the planning bureau of Suzhou asks for both some bussiness and touristic design to comply with the original plan.

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Fig. 19 (on the left) 3D visualization A, view of a private elevated courtyard on the first floor. 212

Fig. 20 (on the right) 3D visualization B, view of a private elevated courtyard, on the first floor, from the room.

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Fig. 21 (on the left) 3D visualization A, view of a private elevated courtyard on the first floor. 214

Fig. 22 (on the right) 3D visualization B, view of a private elevated courtyard from the room, on the first floor.

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As the Fig. 23 on the right shows, the private elevated courtyard (PEC) is closed on all the sides providing intimacy. The PEC warmly welcomes the inner rooms of the house, resulting in one single space, that embraces the flow which goes from a covered space to an open one. There is a new continuity of view and movement unusual in the traditional housing pattern of Suzhou. The PEC is prevented from the outer view with walls and is the core of the house as per the tradition. Regular rectangular-sized openings allow the view of the outer urban environment as in the traditional gardens of Suzhou. The designed courtyard is the extension of the house space as the Fig. 20 and 22 show. The PEC provides a space for leisure. In any house on the second floor the main big open space includes a second kind of courtyard. This inner courtyard is closed by glassed-walls almost completely (Fig. 25) inside the main open-space of the house. As result the traditional concept of â&#x20AC;&#x153;introversionâ&#x20AC;? is turned upside down. Nevertheless the courtyard is open to the rest of the house by the glassed-walls facing the private living, dining and kitchen, thus preserving the past precept of intimacy of the courtyard.

Fig. 23 (on the right) 3D visualization A, view of a private elevated courtyard, on the first floor, from the room.

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Fig. 24 (on the left) 3D visualization A, view of a private elevated courtyard on the second floor. Fig. 25 (on the right) 3D visualization B, view of the inner space of a house on the second floor.

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Legenda: GROUND FLOOR

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1 - Secondary Commercial Entrance 2 - Secondary Commercial Entrance 3 - House Entrance 4 - Commercial Space 5 - Commercial Space 6 - Commercial Space 7 - Primary Commercial Entrance 8 - Primary Commercial Entrance

Legenda: FIRST FLOOR 9 - Private Elevated Courtyard 10 - Bedroom 11 - Bedroom 12 - Bathroom 13 - Bathroom 14 - Private Elevated Courtyard 15 - Bedroom

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Legenda: SECOND FLOOR 226

16 - Living 17 - Dining 18 - Kitchen 19 - Bathroom 20 - Private Elevated Courtyard

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Reimagines the Chinese Hutong, MVRDV, Beijing, China.

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“The development of the Xianyukou hutong has been delayed in comparison to other surrounding areas, which creates an enormous potential for the area. Its proximity to Tiananmen Square makes it highly significant. It demands a cultural, even political viewpoint on its development, which bridges the future with the past. No masterplan or grand design, but a strategy for development. [...] A series of projects and interpretations can be imagined that make this development possible in a phased manner. From luxury homes to affordable apartments, and from houses for the elderly to those of the young. Whether azalea or bamboo gardens, filling both dense and spacious plots. Both commercial and residential plots, all made by different future owners and architects, next to one another. The proposal creates a sort of building exposition where different projects, interventions, interpretations and strategies can be tested and displayed, thus testing and displaying the possible future development of ‘the next hutong’. By providing basic infrastructure and communal facilities, the government can play an important role in promoting further development.”2

2. http://www.archdaily. com/779706/the-next-hutong-mvrdv Fig. 26 (on the right) Pics from http://www.archdaily. com/779706/the-next-hutong-mvrdv

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Nano-Polis Masterplan, Henn Architekten’s Design & Henn Studio B, Competition 2010, Suzhou, China.

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The proposal for the international competition to design the new ‘Nano-Polis Masterplan’; winner of first prize. “The overall development includes a cluster of high and medium-rise buildings surrounding a central plaza. This area houses most of the administrative, exhibition, conference and public areas as well as temporary housing facilities. This iconic centre is surrounded by a transitional “green belt” which references the traditional Chinese gardens that Suzhou is known for. A natural river flows east to west through the site which feeds a series of ponds, canals, and water features throughout this zone. This green buffer zone connects by a series of shared roofscapes, courtyards and galleries to the outer ring: The entire complex is defined by a dense belt of research and production facilities that create a defined urban edge to the surrounding context. The design of Nano-Polis employs a variety of environmentally responsible systems into its planning. Innovative technologies such as solar harvesting and rainwater collection work together with simple strategies of pedestrian access and public transportation to decrease energy consumption while creating a comfortable place to live and work.”3

3. http://www.archdaily. com/91796/nano-polis-nanotech-research-and-development-park-henn-architekten-henn-studiob Fig. 27 (on the right) Pics from http://www.archdaily. com/91796/nano-polis-nanotech-research-and-development-park-henn-architekten-henn-studiob

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Beijiao Cultural Centre, Gravity Partnership Limited, 2012, Foshan, China.

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“Located in the heart of the emerging Foshan of Guangdong Province, the architectural complex is a local cultural hub consists of a theatre, and exhibition hall, a library, and educational centre, and a variety of indoor and outdoor activity spaces. Through the manipulation of spatial sequencing, the conglomeration of building mass and the sculpting of formal scales and rhythm, it aimed to re-interpret the spatial locality of the City in its contemporary setting. With the architectural concept of porosity, the buildings are placed strategically along the four edges of the rectangular east-west site, forming a vast, open green public realm at the centre, and hence promoting a sense of openness and encouraging the diversity of visitor circulation. The articulation of perforated screens and walls augments the transparency by connecting the interior rooms, the verandahs and atriums with the external landscaped accesses and porches. Such permeate approach breaks the physical fortification (and hence mental barrier) and re-permeate culture into people’s daily life. Such concept is further enhanced by a series of reflective pools and bamboo planting which create a poetic ambience and a sense of quietness.”4

4. http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/beijiao-cultural-centre-foshan-china-gravity-green/#. V2LV5LuLTIU Fig. 28 (on the right) Pics from http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/beijiao-cultural-centre-foshan-china-gravity-green/#. V2LV5LuLTIU

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Quinta da Avenida, Souto Moura Arquitectos, 2007, Porto, Portugal.

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“The Quinta da Avenida regards the construction of a building that is situated near the Avenida da Boavista, in front of the Parque da Cidade in the city of Porto. With two basement levels and a ground floor, all the implementation area of the complex, various disperse ‘Blocs’ of one or two floors implemented on top of the roof of the ground floor produced an original architectonic conception. The two basement levels (level -2 and -1) are destined to become a parking spaces and storage compartments available for shops on the ground floor. The various ‘blocs’ are designed to become offices. All of the levels are interlinked vertically by two nucleus staircases with a lift each. The access of vehicles to the -1 floor is achieved by the Avenida da Boavista. The existence of running water under the -1 floor slab, associated to the characteristics of the soil over the slab of level -2 (muddy sands with a high permeability) lead to the necessary construction of a joint foundation slab over the soil. Over this slab, and with the interposition of an embankment and drainage membrane layer involving the surrounding buried drainage and sanitation net, exists a pavement slab that is ‘loose’ from the structure.”5

5. http://www.afaconsult. com/portfolio/61021/127/ quinta-da-avenida-office-building Fig. 29 (on the right) Pics from http://www.afaconsult. com/portfolio/61021/127/ quinta-da-avenida-office-building

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Split Courtyard House, TAO, 2015, Beijing, China.

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“Commonly associated with northern chinese cities, ‘hutongs’ are a type of narrow street that connect single storey courtyard houses, known as ‘siheyuan’. During beijing design week 2015, local practice TAO (trace architecture office) has unveiled the complete renovation of one such dwelling. Located in Beijing’s Historic Baitasi District, the ‘split courtyard house’ provides rental accommodation for young people working in the area. A traditional ‘siheyuan’ features a central courtyard with a series of connecting rooms, a layout not suitable for modern day living. Consequently, the design team rearranged the site to provide private space for four individuals, organized around a shared living room. This pinwheel configuration also ensures that each resident has their own secluded external courtyard. Apricot and date trees have been chosen for the private patios, while internally, beds have been elevated in order to free up the ground floor for other uses. A skylight and full height glazing provide natural illumination and establish a stronger connection with the natural environment. At the heart of the plan, the communal area offers a space for residents to converse or dine together.”6

6. http://www.designboom.com/architecture/ beijing-design-week-tao-trace-architecture-office-split-courtyard-house-hutong-china-10-01-2015/ Fig. 30 (on the right) Pics from http://www.designboom.com/architecture/ beijing-design-week-tao-trace-architecture-office-split-courtyard-house-hutong-china-10-01-2015/

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Hybrid Courtyard Living, Vector Architects, 2015, Beijing, China.

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“In this courtyard house renovation, vector architects explores the relationships between old and new styles of living and construction.”7 The design have a size of 155 square meters and an height of only one floor; it was presented to the Beijing Design Week 2015. “The scheme is articulated around a centrally positioned courtyard; conceived as a catalytic urban intervention, the carefully delineated space contains private and secluded areas alongside communal recreational programs. [...] Led by architect Gong Dong, the design team refers to this as “hybrid living”; a type of behavior more suited to today’s urban environment. In terms of its construction, the renovation strictly follows the order of the existing urban fabric. The modifications involved the complete overhaul of the north building, and the replacement the low quality temporary structure in the courtyard with a new bamboo-built installation. [...] The structure’s transparency and permeability ensures natural lighting and ventilation, while simultaneously creating a distinct spatial experience. Individual components were prefabricated in the factory before being assembled on site, minimizing construction disturbance.”8

7. 8. http://www.designboom.com/architecture/ vector-architects-courtyard-house-bjdw-beijing-design-week-2015-09-24-2015/ Fig. 31 (on the right) Pics from http://www.chinese-architects.com/en/ projects/52186_Hybrid_ Courtyard_Living

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About the materials: House with Panoramic Ocean View CLAIR archi lab, 2015, Urama, Japan.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the east side of Uruma-city, Okinawa, the site is situated on the hill which is 500m away from the ocean. Panoramic ocean view can be seen on the east side of the site. When standing at the site, we conceived that we had to create an architecture optimizing the beautiful location overlooking the sea. To take advantage of the panoramic view, we planned to place large openings as much as possible on the east side of the house, while minimizing the openings on the south side of the house connected to the road. In addition, we planned to install the long walls extended in east-west direction in the parallel with the sea, so as to overlook the sea anywhere inside of the house. By the long walls, we clearly divide the house into three spaces which are the entrance, public and private spaces. These three spaces are positioned in parallel from the front side toward the back side of the site. The extra length of the walls makes it possible to enjoy the beautiful ocean from respective spaces of the house, while preventing any obstacle from coming into sight. [...] Regarding the exposed concrete finish for the ceilings and walls, we use plywood at the most part and partially use cedar planks to mold themâ&#x20AC;?9

9. http://www.clairarchilab. com/en/works/house-panoramic-ocean-view/ Fig. 32 (on the right) Pics from http://www.clairarchilab. com/en/works/house-panoramic-ocean-view/

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FOREWORD _ 1 CHINESE GROWTH _ 1.1 Why Study Chi-

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3.1 Project Area _ 3.2 Site Analy-

sis _ 3.3 The Concept _ 3.4 The Masterplan _ 3.5 Urban Design _ 3.6 Landscape _ 4 THE AR-

CHITECTURAL

DESIGN

_ 4.1 Urban Block _ 4.2 Design Concept _ 4.3 The Building _ 4.4 Functions & Paths _ 4.5 Private Elevated Courtyard _ 4.6 Case Studies _ 5 CONCLUSION _ 6 POSTCARDS FROM CHINA _ BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Design in China has been very fascinating. It taught me that making project in this country is strictly connected to the individual in a in-depth and indissoluble way. Architecture is herewith linked to the person, as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;human beingâ&#x20AC;?, stronger than in other places since it is actually about peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs in a deeper way. As a result these features bring the architect who designs in China to many more ruminations about project than usual and at the same time to many more advantages and possibilities of exploration of the space as well as its use. In the last few decades Chinese architecture expressed itself as a reply to the huge housing need of the country following the fast economic growth driven by precise political choices. As a result there was a development, especially in the megacities, of a featureless architecture which has given the real achitectural Chinese character for granted and tried to copy the western architecture modes awkwardly, because of its generated speed of expression. It seems as if architecture were faraway from its population in meeting the prime needs of that time, and stoking a dangerous trend, i.e losing its own identity through

a lack of respect for the buildings of its tradition, those wrapped in a blanket of indifference in the name of something “new” and of “progess”. In the last few years the necessity of an architecture focused not only on numbers or quantities but also on quality, i.e not only on “how much” but also on “how”, as been growing considerably. The economic growth has given big advantages to the country and its stability but has brought both economic and social inequality, too, embittering long-lasting gaps. Architecture has to make these gaps narrower, architects who work in China have to design enhancing the standard quality of living and housing in the whole city, without creating mere flats or houses just to squeeze million of people in them. Some respectful and qualified design is vital, since it has been missing and willingly ignored for too long time. Therefore some architecture, which mirrors its past values and which leads to some homogeneus growth of the housing standards meeting the tradition from which the Chinese architecture was born, is needed. For these reasons my project design comes out of a careful analysis of the built-up

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and of the ancient historic part of Suzhou. I have been trying to understand and include all those features and choices which regulate the urban pattern of this part of the town. The project of this thesis made out of some architecture which origibates from a detailed study of the tradition, interpreting and matching the features of the old city of Suzhou. Before getting down on the design, an important, precise, in depth analysis of the traditional houses has been carried out as per the previous ruminations about them. As a result I was able to understand the real main elements of the dwellers’ daily-life and I have tried to reinterpret them in a new way. The key points have been analyzed, such as the “wall”, the “movement”, the “sight”, the “courtyard”, the “space”. All these elements master the shape and the feeling of the housing and I needed to know them to explain my new personal and functional design. The final aim of the work was to propose a reproducible design. The projected building had to be extended to the whole site area. Moreover the goal was to project something new and sustainable that would have given real advantages to the residents.

1. Spengler Oswald, Il tramonto dell’Occidente, Milano, Longanesi, 1981.

The project focuses on the “atmosphere”, on the “mood” that the architecture produces in the human-being. So ruminations on the materials were not included, i.e designing an architecture based on the program and form was the prime goal and materials may be faced in the future. The regular and sensible scheme in the project meets the guidelines of Chinese architecture matching the ideas of Oswald Spengler who described the spirit of this architecture led by the uniformity of its building and by its calculated construction methods according to the landscape1. The simmetry of the building program, the volume visualization, the courtyard, the ideas about closed, opened, screened off, hidden space are the evidence of my approach. At the end of this thesis I can say that Chinese architecture is still improving its constructions, architectural forms, materials and technological know-how. By now it has started again to improve its reached identity, too, with architects that are learning from the past in order to create new urban and architectural forms. Our duty, as architects, is to match this identity as a part of the growing process of this country since we cannot ignore this challenge.

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sis _ 3.3 The Concept _ 3.4 The Masterplan _ 3.5 Urban Design _ 3.6 Landscape _ 4 THE AR-

CHITECTURAL

DESIGN

_ 4.1 Urban Block _ 4.2 Design Concept _ 4.3 The Building _ 4.4 Functions & Paths _ 4.5 Private Elevated Courtyard _ 4.6 Case Studies _ 5 CONCLUSION _ 6 POSTCARDS FROM CHINA _ BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Personal pics from my China trip.

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Panoramic view of Times Square, Suzhou

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Top view of Times Square and Jinji Lake from IFS Tower (under construction) , Suzhou

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View of Suzhou Science & Cultural Arts Centre, Suzhou

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Traditional window in Lingering Garden, Suzhou

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View of Lingering Garden, Suzhou

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Internal view of a restaurant in Pingjiang Road, Suzhou

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Suzhou North Railway Station, Suzhou

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Street view in Hutong District, Beijing

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Panoramic view of Forbidden City, Beijing

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Internal view (left) and top view (top) of The Great Wall of China, Beijing

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View of Confucius Temple in Nanjing Fuzimiao, Nanjing

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Entrance view of Memorial Massacre Hall, Nanjing

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Panoramic view of Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum, Nanjing

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Panoramic view of Pudong District with its skyscrapers from Shanghai bund, Shanghai

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View of Lujiazui Traffic Circle in Shanghai Pudong District, Shanghai

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Panoramic view from the Shanghai World Financial Centre Observatory, Shanghai

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Street view in Shanghai

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Internal view of Shanghai Biennale 2015 in West Bund Art & Design, Shanghai

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Internal view of “Presence of Absence” exhibit of Philip F. Yuan in West Bund Art & Design, Shanghai

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View of West Bund of Pudong District, Shanghai

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Entrance view of Long Museum in West Bund of Pudong District, Shanghai

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Street view in the old district of Xiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;An

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View of Terracotta Army in Xiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;An

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Final presentation at Xiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;An Jiaotong - Liverpool University

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sis _ 3.3 The Concept _ 3.4 The Masterplan _ 3.5 Urban Design _ 3.6 Landscape _ 4 THE AR-

CHITECTURAL

DESIGN

_ 4.1 Urban Block _ 4.2 Design Concept _ 4.3 The Building _ 4.4 Functions & Paths _ 4.5 Private Elevated Courtyard _ 4.6 Case Studies _ 5 CONCLUSION _ 6 POSTCARDS FROM CHINA _ BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Books. Spangler O., Il tramonto dellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Occidente, Longanesi, Milano, 1981, 1584 pages. Werner B., Hofhaus in China: Courtyard House, Birkhauser, Basel, 1995, 123 pages. Junhua L., Rowe P. G., Jie Z., Modern Urban Housing in China 1840-2000, Prestel, Munich, 2001, 303 pages. 284

Rowe P. G. and Seng K., Architectural Encounters with Essence and Form in Modern China, The MIT Press Cambridge, Cabridge, 2002, 287 pages. Congzhou C., Traditional Suzhou Dwellings, Shanghai Joint Publishing, Shanghai, 2003 , 233 pages. Fu X., Liu X., Pan G., Guo D., Qiao Y., Sun D., Chinese Architecture, Yale Univ Pr, 2003, 384 pages. Rowe P. G., East Asia Modern - Shaping the Contemporary City, Reaktion Books, Chicago, 2005, 224 pages.

Wai Ki P., Urban Morphology of Traditional Chinese Cities in the Context of Modernization â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A Case Study of Suzhou, 42nd ISoCaRP Congress 2006. Dubrau C., New Architecture in China, Page One Pub, 2008, 368 pages. Firley E., Stahl C., The Urban Housing Handbook, Wiley, Chichester, 2009, 328 pages. Gregotti V., Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ultimo hutong - lavorare in architettura nella nuova Cina, Skira, Milano, 2009, 144 pages. Hassenpflug D., The Urban Code of China, Birkhauser, Berlin, 2010, 175 pages. Duanfang L., Remaking Chinese Urban Form: Modernity, Scarcity and Space, 1949-2005, Routledge, London, New York, 2011, 204 pages. LeGates R. T., Stout F., The City Reader, Routledge, London, 2011, 624 pages.

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Heckmann O., Schneider F., Floor Plan Manual Housing, 4th ed., Birkhauser, Basel, 2011, 335 pages. Henderson R., Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture : Gardens of Suzhou. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 2012. Esposito A., Leoni G., Eduardo Souto de Moura: tutte le opere, Electa, Milano, 2012, 551 pages. 286

Weiping W., Gaubatz P., The Chinese City, Routledge, London, New York, 2013, 298 pages. Xuefei R., Urban China, Malden: Polity Press, Cambridge, 2013, 218 pages. Shiqiao L., Understanding the Chinese City, Sage Pubns Ltd, Los Angeles, 2014, 232 pages. Sisci F., A brave New China: The big Change, goWare, Florence, 2014, 68 pages.

Articles.

Johnston R. S., “The Ancient City of Suzhou: Town Planning in the Sung Dynasty”, in The Town Planning Review, Vol 54, No. 2, 1983, p. 194-222 Ferguson J R., “Suzhou: A Cultural and Economic Centre of Southern China”, in The Culture Mandala, Vol. 3, No. 2, 1999, pp. 51-75 Chen Q., Glicsman L., Lin J., Scott A, “Sustainable urban housing in China”, in Journal of Harbin Institute of Technology, No.14, 2007, p. 6-9 Johnson I., “China’s Great Uprooting: Moving Million into Cities”, in New York Times, 16/06/2013 Johnson I., ” New China Cities: Shoddy Homes, Broken Hope”, in New York Times, 10/11/2013

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Sicheng L., “Why Study Chinese Architecture?”, in Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 73, No. 1, 2014, pp. 8-11

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Heng C. K., “Visualizing Everyday Life in the City: A Categorization System for Residential Wards in Tang Chang’an”, in Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Vol. 73, No.1, 2014, pp.91-117 Zhang S., “A study on several issues concerning the modern history of urban planning in China”, in China City Planning Review, Vol. 24. No. 1, 2015, pp. 11-12 Ming C., Kai W, Qingfei Z., “Speed and Trend of China’s Urbanization: a comparative study based on Cross Country Panel data Model” in China City Planning Review, Vol.24, Nr.2, 2015, pp. 6-13

Web. http://www.artribune.com/2013/03/la-condizione-dellarchitettura-cinese/ http://www.archdaily.com/612385/tim-franco-captures-the-overscaled-urbanization-of-chongqing http://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/en/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzhou http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-01/06/content_296130.htm https://www.mapbox.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_garden http://www.arch.oita-u.ac.jp/urban/yanli/international-paper/2000-korea.htm http://www.map512.cn/ http://www.szghj.gov.cn/szghj/Eng/FunMore.html

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http://www.archdaily.com/91796/nano-polis-nanotech-research-and-development-park-henn-architekten-henn-studiob http://bustler.net/news/1870/henn-architekten-to-designsuzhou-nano-polis-master-plan http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/beijiao-cultural-centre-foshan-china-gravity-green/#.V2gJCPmLTIU http://www.archdaily.com/779706/the-next-hutong-mvrdv 290

http://www.archdaily.com/337276/indias-evolution-vs-chinas-revolution http://www.afaconsult.com/portfolio/61021/127/quinta-da-avenida-office-building http://www.designboom.com/architecture/beijing-design-week-tao-trace-architecture-office-split-courtyard-house-hutong-china-10-01-2015/ http://www.chinese-architects.com/en/projects/52186_Hybrid_Courtyard_Living

http://www.designboom.com/architecture/vector-architects-courtyard-house-bjdw-beijing-design-week-2015-09-24-2015/ http://archives.deccanchronicle.com/130213/commentary-dc-comment/commentary/india-china-talk-town http://architizer.com/projects/house-with-panoramic-ocean-view/ http://www.clairarchilab.com/en/works/house-panoramic-ocean-view/ http://www.oriprobe.com/journals/caod_424.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punt_(boat) http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/16/world/asia/chinas-great-uprooting-moving-250-million-into-cities.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/world/asia/new-china-cities-shoddy-homes-broken-hope.html?_r=0

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Ringraziamenti Per finire, desidero ringraziare tutte le persone che hanno preso parte alla mia vita universitaria durante questi anni. Grazie a Federica, Denise, Salvatore, i due Alessandro, Ivan, Giulia e Alberto per aver riempito le mie giornate tra le aule del Valentino e del Boggio. Un grazie a Saverio (the wall) per il suo esempio in stile e conoscenza e per la sua amicizia sincera. Grazie a Valentino per le giornate passate dietro alle strutture in muratura, le visioni artistiche e utopiche, le pause pranzo al sole a parlare di allenamenti. Un grande grazie a Francesca e Alessandro per aver condiviso con me unâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;esperienza entusiasmante ed impegnativa molto lontano da casa, la loro presenza Ă¨ stata per me essenziale nella lontana Cina. Un ringraziamento va anche ai ragazzi dellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Aidue Studio, Ivan, Omar e William per lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;esperienza professionale che mi hanno permesso di fare e la gentilezza nei miei confronti.

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Un grazie anche al Gap Studio per l’interesse che ha mostrato al mio viaggio, a Filippo ed Elisabetta per il concetto di “qualità” che indirettamente mi trasmettono.

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Thanks to all guys who I met in Suzhou, thanks to Quanqing for the big help who gave me, thanks to Sharvary, Xiaohan, WeiWei, Billy, Brian and Jason for the great months spent together with pain and happy times, thanks to Marcus for the cheers and the visions and Holly for her friendship. Thanks to all professors of Xi’An Jiaotong - Liverpool University, Andrew Johnston and Thomas Fischer for their lectures, I ve learnt so much. Un ringraziamento particolare va al Professor Croset per l’aiuto e il sostegno datomi durante l’esperienza Cinese e in generale per i grandi stimoli che mi ha dato durante tutto il Design Studio, è stato per me un’ ispirazione e un punto di riferimento dopo un periodo statico che mi stava investendo. Ricorderò a lungo con piacere la revisione in bus a Shanghai.

Desidero ringraziare il Professor Bonino per lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;aiuto e i consigli che mi dato in questi ultimi mesi per la stesura della mia tesi. Un ovvio ringraziamento va agli amici, consanguinei e non, che mi sono sempre affianco e mi sostengono nonostante il mio carattere difficile. Grazie ai miei allenatori Fra, Ste e Tuono che, insieme a tutti i miei compagni di palestra, mi stimolano ogni giorno a dare il massimo in perfetto spirito Yel Training Club. Grazie a Luca per la sua presenza e stravaganza, grazie a Matti e Nik perchĂ¨ siamo una squadra indivisibile. Infine grazie a tutta la mia famiglia, gli zii, tutti i cugini e i nonni, soprattutto te. Grazie a mio fratello Leonardo e la sua grande intelligenza, grazie a mia sorella Eleonora che ha tanta pazienza con me, grazie, per chiudere, a mia madre e mio padre che mi hanno reso quello che sono con affetto e sacrificio, divergenza e impegno, non sarei mai arrivato fino a qua senza di loro. Mi hanno insegnato tutto quello che so e continueranno a farlo. Spero un giorno di riuscire a ricambiare questo affetto, grazie, anche a me stesso, per questo traguardo.

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