A Stranger City
|
The thesis would explore how a new type of cellular unit urbanism (micro-city) could revitalize community life in contemporary China. It critiques the diminishing communal life in contemporary Chinese city caused by the gap between gigantic gesture of master planning and the individual life. The thesis would explore on a plot of land of about 750 m x 500 m, and develop a neighborhood with new hierarchy of shared space between the public and private realm to cultivate a community life.
WHY :
CURRENT STATE OF DISCIPLNE: The urbanism strategy of contemporary China is characterized by its mega-scale master planning, dividing the city into different functional zone. The city itself is the basic planning module, in which the relationship between individual life and the city is not considered. The residential areas are filled with private development, defining the space in absolute private or public realm. This gap between scale of master planning and the scale of individual life has led to the fall of community life. HISTORY OF DISCIPLINE: Before the economic reform in 1980s, the urbanism of northern China was embodied in two kinds of cellular unit. One is Courtyard House which is a model of family hierarchy. The other one is Danwei, a micro-city in which people working in the same organization shall live in the same district provided with all necessary amenities. The similarity is that both of them are architectural model which consider and manifest social ties. Spatially, they are designed as a common framework which contains a hierarchy of spatial layers to reconcile between the public and private realm. THESIS PURPOSE: The thesis critiques the diminishing communal life in contemporary Chinese city caused by the gap between gigantic gesture of master planning and the individual life. It suggests a new type of cellular unit urbanism can be an alternative way to regenerate the collectivity in contemporary Chinese city. WHAT:
SCOPE/SCALE/SITE The thesis would explore how a new type of cellular unit urbanism (micro-city) could revitalize community life in contemporary China. The site is chosen in Huilongguan, Beijing. It is a residential zone full of foreign workers from other provinces- ‘strangers’ to Beijing. Without family and many friends in Beijing, there is a demand for community life. The thesis would explore on a plot of land of about 750 m x 500 m, and develop a neighborhood with new hierarchy of shared space to cultivate a community life. REASONS OF SITE CHOSEN Millions of people from other provinces of China goes to Beijing for work and a living. Without family in the city, they usually rent a place and live alone in Beijing. As people with similar location of work and affordability tend to rent similar places, this creates residential areas full of this type of “strangers”. Huilongguan is a typical one. Located in northwest of Beijing, Huilongguan is known as “the Largest Residential Zone” in Asia. As it is next to Technology Industrial Zone, more than 80% of residents work in the IT industry. Due to common interest of work type and lack of social ties, there is a demand for community life for these ‘strangers’ in such neighborhood. However, current urban zoning in China and the private development model has divded the residential area into absolute private and absolute public realm. The clear distinction of the two makes it difficult for community life to occur. While in the history of Chinese urbanism, the architetural model is derived from primary consideration of scoial ties and community life. By studying the different models of cellular unit urbanism over the history, the thesis intends to extract and modify them into a new model that can better respond to the situation of contemporary Chinese society.The project also aims to criticize the current urban planning strategy of China which consider less about the individual life. HOW:
Step 01: To research about the history, spatial and social organization of cellular urbanism in Beijing, including but not limited to Courtyard House and Danwei System Community (Diagram/Mapping) Step 02: Field trip to site, mapping of the various communities at site, the different activities and the layers of communal spaces (Photos/ Interview/ Mapping: 1: 100, 1:500, and 1:1000) Step 03: To study in different scales the various communal spaces and the overall hierarchy of layers (Drawing/Model: 1:50, 1:200, 1:500, 1:1000) Step 04: To design a prototype cellular community in the site of Huilongguan , Beijing which manifest the research result (Drawing/Model: 1:50, 1:200, 1:500, 1:1000) BIBLIOGRAPHY: Theory Reference: 1. Jane Jacobs, 1961, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Random House 2. Colin Rowe, and Fred Koetter, 1984, Collage City, The MIT Press 3. Hannah Arendt, 1957, The Human Condition, The University of Chicago Press 4. Koolhaas, Rem, 1995 , ‘Generic City’ SMLXL, Monacelli Press Contemporary Texts: 1. Sennett, Richard, 1977, The Fall of Public Man, Knopf 2. Zhang yan, Chai Yanwei, and Zhou Qianjun, 2009, The Spatiality and Spatial Changes of Danwei Compound in Chinese Cities: Case Study of Beijing No.2 Textile Factory 3. Ma Laurence, Wu Fulong, 2005, Restructuring the Chinese city: diverse processes and reconstituted spaces. Restructuring the Chinese city: changing society, economy and space, Routledge Seminal Projects: 1. Aldo Rossi, Gallaratese Housing. 2. Bernard Tschumi Architects , 1976-1981, The Manhattan Transcripts. Contemporary Projects: 1. Theoretical Project, 2012, Riken Yamamoto & FIeld Shop 2. Yuki Ito, Ambient Architecture. 3. Urbanus, 2008, Tulou Collective Housing. |
