NAI matchmaking in China

From 24 to 26 April, the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAI) organized a symposium and workshops in Hangzhou, bringing together 5 Chinese and 5 Dutch architecture offices. This matchmaking project aims to instigate collaborations between Dutch and Chinese architects and develop innovative solutions for China’s housing market. The results of the workshops will be presented during the Shenzhen Architecture Biennale in 2011.

NAi China Program 

The new international agenda of the Netherlands Architecture Institute [NAi] takes the concept of “matchmaking” as the key concept. This matchmaking project has the ambition to instigate collaborations between Dutch and Chinese architects. It is the ambition of the NAi to see where Dutch architectural knowledge can be oft value all around the world.

Objective of the workshop 

Since 2008, the topic of affordable [low-cost, low-income] housing has been prominent on China’s construction agenda. The importance of this can be directly related to the discussion surrounding, and the unease with, the rise in housing prizes in all of China’s cities. In 2010 this issue gained more prominence, especially when brought in relation with the soaring real estate prices, in Chinese media and provoked discussion amongst policy makers, developers and urban planners. 

The need and demand for affordable [low-income, low-cost] housing in China is a real one. It is a demand where one can put, in 2011, a number on: 10 million units are needed and will, probably, be constructed all over China. It is a topic that brings together policies issued by the Chinese government, opportunities for real-estate developers and happiness for the Chinese people. The question that is raised during the workshop is how architects and urban planners can be involved in this task. How can architectural design make a difference: in profit, happiness, design, lay-out and organization of this agenda. 

The specific angle to look at housing is to deal and tackle the two types of housing that are dominant in China: commercial residential apartments and policy-support housing such as low-cost housing. The ultimate model can that be developed can be in line of the Wuhan-model, where commercial and low-cost housing are part of one and the same development. In one way or another Urbanus’ Tulou-project is part of this mixed housing tendency.

This combination can happen in one area [eg. residential and low-cost in separate buildings] or in one building [eg. residential and low-cost mixed in one building block]. The idea is to combine, and make variations on, the them of the generic plan [low-cost housing] with the lifestyle of the gated community [residential housing]. 

This mixed-model can also be reflected and gain design criticality when developed by a Chinese-Dutch theme of architects and urban planners. Themes such as road infrastructure, gardens, sustainability, community etc can be part of this design agenda. As such this exchange can provide a template for various residential/low-cost urban environments. 

The workshop was organized by the Netherlands Architecture Institute [NAI) and produced by MovingCities. It brought together 5 Chinese and 5 Dutch architecture office with the objective to establish collaborations and develop innovative solutions for China’s housing market. During the past year contacts with VANKE [Beijing department] have been established and consolidated, this with the purpose to develop housing proposals for a real site in the vicinity of Beijing. At this stage a site has been selected by VANKE which might serve as a first case-study to develop this project. 

The results of the workshop will be presented during the Shenzhen Architecture Biennale in 2011. It is the ambition to present the result of this workshop to government officials in many of the Chinese cities facing the need for new housing models [low-cost, affordable, public] and living environments. 

Participating Chinese offices 

Xiaodu Liu | Urbanus [Beijing/Shenzhen]

Zhang Ke | standardarchitecture [Beijing] 

He Jianxiang | O-office [Guangzhou] 

Doreen Heng Liu | NODE [Shenzhen] 

Wang Shu | amateur architecture studio [Hangzhou] 

Participating Dutch offices 

Ruurd Gietema / Marcus Apenzeller| KCAP 

Pieter Bannenberg |NL Architecten 

Arons en Gelauff

NEXT Architects 

BARCODE