Constructing the Future in the History of Crystal City

Author: Wang Shouzhi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: Constructing the future within history, recalling history within the future. In the past two decades, China's real estate developers have "created" many new things: more residential communities, more landscapes, and more concepts. But there is one thing that developers cannot create out of thin air—history.
Tianjin Vanke's Shan Xiaohai advocates for the development of real estate that respects the cultural context. This requires not only responsibility but also skill and creativity—in this regard, Chinese developers, as well as professors and scholars, should put in more thought and effort.
Vanke Group Chairman Wang Shi emphasizes that Vanke's approach in Crystal City always generates some resonance. If this resonance can become a force that leads to more protection of our traditions, including the traditions of the half-century since the liberation, I will be very satisfied.
Professor Wang Shouzhi, Distinguished Professor at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, states that in the rapid urbanization of China, the attitude of builders toward the history of the land has become an unavoidable topic. Vanke's project in Tianjin's Glass Factory thus holds universal significance: The distinctive Tianjin-style Wuda Dào architecture and the carefully preserved original appearance of the Glass Factory are key elements in Vanke's planning for this residential area. Vanke preserves, contrasts, and overlays, drawing inspiration from the styles and essence of European small towns and Wuda Dào villas, integrating a factory and a city's cultural context into this residential community. Once, a 670-acre glass factory witnessed the prosperity of Tianjin's industry. Now, a 400,000-square-meter new residential community with historical significance has become the living stage for more families.