Being David and Goliath

KCAP has presented an urban plan for the development of Futian. KCAP’s urban design vision proposes a strategy to turn Futian, Shenzhen’s City Centre into a vibrant urban city centre that can compete with the centres of other mega-cities. This challenge cannot be achieved by completely re-designing parts of the centre in a top-down way, but rather to implement customized local interventions as test-projects that can provide a direction for incremental urban transformation. The main theme of this overall urban design is the development of Futian from border city to open city, It focuses on how to promote Futians development into a more spatially and socially inclusive urban area through the optimization of road space and green structures, resulting in a more diverse and socio-economically resilient area. The biggest problem of Futian is that it is both very large and it consists of fragmented neighbourhoods of radically different character, separated by large car-oriented roads, that increase the segregation between districts and prevent the development of an inclusive and porous urban centre. At the same time, the larger road grid in Shenzhen forms a clear system of orientation that should not be abandoned but transformed. Hence, our design strategy transforms the functional areas that are isolated by the main roads to cross the physical boundaries that restrict them, and to soften the very rigid borders, so that economic activity in the various characteristic areas can radiate more freely to the surrounding areas, thereby promoting urban diversification and better supporting economies of scale. Additionally, it also proposes to create a large, comprehensive overall green & blue network of connecting public spaces, based on the current road network, that provides Futian a better base of orientation between the Mountain Ridge in the North, Shenzhen Bay and River in the South, and improve the definition towards the ...

KCAP joined as one of the speakers the Ningbo Sponge City Delegation Visit, organised by The Consulate General of the Netherlands in Shanghai last week. Ningbo, a large, rapidly growing port city in the eastern part of China, is hoping to transform 25% of its area into a Sponge City by the year 2020. With cities getting bigger and climate change threatening to bring more extreme weather, sponge cities may be an interesting solution. They are a so-called reimagination of the urban environment where almost every raindrop is captured, controlled and reused. Instead of funneling rainwater away, a sponge city retains it for use within its own boundaries. KCAP, being a Dutch company with rich experience on waterfront planning and urban transformation, was therefore invited to share our projects and exchange our ideas with local government. Approximately 171 Sponge-City projects with different focuses, such as Sponge-City Neighourhood, Sponge-City Road and Square Design, Sponge-City Parks and Green Spaces, Water and Ecology Restoration, Flood Control and Drainage, Building Capacity etc. will be implemented in China in the coming three years. Six other Dutch companies were also invited to express their thoughts on the subject.  

Ya-Hsin Chen, associate and chief representative of KCAP Shanghai, was one of the speakers at the 2-day event ‘Sino Dutch Sponge City Seminar’ in Zhuhai in June, co-organized by Embassy of the Netherlands in China, Zhuhai Housing and the Urban-Rural Planning & Development Bureau. KCAP and four other Dutch architects' offices, including Arcadis, Deltares, KuiperCompagnons and OMA, were invited to share their visions and experience about water and city. HafenCity and Bao'An were presented as two KCAP showcase projects of our approach towards new water cities.      

New images have been taken which document the current status of KCAP's urban plan for Trinity Shenyang, a new urban district for living, working  and communal facilities. The 70 ha site, around 6 km from Shenyang centre, was a mainly rural territory and occupied with temporary settlements. Towards the North, the area is bounded by the river Hun, towards the South by the third ring road and the adjacent university. This project for the Trinity site is integrated in an overarching masterplan for the entire left bank of Shenyang, envisioning the development of a 8 km ‘linear city’ parallel with the river. Like Shanghai and Rotterdam, Shenyang ‘jumps’ over the river establishing urban life and multiple centres on both sides of the river. The river Hun will transform from being an edge into a ‘green’ center.The masterplan is based strategically on the proximity and relation of the area to the river and on being a self-determining village. The plan defines three centers and two landscape axis. It maximises the outward orientation of the commercial and business facilities. Within this main frame, a archipelago of districts, each of which with its own subcentre, are the founding principles of the urban concept. The plan is being constructed since 2008 and the last phase is heading towards completion.

KCAP has been selected as finalist in the second stage of the competition JinShan Waterfront in Shanghai. The competition is for a 580ha new town development along the 23 km2 sea coast in the south of Shanghai facing Hangzhou Bay. The first stage was an open competition, in which from 120 entries 5 teams have been selected: GALA GROUP ARTE CHARPENTIER AMA & RICHEZ ASSOCIATES RMJM ARCHITECTS&PLANNERS KCAP ARCHITECTS&PLANNERS The kick-off meeting and contract signing ceremony was held on May 28th in Jinshan District Government.

On March 25th, KCAP was invited to host a design salon at the Dutch Consulate in Chongqing. The aim was to share KCAP's experience and discuss the future possibilities of Chongqing’s city development by having a dialogue with local stakeholders, developers and representatives of the Chongqing University. The event was planned as a first session with more to follow. The next Design Salon is will take place in the summer.

Irma van Oort and Mark Dekker are delegates of the economic mission with Amsterdam's mayor Eberhard van der Laan to Vietnam, from December 7 to 11.  

KCAP in cooperation with Atelier Dreiseitl and the Nanchang Planning Institute Consortium, has been selected as one of three designers for the Nanchang Riverbank design. The other competitors are: Guangzhou Urban Planning Survey Design Institute + USA SWA GROUP Shanghai Tongji Urban Planning Design Institute

KCAP was one of the experts in a seminar session organized by ReadatChina, supported by the Dutch Consulate of Shanghai and hosted by Yurun Group about the development of commercial complexes in 4th and 5th tier Chinese cities. The seminar was attended by local developers, representatives of Yurun group and ReadatChina and some local design institutes (LDI).  

After the delivery of the first two buildings of the China Media Park in Qingdao [CN] earlier this year (see below), the next 4 buildings are almost ready. This building is a combination of 'loft' and 'soho' units on two floors of commercial plinth. The elevation is a dynamic pattern of perforated and non perforated aluminium panels to hide the individual aircon units. The China Media Park in Qingdao is a urban creative cluster for the advertising, media, film and communication industries. The 30 ha site is located in Qingdao’s Chenyang district, strategically located near the Qingdao airport. The design connects a wide variety of different places, programs and conditions surrounding the site. Many existing centralities in the vicinity of the site are currently disconnected neighbors and by becoming an integral element of its surroundings, or even more, a driver of the urban regeneration, the project will equally contribute to the evaluation of its success and determine the project’s future. The proposal helps to (re)activate and connect all the assets from its vicinity into a functional and high quality urban space, able to become a recognizable destination in Qingdao.

Nice picture of KCAP's office space in the Anken Green Building where KCAP Shanghai is located since February 1st. Address: 1B room, 1st floor 668 Huai An Road, Jing’an DistrictShanghai, China, 200041 T: +86 21 6180 8177 shanghai@kcap.eu

The team KCAP together with LAY-OUT, Shenzhen and Atelier Dreiseitl, Beijing is one of 8 shortlisted competitors of the Bao'An West Coastal Zone competition. Bao'An Coastal zone is located in the west of Shenzhen and at the east side of the Lingdingyang Bay, the mouth for Pearl River enering the sea. The coastline to be planned comprises of 45 kilometers, which is a fifth of the 248 km of Shenzhen’s coastlines. It is an important part of Shenzhen’s city public coastlines and contains multiple spatial patterns including formed natural coastlines, inner bays, tidal flats, a peninsula and an offshore island. The area contains Shenzhen Bao'An Airport, major ports, terminals and other transportation and production facilities. Within the development strategy of ‘three zones, two hearts and one valley’ it is ultimately about building an international coastal city. The designs have to be submitted in the middle of July, a jury result is expected by the end of July.  

Today is the official opening of the Dutch Design Exhibition at the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts in Wuhan. Several Dutch design related companies, including KCAP, are showcasing their work. The exhibition is part of the Dutch Days in Wuhan that are being held from April 5 - 26.    

On January 30th, China celebrates the start of the new year. We wish everyone a Happy New Year of the Horse! KCAP Shanghai will start the new year in a new office location. Our new address as of February 1, 2014 is:KCAP Shanghai1B room, 1st floor668 Huai An Road, Jing’an District,Shanghai, China, 200041T: +86 21 6180 8177shanghai@kcap.eu

Recently, the Selling Center of the VankePark project in Shanghai was opened. This building is the first of in total 32 buildings, all designed by KCAP Architects&Planners. The construction of five other buildings is well on the way. All the buildings are part of KCAP’s masterplan for the 10 ha business area in Shanghai’s Minhang district, close to Hongqiao airport, one of China’s biggest hubs for domestic flights. Themed ‘happy to work’ it aims to create a vibrant working environment in a three dimensional green setting. Delivery of the next 4 buildings is expected in December, the whole project should be realized by the end of 2014.

Kees Christiaanse, together with Ma Yansong, MAD Architects, China and Wolf D. Prix, Coop Himmelb(l)au, Austria will join a panel on September 13 during the 3 day World Economic Forum in Dalian, China. The title of the panel discussion is Thinking like an architect. Date: September 13 Time: 12:00 am - 1:00 pm Click here for program information.

The Selling Centre of the China Media Park in Qindao is almost completed.The centre is the first building within KCAP’s 30 ha masterplan in Qindao’s Chenyang district. With its core ‘creative village’ the area targets the advertising, media and film industry and enables the site to reconnect and regenerate its context. KCAP is responsible for the urban scheme and the architecture of the nine buildings of phase 1 of the development. On key positions in the masterplan buildings with distinctive architecture are located. The Selling Centre with its triangular façade elements is one of these landmarks which welcomes visitors to this urban quarter and marks the entrance of the main pedestrian area into the heart of the creative village.  

KCAP Architects&Planners celebrates the second anniversary of KCAP Shanghai.In May 2011 KCAP Shanghai was officially opened as the second branch office next to Zurich (CH) and KCAP’s headquarters in Rotterdam (NL). In its second year KCAP Shanghai managed to intensify the personal relationships with our clients and collaborators and continued successfully its inspiring work in China and other parts of Asia. Throughout the year KCAP worked on a variety of urban planning and architectural projects, some of which are already under construction, such as the 'Rotterdam Gardens' mixed-use project in  Shenyang. In the various projects, KCAP pursued its work on urban regeneration processes. In Shenzhen KCAP, together with local partner Shenzhen Lay-out Planning Consultants Ltd, was selected for the international consultation on the overall Urban Design Guidelines for the regeneration of the Sungang and Quingshuihe areas, as well as for the planning of subunits 1, 13 and 15. In December 2012, in a two-weeks design workshop in Shenzhen Luohu District, the concept was further developed. The workshop was a collaboration of KCAP with more than 30 local developers, the Urban Planning, Land and Resources Commission of Shenzhen Municipality and our client Luohu District Land Reform Authority. The approved result is expected in the early third quarter of 2013. It will serve as the statutory document for the urban regeneration of the area.With projects in Qindao and Shanghai, KCAP focused on the planning of knowledge hubs as catalyst areas in city development. The 30 ha masterplan in Qindao’s district Chenyang targets with its core 'creative village' the advertising, media and film industry and enables connecting the site to its surroundings in order to profit from the existing qualities. Next to the urban scheme, KCAP is also responsible for the architecture of the nine buildings of the first phase of the development for which the construction ...

The free Hong Kong magazine Metro Pop has published a 2 page feature about KCAP in the category 'Life Style Architecture'. Click here to view the magazine. To find the article, choose 'Architecture' in the menu at the bottom.

  On February 10th the Chinese New Year's Day will be celebrated. KCAP wishes everyone a healthy and happy new year!  

The travelling exhibition Dutch Design on the Move is presented again - after Beijing Design Week and Guanzhou Kanton Fair - at  100%Design Shanghai, from November 8-10. KCAP is again part of the participants. Click here for more information and the program.

KCAP is one of the Dutch participants of the travelling pop-up exhibition 'Dutch Design on the Move', organised by the Dutch Design Workspace, the DutchDFA and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Beijing. The first of the platform to present the exhibition is the Beijing Design Week 2012, running from September 28th through October 6th.  Next shows will be presented at Shanghai Design Week, Hong Kong Business of Design Week and Guangzhou Canton Fair. The exhibition 'Housing with a Mission' is also featured during Beijing Design Week at CAFA, Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Housing with a Mission is based on a match making program initiated by the Netherlands Architecture Institute (NAi) in which KCAP as one of five Dutch architects to collaborate with five Chinese architects to develop new concepts for high quality affordable housing in China. The exhibition was previously shown at the 2011 Shenzhen & Hong Kong Bi-city Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture and received the Organizer Committee Special Award of the Biennale.  Click here for the detailed program of Dutch Design at BJDW 2012.  Or go to the official website of Beijing Design Week.  

The 2012 edition of the Dutch Design in China Yearbook, initiated by Dutch Design Work Space (DDWS) in Shanghai, features more than 40 top design companies from the Netherlands that have set up a permanent base or have realized a project in China. The disciplines range from design, fashion, architecture to branding and advertising. Click here for more information.  

On Saturday, May 12th it is one year ago that the branch office of KCAP Architects&Planners in Shanghai was officially opened and the Chinese website www.kcap.eu/cn was launched. In this first year of presence in China, we were able to enhance our personal relations with our clients and collaborators and expand our previous experience of more than 10 years of building activity in China. We were happy to also welcome one of our Chinese clients in Europe for a tour to major European cities including Hamburg and Amsterdam.   Throughout the year we were involved in more than 12 projects in 7 different cities in various parts China. The projects range from large-scale urban designs across masterplans to a series of architectural designs with a great variety of programs.     Related to our experience and research on sustainable urban regeneration processes, KCAP wrote a column for the Chinese Business Herald. The text with the title ‘Urban Breeding Grounds’ was published in January 2012. In February, DutchDFA released a film portrait about KCAP in their series ‘Dutch Profiles’, giving insights into how KCAP develops their ideas about cities.   Next to our architectural activities, KCAP joined the Beijing Design Week 2011 in September 2011, the Shanghai International Creative Industry Week 2011 in October, the International Green Habitat Forum 2011 in Zhenjiang in November and in March 2012, as part of a group of Dutch architects active in China, KCAP was present at the China Sustainable Building Forum & Expo 2012 in Shanghai. The presentation was organised by the Dutch Consulate General in Shanghai. Just recently, in the middle of April, KCAP participated in the Dutch Week 2012 Shanghai, also initiated by the Dutch Consulate General in Shanghai, on the occasion of 40 years of diplomatic relations between China and the Netherlands. Furthermore, KCAP is member of the ...

KCAP as part of a group of Dutch architects active in China joins a stand at the China Sustainable Building Forum & Expo 2012 in Shanghai which is part of the 2012 Shanghai Architecture Fair and will take place in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. The initiative is organised by the Dutch Consulate General in Shanghai. The fair is from March 27th till March 29th.

Kees Christiaanse was invited to write a column in the Chinese Business Herald. [[file:articlebusinessheraldcn]] [[file:articlebusinessherald]]