Another "mysterious" bookstore has been unveiled, what is good architectural design? Go to Jing'an International Design Festival to see everyone | block | design
Walking on Taizhou Road and Bridge, a provincial-level historical and cultural protection block in Zhejiang, is like walking on a modern version of the Qingming River map. This ten mile long street originated in the Eastern Han Dynasty, flourished in the Song Dynasty, and flourished in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and is the source of civilization in the millennium old commercial capital. In September 2021, after several months of renovation and upgrading, this ten mile old street built along the river underwent a new look. The Taizhou branch of Shanghai Sanlian Bookstore will be located here. From June 28th to July 2nd, 2023, the 5th Shanghai Jing'an International Design Festival was held at the Jing'an 800 Show Creative Park. As one of the opening forums to share cases, this bookstore project located in old streets and buildings attracted attention.
Entering the main venue of the Jing'an International Design Festival at the 800 Show is like walking down a street. The internationally renowned design firm "Yoshizaki Shin+Hu Qian Studio" is responsible for the exhibition design. Jizaki Shin+Hu Qian Studio was founded in 2004 by Japanese architect Jizaki Shin, a 2019 Pritzker Award winner who passed away last year, and Chinese designer Hu Qian. It is the only institution of Jizaki Shin Studio in China. The studio adheres to a non commercial design attitude and model, and currently has completed or is under construction projects such as the Shenzhen Cultural Center, the Art Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall, and the Hunan Provincial Museum.
"Starting from the entrance, we imagine the exhibition hall as a alleyway in Shanghai, where booths of architectural design companies or institutions are like booths in the alleyway, with no distinction between them. Strolling to the center of the exhibition hall, the corridor where the forum is held is like a small square in the alleyway, where everyone gathers to 'Gashan Lake'." This is how Hu Qian, co-founder and chief designer of Jiqi Xin+Hu Qian Studio, introduced the exhibition hall.
Hu Qian shared multiple cases from three perspectives: attitude, aesthetics, and renovation, including Gansu Dingxi No.1 Middle School, Ark Nova, Jinhan Substation, expansion of Jiangcheng No.1 Xiaochengnan Campus, Pupolan Picture Book Museum, Tianjin City Memorial Sculpture, Tan Dun Water Music Hall, and Jingdezhen Porcelain Museum. The concept of "design is the integration of lifestyle, and if not the protagonist, it is always the protagonist" has moved Shanghai Sanlian Bookstore. The intention of "street" has also been applied to the Shanghai Sanlian Bookstore Road and Bridge Project. The approximately 1500 square meter bookstore is divided into two parts by the stone slab old street, with half maintaining the texture of the old building and the other half in a modern style. Standing on the old street, looking towards the bookstore, one can easily see a radiating row of bookshelves, intersecting with the vertical old street, as if forming several horizontal "streets".
The theme of this year's Shanghai Jing'an International Design Festival is "Art and Healthy Life". Wu Jiang, Dean of the Institute of Fine Governance of Megacities at Tongji University, believes that when society enters the era of urban renewal from a rapid development era, architectural design is not only a matter of small circles and industries, but also needs to go into society and involve more citizens in order to promote the development of architectural design. The Shanghai Jing'an International Design Festival, held at the 800 Show, embodies this concept. During the event, 10 forums on different topics will be held to share industry perspectives, invite citizens to open up their artistic imagination, and embrace a healthy life.
"If architects over a hundred years ago faced cities like blank sheets of paper, today's architectural design cannot be separated from the existing environment and is a part of the urban organism. It is difficult to say whether the city created the works of architects or enriched the city with their works." Wu Jiang said that architectural design is an intervention in the existing environment, and success or failure can be felt by those who use architecture.
"The dream of an architect is to create a meticulously designed architectural space that people can use happily, even if it is not luxurious," said Tang Shuonin, Party Secretary and President of Tongji University Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd.
