Hans Park is an architect who specialises in urban design and research. He works in Tokyo for the international branch of the second largest architecture practice in Japan whose projects range from hospitals in Uganda and Honduras to extra large urban developments in Vietnam and China. Lessons Learned is a series of writings by Park depicting the life of a Tokyo architect.On Places
Shanghai
I worked one Saturday night in Shanghai to visit a computer graphics (CG) office where the company we outsource our work to in return outsources their work. I visited the CG office together with our office assistant and the director of our subcontractor. Our task that weekend was to oversee that the images produced for the 650 hectare urban planning project looked good and presentable for the local city council.
At the CG office I met with young people working on various unbuilt Chinese cities, building complexes, high rise towers and landscapes. It was a bizarre but fascinating place and truly an epitome of the modern society in the making. The people working there, crafters of 3D software and image manipulation, were quick, sharp, tired chain smokers. The company we sometimes directly appoint to do our architectural renderings work in day and night shifts and operate from different locations. The 3D modeling and project management is done in Shenzen and the rendering and photoshopping in Beijing. This particular Shanghai CG company however did everything in one place making it easier for us to comment on the work due to an unusually tight schedule.
I made some comments on produced images and was told that it would take an hour or so to make the amendments and changes to the final renderings. Our office assistant, the director and I left for Pizza Hut to have dinner (sounds like the beginning of a bad joke) while waiting for the results. The dinner ended up being a heated discussion with the director over the future of Chinese cities. The director, a couple of years younger than me, started his practice with friends while studying architecture in Shanghai. Their company partners with big global architecture practices for extra large urban projects as well as runs its own projects in China.
He explained to me the fundamentals of city planning in China emphasising that they are currently at the early stages of urbanisation. First we will build east, then the central and finally western China, the director claimed. Building will take a lifetime he said further when I wondered for how long China could go on building cities at the current pace.
I have only seen a fraction of urban planning processes in China but realised some key issues that come with the speed of building and the urgency of facilitating urbanisation. The speed leaves us with urban solutions and rules that cannot be agreed upon with the public and are created and decided on the go, leaving little time to contemplate and benchmark the types of cities suitable for the early 21st century Asia. The speed and the volume of building shifts power. Those in power who set the tone for urban design and discourse on urban issues regarding planning and design are not the famous architects and urban researchers but the middle class designers representing big, powerful and global practices. What famous architects and their bureaus represent today is a point of quick references and sources of inspiration (and plagiarism) for the generic practices busy coming up with new design ideas.
Helsinki
For the first time in my life this summer I visited Finland as a summer vacation destination to attend two weddings. I learned that friends sharing happy and important moments is an incredible thing and organising a wedding party needs great vision and great attention to detail. I found it incredibly reassuring that both wedding parties I attended relied so much on the guests. A party planned with an iron fist will kill the mood. A wedding with no plans is not a wedding. And so, from this I drew three conclusions. First I concluded that to organise and execute something like a wedding party is like to run an organisation. Second, the role model to run an organisation should be the mother overseeing her child’s wedding. Why is this? I think mothers are usually excellent multi-taskers distributing work with care, following up on issues and they are respected across age groups and cultures, all qualities you want in a manager. Lastly, and probably most importantly the clue for a successful wedding or an organisation is people.
People will participate and make an effort as long as key issues are planned for them; be it fun seating arrangements, enough food and drinks at a wedding party or a right to sick leave at work. With a bit of direction and room for flexibility and a healthy focus on people as the most important asset, the set is clear for an unforgettable wedding party or an organisation. Easier said than done, but definitely worth a try, I say.
Lessons learned is a series of writings by Hans Park depicting the life of a Tokyo architect. The part two of the series deals with people and places. Born to Korean parents in Stockholm, Hans’ personal history in places stretches from Finnish Lapland to Helsinki and Nairobi where he worked for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme before making Japan his home.
People making a place.
Shanghai
I worked one Saturday night in Shanghai to visit a computer graphics (CG) office which is the outsourcer of our outsourcer. I visited the CG office together with our office assistant and the director of our subcontractor. Our task that weekend was to oversee that the images produced for the 650 hectare urban planning project looked good and presentable for the local city council.
At the CG office I met with young people working on various unbuilt Chinese cities, constructing complexes, high rise towers and landscapes. It was a bizarre but fascinating place and truly an epitome of the modern society in the making. The people working there, crafters of 3D software and image manipulation, were quick, sharp and tired chain-smokers. The company we sometimes directly appoint to do our architectural renderings work in day and night shifts and operate from different locations. The 3D modelling and project management is done in Shenzen and the rendering and photoshopping in Beijing. This particular Shanghai CG company however did everything in one place making it easier for us to comment on the work due to an unusually tight schedule.
I made some comments on produced images and was told that it would take an hour or so to make the changes to the final renderings. Our office assistant, the director and I left for dinner while waiting for the results. The dinner ended up being a heated discussion over the future of Chinese cities. The director, a couple of years younger than me, started his practice with friends while studying architecture in Shanghai. Their company partners with big global architecture practices for extra large urban assignments as well as runs its own projects in China.
He explained to me the fundamentals of city planning in China emphasising that they are currently at the early stages of urbanisation. “First we will build eastern, then central and finally western China”, the director claimed. Building will take a lifetime he added when I wondered for how long China could go on building cities at the current pace.
Done!
I have only seen a fraction of urban planning processes in China yet have realised some key issues that come with the speed of building and the urgency to facilitate urbanisation. The speed leaves us with urban solutions and rules that cannot be agreed upon with the public. They are created and decided on the go, leaving little time to contemplate and benchmark the types of cities suitable for the early 21st century Asia. The speed and the volume of building shifts power. Those who are in power and who set the tone for urban design and discourse on urban issues regarding planning and design are not the world class architects and urban researchers but the middle class designers representing big, powerful and global practices. What the best architects and their bureaus represent today is a point of quick references and sources of inspiration (and plagiarism) for the generic practices busy coming up with new design ideas.
Helsinki
For the first time in my life this summer I visited Finland as a vacation destination to attend two weddings. I learned that friends sharing happy and important moments is an incredible thing and organising a wedding party needs great vision and great attention to detail. I found it incredibly reassuring that both wedding parties I attended relied so much on the guests. A party planned with an iron fist will kill the mood. A wedding with no plans is not a wedding. And so, from this I drew three conclusions. First I concluded that to organise and execute something like a wedding party is like running an organisation. Second, the role model to run an organisation should be the mother overseeing her child’s wedding. Why is this? I think mothers are usually excellent multi-taskers distributing work with care, following up on issues and they are respected across age groups and cultures, all qualities you want in a manager. Lastly, and probably most importantly the clue for a successful wedding or an organisation are the people.
People will participate and make an effort as long as the key issues are planned for them; be it fun seating arrangements, enough food and drinks at a wedding party or a right to a sick leave at work. With a bit of direction and room for flexibility and a healthy focus on people as the most important asset, the set is clear for an unforgettable wedding party or an organisation. Easier said than done, but definitely worth a try, I say.
