How can existing ‘six-storey’ apartment buildings from circa 1980 - 1990 be redeveloped as a new mixed-use residential model in China?

Abstract

The housing industry sits in a significant position in both the Chinese economy and in national life.

Residents are leaving their six-storey apartments for high-rise apartments just as years ago they left courtyard houses and moved into six-storey apartments. These common residential buildings, which date from before the 1990s are faced with demolition across China just as years ago traditional houses disappeared. Contemporary Chinese architects are talking about the revival of Chinese culture, a culture that is based on family and homes. The house as such is a carrier of living history and culture.

The evidence now suggests that the internet does not isolate people from community, but may well enhance community. However, in a developing society, citizens living in the same community no longer know each other and seem even less likely to communicate with neighbours in the same block. It is the contemporary habitat that has lead to the loss of a traditional harmonious social life. These new Chinese residential superblocks with high-rise apartments are not replacing traditional living structures and creating closer neighbour relationships. Communal spaces of quality which fit contemporary communities are urgently needed.

This project proposes a modern living model in China to be based on Chinese culture and the look at reusing the six-storey apartment communities built in the 1980s and 1990s. The idea is to introduce a spacial system of communal life, which would enhance a sense of belonging and create a better living environment incorporating a colourful social life for Chinese urban residents

Proposed project site: Northern Changsheng, Jinan, Shandong, China.