[AT introduction] In the face of an unexpected epidemic, it is not only the industry that has been seeing great changes, but also the whole world. The epidemic has lasted far longer and had a greater impact than anyone ever imagined. It has affected everyone, architects are no exception, and has made every architect start to think about their past and future. Architecture Technique magazine has added an interview column called “Three Questions from AT” to record the thoughts and actions of contemporary architects in response to current changes.
Three Deep Questions from AT to Architects
Interviewee
Qin Pang, Benoy Director and Head of the Shanghai Office
Q1: What have you been busy with over the past few years?
Probably the same thing as most other architects, I have mainly been busy with projects. Since Benoy focuses on commercial office buildings, each project takes a long period of time to complete. Projects which we designed five, six years ago were just completed in recent years. Take the Shanghai Mangoo Hub project for Hunan TV located in Shanghai’s West Bund for example. The project, including the 100-metre tower and the cultural and commercial areas, took us 8 years from design to being completed at the beginning of this year. This is not even the longest one. In addition, some purely commercial projects, such as COFCO Joy Breeze (Suzhou), Wenzhou INCITY, Chengdu Grand Shopping Centre and others have been built in recent years.
At the same time, a number of other projects were started. Over the past few years, we’ve made achievements in the field of office towers and won some high-rise projects, such as the Alibaba Central China Headquarters and Industrial Community (280m high) and the Chengdu Western Equity Investment Fund Headquarters (200m high). The construction of these projects have already begun and we hope that the final outcome will meet expectations. Some fun projects are still in the earlier conceptual design stage. Take the proposal we made for the Shanghai East Railway Station Front Complex Design Competition last year for example. A kilometre-long façade is rarely seen in the world. Some projects, such as the super complex in Huaide, Shenzhen, have been further developed. Urban renewal is another area that we focus on. Projects, such as the renovation of MOSTA Plaza in Shanghai on Nanjing Road, Shanghai No. 6 Department Store, and the regeneration of Ningbo Deji Lane, have all continued to develop at different stages. We have also completed industrial park designs for many projects, such as the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in Zhoupu, Shanghai, and the Yangtze River Delta Hi-Tech Park project located in Zhaoxiang park, Caohejing, Shanghai.
We don’t take a lot of projects actually, because the company is not very big and our demand for projects is relatively small, which is what I call “eating like a bird”. Therefore, we are less sensitive to changes in the market. The pandemic and changes in the real estate market over the past few years didn’t have a large impact on us. In fact, we felt that the projects actually implemented were of a higher quality with respect to developers and results. This is partly because our continuous hard work has been recognised and trusted by more people. On the other hand, owners are more prudent and hope to cooperate with companies with a higher level of professionalism and attention to design quality. This is how Benoy has been and we will continue to improve in the future, maintaining the professionalism and agility of our design, the flexibility and inclusiveness of our methods, our cooperative attitude and reliability. This way, we will be able to maintain our competitiveness and professional reputation in a volatile market.
Q2: What thoughts have you had recently?
The pandemic posed a great challenge for us because suddenly we had to work in a limited space. A while ago, I sent a letter to my colleagues. I think it is more like motivational words and encouragement to others, including myself, than thoughts. I will share it with all of you:
My dear Benoy colleagues:
All of a sudden, the convenient life that we took for granted has been replaced with lockdowns and quarantines at home. The beauty of spring outside the window seems so close, but still out of our reach. This sudden change makes us feel confused and worried… Undoubtedly, we need strong inner strength to guide us, calm us and help us adjust… It has been smooth sailing for so long that we all thought that was the ordinary state, if not the only state of life… This epidemic has forced us to think about whether we have truly understood the real and complex world, if we are resilient enough to deal with sudden turns of events, and most importantly, if we have the inner strength to rise to these changes. We feel confused and lost. However, can we stick to our dream more firmly with more determination？ Can we become stronger, more disciplined, more optimistic?
Luckily, our mind and creativity is free from limitations of time and space.
Luckily, we still have time.
I hope that during this special period of time, we all can offer a helping hand, be kind to others, and hold the line.
I firmly believe that soon we will be reunited, and at that time we all will become our better selves! Please take care of yourself and your family members.
This special period will be an experience we will never forget.
Q3: When was the last time you travelled abroad?
The last time I travelled abroad was August 2019. I participated in a two-day meeting in London then afterwards visited some buildings in London, and then to Nottingham to visit my school and meet some old friends. I returned to Shanghai in the middle of September. I haven’t been abroad after that. Almost three years have passed since then.
We thank Architecture Technique (AT) for inviting and interviewing Qin Pang, Benoy Director and Head of the Shanghai Office.
