24 September 2020
Design China Beijing – ‘Modern City Garden for a New World’
During the ‘Design China Beijing’ exhibition, the Royal Institute of British Architects organised a design challenge with the theme of ‘Modern City Garden for a New World’ on 24 September 2020. Benjamin Chan, our Director and head of the Beijing studio, was invited to lead participants to innovate and revitalise the new space in Beijing. Through re-visiting the new needs and change of attitudes, the activity explored how architectural development help people thrive after the pandemic.
Benjamin served as the design mentor along with three other designers to guide the participants to express their design concepts in contemporary architectural language through different approaches such as sketching and 3D modelling. The activity simplified the brief to encourage a more open brainstorming and discussion.
To inspire people to contemplate on the future of urban planning, Benjamin shared his experience and insights into the public space of Beijing in the post-pandemic time.
He remarked “In the coming future, people-oriented design and application shall be the trend in developing the public space of the city. Starting from public sentiment, and combining history and culture, we can create a new city garden with sustainable development, versatility and the touch of humanity.”
Our colleagues from the Beijing studio also joined the challenge with devoted enthusiasm. With a comprehensive project plan, we won the Grand Social Responsibility Award from the judges.
