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China Vanke Creates New Global Paradigm in the Transformation of Old Cities

Vanke Nanjing
2016-07-06 22:00 2701

NANJING, China, July 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- China Vanke, which has been ranked No. 1, based on sales, in China's Top 100 Property Developers list, is presenting a new global paradigm in the transformation of the world's older cities with the recent roll out of The Pavilia Garden built in the heart of Nanjing, China. In 2015, Vanke achieved sales of 261.47 billion yuan (approx. US$39.3 billion) and a market share of 3 percent in China.

Eight years ago, Vanke began to work with the Tsinghua Urban Planning & Design Institute on the research, planning and design of The Pavilia Garden. They reproduced Nanjing’s urban texture by studying the way likeminded projects in Barcelona, New York and Portland have succeeded and preserved the spatial layout of homes in the ancient capital, bringing back to life the tightly-knit family structure which was a feature of the earlier culture that grew up along the southern bank of the Yangtze River.
Eight years ago, Vanke began to work with the Tsinghua Urban Planning & Design Institute on the research, planning and design of The Pavilia Garden. They reproduced Nanjing’s urban texture by studying the way likeminded projects in Barcelona, New York and Portland have succeeded and preserved the spatial layout of homes in the ancient capital, bringing back to life the tightly-knit family structure which was a feature of the earlier culture that grew up along the southern bank of the Yangtze River.

Located in the center of Nanjing, The Pavilia Garden by Vanke will create a new global paradigm in the transformation of old cities with long histories. Nanjing, once the capital of six dynasties, is the only old city in southern China that maintained its original ancient architectural pattern. The region along the southern bank of the Yangtze River, guarded by Nanjing, is the birthplace of the Oriental garden culture and boasts the original interpretation of Oriental palaces and gardens. Chaotian Palace, Cang Lane and Anpin Street in the immediate area surrounding Xinjiekou, the center of Nanjing, were known, for thousands of years, as the spiritual home of China's civil servants. Despite the ups and downs of history, the over 2,000-year-old ancient capital of Nanjing remains, to this day, the economic hub of China's Yangtze River Delta area.

The revival and transformation of old cities, a fundamental component of international urban renewal philosophy, is a feature of Rome, Paris, Tokyo and Kyoto. China, where urbanization is a chief aspect of the social change gripping the country, is facing challenges from the modernized construction taking place on top of the country's heritage. As part of its urban planning and architectural design efforts, Vanke has successfully taken the transformation of an ancient city to a higher level with its The Pavilia Garden project by taking into consideration in a meaningful way the relationship between the project itself, the surrounding city landscape and the humanistic environment.

Eight years ago, Vanke started to plan the project of The Pavilia Garden and three years ago, Vanke began to work with the Tsinghua Urban Planning & Design Institute (THUPDI) on the entire process from original design through many redesigns. The two partners finally agreed to capture and reproduce Nanjing's urban texture in The Pavilia Garden project by studying the way that likeminded projects in Barcelona, New York and Portland have succeeded in doing the same. They also preserved the spatial layout of homes in the ancient capital, capturing and bringing back to life the tightly-knit family structure which was a feature of the earlier culture that grew up along the southern bank of the Yangtze River where Nanjing is located.

On the basis of that concept, Vanke hired Li Xinggang, the Chinese chief designer of Beijing National Stadium, also affectionately known as the Bird's Nest. He took Suzhou's Canli Garden as a model and used the modern architectural design approach to translate the old living pattern, including the way the homes and the accompanying gardens are both separate units within an integrated whole, into a modern pattern embodying the same concept, providing a living environment with scenery for residents, a promenade and all the features of a fully-functional residence. The Pavilia Garden consists of 85 unique homes with gardens, taking Chinese architecture to an unprecedented level.

Zhu Yufan, the Pavilia Garden landscape designer, ASLA winner and director of the landscaping department at Tsinghua University, indicated that the living pattern envisioned by Chinese classical gardens caters to the contemporary aesthetic ideas. By incorporating the essence of Oriental classical taste - the painting-in-poetry and poetry-in-painting design concept - into the integration of home and garden, he developed the plan for the landscape featuring eight natural and immersive sights at The Pavilia Garden.

"We could not create such a piece of work with the same drawings anywhere else in the world." The design team believes that each of the 85 homes are entirely unique as they are fully integrated into the local history and culture, inspiring people with their quintessential qualities.

This approach to the renewal of an older city is not new topic in that Paris and Kyoto have provided precedents. Vanke achieved a milestone in Nanjing and the wider China by incorporating the local culture into the transformation of an ancient city with deep historical roots.

Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160630/0861606505

 

Source: Vanke Nanjing
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