Recto Verso Issue No 2 In Medias Res

Shanghai International Cruise Terminal Photography by John Curran

Sparch is an independent architectural practice. www.sparchasia.com

BEIJING Raffles City Beijing Unit 1005 1 Dongzhimen Nan Dajie Beijing 100007 PRC 1 1005 100007 t +86 10 8402 1240 f +86 10 8402 1249

SHANGHAI Studio 3204 Block 3, Bridge 8 10 JianGuo Zhong Lu Shanghai 200025 10 833204 200025 t +86 21 6445 8041 f +86 21 6445 0169

SINGAPORE 11C Mount Sophia Old School, Unit B1-16 Singapore 228461 t +65 6396 0328 f +86 6396 0968

LONDON 48 Charlotte Street London W1T 2NS t +44 (0)20 3356 9755 f +44 (0)20 3356 9755

One Mont Kiara Photography by Milk Photographie

Ice Breaker What was your favourite Shanghai EXPO pavilion?

Alex / UK Pavilion I think its a very simple yet powerful design, without being a huge building like many of the others. It holds comfortable spaces to rest and enjoy of the view around. Mark / China Pavilion I like the china pavilion The Crown of the East, - because it reflects its identiy of Chinese Architecture and that what makes them proud of. Sunny / UK Pavilion Not just the building, but the performance art inside and of course, the SEEDS! Calvin / UK Pavilion I like the UK pavilion simply because its beautiful. I like very how the furry effect makes the building seem to dematerialize. Fanny / UK Pavilion Conceptualy and technologically Maggie / Spanish pavilion Not only for its architecture, but how with sounds, images and smells they managed to create a intense experience of the Spanish culture, with some sangria waiting for you at the end. Gabriel / Spain The exhibition makes you wanna go! Simone / Vanke Nantong Ganzha sales office pavillion I love it! Jeanne: Vietnam pavilion. I like the material and the feeling. I had a dream i could have a house made of bamboo when i was young. So i was excited when i saw Vietnam pavilion.In the future, if i can i want to design my dreamlike house! Diana / Germany pavilion High scientific and technological content Lukas / Czech Because I know the most story of creating pavilion and although its my home pavilion there was something new and surprising for me. Andirus / UK Pavilion Strong conceptualy and technologically Adrian / Netherlands My favorite pavilion was the Dutch Pavilion because I felt like I was walking through the world of Dr. Seuss and also got lunch with the sheep Shufan / Spanish pavilion Haiwen / UK pavilion Its concept: a city should live harmoniously with nature symbolised by the seeds. The seeds are our hopes for a greener environment for our future generations. Stephen / Coach Park Never seen so many coaches! Conyee: Chile Its really good have you seen it? nice progression, leading one from the dark entrance into a suspended capsule, then a big stepped open space filled with diffused sunlight... everything made out of natural wood, exposing the rough texture of the Chilean wood. Wen Hui: Vanke pavilion Cos it is one idea down to the last detail. n its by some unknown local designer! Anonymously nice whats your fav? Cant say British cos i haven been inside Angie Ang / Korean pavilion looks nice from the photos, I thought it was clever that it was made up of han-geul, the korean alphabet Darmaganda / UK Pavilion Because it is simple, pure, almost modular, yet also fantastic and organic. And it is in the same principal as the UK flag graphic. Handoko / Spain Pavilion I like their using of materials. For me its a combination between old and new. Wicker weaving is representing the tradition for both China and Spain (old element). And the steel framework is representing both countries as a modern sophisticated countries with advance technologies (new element). And its complimenting each other, dynamic shape + traditional material = something new and eye catching. Bing Yang, Sunny / Czech Republic Pavilion Simple but fantasy and meaningful Christian Taeubert / Mexican Pavilion A bunch of colleagues and I had a few pitchers of frozen Margaritas at the pavilions restaurant. The swerve to the left after getting up felt just like walking the loop of the Danish pavilion Cary Cheng / Shanghai Corporate Pavilion It was my friends project and I spent some time on site during construction Ming Yin Tan / Spanish Pavilion by EMBT For its tactile qualities. One could sense, touch and smell the unique quality of the interior space enlivened by the intricately woven wicker faade panels. Cristina Perez Guillen / Spain Because not only the outside but also the inside represented Spain very well. The exhibition was very powerful, dynamic and showed the essence of the country. A Pavilion itself has to be a container, which is basically a skin and the wicker is a typical material in Spain. The shape of the building is very dynamic too, which I think goes with the Spanish character. An Expo Pavilion is a representation of a country, teaching the visitors about its history, culture, society, etc. I think the Spanish Pavilion was the one that represented its country the best Tamara Hains / South Korean Pavilion Clever integration of the Korean culture into the faade its alphabet forms the faade panels. Its playful PacManlike form creates a series of interesting spaces that

Contributors

CHRISTIAN TAEUBERT joined Sparch in early 2007 and was appointed associate the following year. He led the curtain wall faade team for Raffles City Ningbo and worked on several large-scale projects including Raffles City Beijing and Zhabei Media Valley. Christian helps maintain the integrity and consistency of Sparchs designs throughout project detailing phases. His extensive experience in carpentry allows him to contribute practical know-how on everything from the selection of building materials to the construction process. Christian received his Master of Architecture from the University of Applied Sciences in Wiesbaden. After working at Morphosis and The Next Enterprise, he joined Plasma Studio in 2003. In 2005, Christian moved to China where he worked for the offices of MAD and Graft. In 2008, he became a registered member of the German Chamber of Architects.

STEPHEN PIMBLEY graduated from the Royal College of Art London in 1984 where he was a Gulbenkian scholar. He started his professional career at Richard Rogers and Partners. In 1990, he joined William Alsops studio as project architect for the awardwinning Htel du Dpartement des Bouches du Rhne in Marseille. In 2008 after seven years of working in Asia and along with former Alsop colleagues - Stephen established Sparch and is a lot happier to be part of an independent business, his regret of working predominantly in Asia is that the rugby union is televised at very uncivilised hours. Stephen is renowned amongst his colleauges for his ability to remember useless facts.

MING YIN is a co-founding associate director at SPARCH. She graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2004 and joined the Alsops Singapore office the same year. After working on the Clarke Quay project, she relocated to Alsops Shanghai office in 2005. Mingyin was the project architect for the award-winning Raffles City Beijing project. After the founding of SPARCH in 2009, Mingyin was appointed to associate director. She now leads an array of projects from the Beijing office, contributes to business development as well as communicating SPARCHs design aspirations to potential clients and developers.
encourage people to explore the entire structure. Its clearly defined methodology for colour treatment creates a strong visual expression - monochromatic on the exterior vs. coloured panels in the cut-outs Tze Aung Javen Ho / UK Sitting on a nature like landscape, it functioned beyond an ordinary pavilion but an extraordinary art piece for everyone. Just look at it Wei Lu / UK It is a romantic dream come true in architecture way Eldine Heep / UK Yeah, got to say UK. Reason: Over publicized, but still the most groundbreaking design of all the pavilions; somewhere between installation piece and architecture. At least from outside, which is how far I got at most pavilions Andrew Lo / UK Most beautiful and most interesting architecturally, conceptually it worked and the execution wasnt so bad either (considering its was made in china). The UK was well represented by one of its leading designers, with a fresh/ innovative approach which avoided the dullness of other theme-park pavilions Dominic Black / UK Havent seen any of them in real life anyway And you discussed a few of the reason there already. Formally, conceptually, presenting a place through it sheer variety of things/ aspects etc

JOHN CURRAN John established the Shanghai Studio in 2004, and co-founded Sparch in 2009. He has led numerous projects including the Queen Mary Medical Research Centre in London, winner of the RIBA International Award, and was responsible for the design and delivery of Shanghais New International Cruise Terminal, a riverfront development on Shanghais North Bund, completed in 2010. As a well-published member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, John gives presentations on the topics of space urbanism and the cultural celebration of space. He has taught at the University of Hong Kong, Shanghai Study Centre. When not working he attempts to star gaze through telescopes that pick up very little through our murky city skies!

FEI YIN is the founder of whiteismycolour - a graphic design studio as well as a paper design brand based in Shanghai, China. Fei Yins work specializing in art direction, corporate identity, print and book design. Her international work is known for a contemporary and crafted aesthetic. She is the designer for recto verso. www.whiteismycolour.com

Yes Flagship Store. Lot 10 Kuala Lumpur Photograph by Tim Nolan

Intro The sub heading for this the second issue of Recto Verso is In Media Res (in the middle of things) a phrase denoting a narrative convention for starting in the middle of the story, a situation which often requires some back-pedalling to explain actions that occurred perhaps before the story began. The writer must decide how to start a book, most start at the beginning of a story, working their way through the middle towards the conclusion. The story progresses in linear fashion, perhaps without reflection on what has occurred before. Starting a story in medias res is a long held tradition in the writing of novels, the earliest example of in medias res belongs to Homer who begins The Odyssey in the middle of his tale. The Odyssey starts with nearly all of Odysseus journey home to Ithaca after 25 years of monster slaying and people greeting complete. So not unlike Odysseuss and 25 years of monster slaying we are starting our new story at the mid point of our collective careers, expository conversations relating the pertinent past only as immoderation, sights being firmly fixed on the future. The opening of Shakespeares Hamlet takes place after his father has died; beginning his narrative thus facilitated immediate action with a few snippets of dialogue devoted to what had already transpired. We share with Hamlet our own father ghosts of the past but can declare they are truly forever busted. Sparch as of December 2010 is an independent business wholly owned by its founding partners. Thank goodness! When I say Thank goodness! this is not merely a euphemism for thanking a superior being, I really do mean thank goodness! There is a debt of gratitude owed for the goodness shown to us over this last 12 months. So a big thank you to our staff, clients, friends and family who have helped us on our Sparch Odyssey thus far. In this the year of the rabbit the last word goes to Bugs Bunny. I aint upside-down Doc,YOU are!

SPARCH NEWS
Chinese Pre sident Hu Jintao visi ts Sparchs Shanghai Stu at Bridge 8 dio and is show n several of Sparchs ch arity project s in Sichuan Province by the Shangha i Studio director Joh n Curran.
was Stephen Pimbley In December 2010 eative and Design TCDC (Thailand Cr invited to speak at e creative city was focused on th Centre) The event dustries joined fferent creative in and many from di are reprinted s of Stephens talk the forum. Extract cto Verso. in this edition of Re

Bei Sp ji Stu ng and archs d to th ios on Shang hai a da Wor e 20 y ld E 10 Sha trip XPO ngh ai .

Lim Wen Hui, Stephen Pimbley and Suchon Pongsopitsin n at the opening of the Fai-Fah exhibitio at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre in December, the exhibition featured Sparchs design proposal for the second Fai- Fah centre at Prachautis.

imbley in Stephen P ellency Exc n with His an discussio k Chairm Al Mubara tive Affairs Khaldoon cu Dhabi Exe Heang Fine of the Abu ong and Mr W topping Authority EC at the pitaland IL , CEO of Ca an Heights ony of Rih tial project in out cerem en ega resid Sparchs m i. Abu Dhab

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Mike and Eldine at YTls launch of their 4G telecommu nications brand Yes at Lot 10 KL in No vember 2010. The flagship store install ations inside and outside the mall were des igned by Sparch.

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Congratulations to Ming Yin on her profile being featured in the Spanish design magazine El Mondo under the title Successful female architects in China

SPARCH HARD HATS

Starthill Gallery The construction of the Se phora pavilion and the redressing of Star hill Gallery on Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur is no w 50% complete. Sephora is due to open its doors to the public for Chine se New Year 2011 and the recladding of the existing building is du e to be complete by the end of May.
l Termina i Cruise Shangha den ls ar Winter G i Crusie Termina gha . The 3 The Sha mpletion nears co re-let to the Garden np Winter showhave bee ed pods rrari as a ising suspend d cturer Fe merchan r manufa Italian ca ent space for the ev . case and roducts in China ip of Ferrar
Rihan Heights The first phase of Arzanh Sparchs masterplan and residential enclave for Capitala the joint venture between Capitaland and Mubadala nears completion. 84% of the 800 apartment units and all of the 17 town houses have already been sold. The project will open for occupation in a single phase in June 2011.

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Ningbos A1 housing and Pan Pacific Hotel Both designed by Sparch have been recently topped out, the facades are in progress with and expected handover of the building shells in mid 2011.

Paragon City Central Javas largest mixed use development is now partially open for business. The 80,00m2 retail Mall is open while the Crowne Plaza Hotel and banqueting halls are being fitted out for occupation later this year. The mall has already become a significant draw of the local crowd with its international mix of retailers and restaurateurs.

Zhongshan Butterfly District The first phase of the Zhongshan Butterfly District nears completion and the first tenants begin to move in. The buildings provide a bespoke venue for entrepreneurs to establish incubator businesses that can network in a purpose built environment. The idea of a connected community is carried through the entirety of the development; links will eventually exist between all of the project phases connecting the project internally and externally to the street and community. An interview with the client for the Butterfly District project can be found on page (to be numbered)

Raffles City Ningbo Sparchs mixed use development for Capitaland takes shape above ground. The project is due to be complete 3rd quarter 2012.

Zhabei Sparchs Marriot Courtyard Hotel and Office building for Capitaland in the Zhabei District of Shanghai comes out of the ground. The project is due for completion in mid 2012.

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Space Station 1 in Hyderabad Starts to show sign of progress above its vast raft foundation, basements and transfer structure. Station 14 is seen here under construction using bespoke aluminium shuttering to maximise efficiency.

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SHANGHAI CRUISE TERMINAL GALLERY

PHOTOGRAPHY AND TEXT BY SVEN STEINER

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Apart from the office buildings stretching along the river front that make up the dominant component of the Cruise Terminal Sparch designed an events pavilion, a media garden, the Winter Garden featured opposite and the Gallery building nicknamed the Peanut because of its distinct shape. The partially elevated building is very conspicuous due its extraordinarily shaped outer skin. Large triangular glass units, which consist of differentcolored panes, make the building look like a work of art; an exhibition piece. In the interior of the building, the offset story levels and the unusual faade structure create astonishing spatial impressions and views outside. The unusual faade and the special construction of the complex roof structure was developed by RFR engineers. The Schco special aluminium construction enabled large span widths with the greatest possible prefabrication and complete flexibility in the joints. This is the first such three-dimensional sculptural faade to be implemented in China. Section through the Gallery and adjacent office building.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND TEXT BY JOHN CURRAN

John Curran Sparchs Shanghai studio directors extraordinary design of three organic pods suspended on cables from a glazed table top structure at the centre of the Shanghai Crusie Terminal development nears completion. The three amorphous pods and table top structure that hover over a public performance space have now been leased and will be fitted out by the iconic Italian car manufacturer Ferrari. The pods will eventually contain a destination visitor attraction including themed restaurants that offer amazing views over the Huang Pu River and landscaped river embankment. The steel framed pods engineered by RFR are clad in a varying palette of solid, opaque and transparent materials that combine to form an exhilarating centrepiece of this landmark project.

SHANGHAI CRUISE TERMINAL WINTER GARDEN

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CLARKE QUAY REVISITED

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TIM NOLAN TEXT BY STEPHEN PIMBLEY

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5 years after the official opening of Clarke Quay business is still booming with 100% occupancy of the restaurants and shop units and a queue of tenants waiting to take up available rental space. Clarke Quay continues to be one of the most iconic destinations in the city attracting tourists and locals alike testament to the ground breaking canopy installations and innovations in public space design by Sparchs founding directors Jan Clostermann and Stephen Pimbley. Tim Nolans recent photo essay of Clarke Quay shows just how vibrant and popular this place continues to be!

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TEXT BY STEPHEN PIMBLEY

sparch with a heart

I SPEND MY TIME TRAVELLING AROUND POPPING IN AND OUT OF PLACES AND STAYING PERHAPS A FEW NIGHTS BUT I RARELY GET TO KNOW THE PLACES OR THE PEOPLE. SPENDING SOME TIME STEPPING OUTSIDE THIS ROUTINE AND DOING SOMETHING THAT IS NOT SELFISHLY MOTIVATED IS LIKE GETTING YOUR BATTERIES RECHARGED BY SOME SORT OF ENERGY FAIRY GODMOTHER. I KID YOU NOT THE SPIRIT AND GOODWILL OF THE STAFF AND KIDS AT FAI-FAH IS SO INFECTIOUS IT CAN CARRY YOU THROUGH MANY A DULL DAY WITH A PERMANENT SMILE ON YOUR FACE. PERHAPS IM AT FAI-FAH FOR SELFISH REASONS AFTER ALL? WE ALL NEED SUPPORT FROM TIME TO TIME AND IN A WAY BEING AT FAI-FAH SUPPORTS ME, IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD! PERHAPS YOU CAN BE AN ARCHITECT AND SMILE AT THE SAME TIME? FAI-FAH LESSON NUMBER ONE!

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SPARCHS INVOLVEMENT WITH FAI-FAH COVERS THE REFURBISHMENT OF 2 SHOP HOUSES LOCATED IN THE PRACHAUTIS DISTRICT OF BANGKOK. THE VARIOUS ARTS AND CREATIVE PROGRAMMES CONTAINED IN THE CLIENTS BRIEF ARE ARRANGED OVER 4 FLOORS AND INCLUDE: THE LIVING ROOM, A LIBRARY, AN ARTS STUDIO, A DANCE STUDIO AND MULTI-PURPOSE ROOF TOP WORKSHOP SPACE. THE DESIGN WAS DEVELOPED AT INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS HELD AT FAI-FAH ONE WITH MANY OF THE CHILDREN / TEENAGERS, VOLUNTEER ARTS STAFF AND MEMBERS OF TMBS CSR TEAM. FAI-FAH TWO PRACHAUTIS WILL BE OPEN MID 2011.

IN OCTOBER 2010 SPARCH WERE ASKED BY THE TMB BANKING ORGANISATION IN THAILAND TO ASSIST WITH THEIR CSR PROGRAMME FAI-FAH (MEANS LIGHT-ENERGY) FAI-FAH IS A PROJECT THAT SEEKS TO CREATE CHANGE IN THAI SOCIETY BY WORKING WITH UNDER PRIVILEGED CHILDREN IN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY BY USING ARTS AND CREATIVE THINKING AS SOCIAL TOOLS. THE AMBITION IS THAT THE CREATIVE ENERGY GENERATED FROM THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES WHERE FAIFAH OPERATES WILL GROW INTO A PROFOUND CHANGE FOR THAI SOCIETY AT LARGE.

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DREAM RESEARCH
SPIN UP AND SPIN DOWN
Designers do not operate in a vacuum. They are influenced by subjects they are drawn towards, sometimes often subconsciously so. We accumulate a library of ideas in our heads (the worlds only real currency), not really knowing how to archive, or how useful they may be. As a designer, or someone interested in design, what is your passion? What topics roll off the tongue without you dwelling on it? If we take art as a given interest, does it lean towards fashion, music, photography, painting..extreme crocheting? Students from Parsons University in New York visited Sparchs Shanghai Office in November 2010 to discuss their thesis project. We had a stimulating chat about the importance of allowing yourself to drift and dream upon unrelated fields that somehow delightfully feedback into our storyboard of the day. My field of interest is Aerospace, considered by some an anorak topic, but if described in terms of dreaming up habitats for living in weightlessness, or pondering space urbanism, its a rather sexy anorak. But space as a topic is pie in the sky stuff right ! Maybe not. Consider how space has opened up to private enterprise in recent years. The American Robert Bigelow founded Bigelow Aerospace, and will soon place inflatable hotels in space, having already flown a full scale prototype in orbit, called Genesis 1. Richard Branson founded Virgin Galactic, and will soon roll out his fleet of space planes, having already flight tested the prototype called Spaceship 1. These will take off from the purpose built spaceport completed in New Mexico, designed by Norman Foster. Other wealthy patrons have also set up their own private space enterprises, after all, as the saying goes - No Bucks, No Buck Rogers. Paul Allen cofounder of Microsoft, Jeff Bezos founder of Amazon, Elon Musk founder of Paypalthe list goes on. These extraordinary risk takers have a common purpose, to open up space for public recreation, something the government space agencies are unable, unwilling or not permitted to do. The passenger dream ticket costs a fortune, from USD 200,000 to catch a ride on Bransons suborbital lick, up to USD 25 million to book a ticket to the International Space Station through the company Space Adventures. The theory goes that prices will plunge as this embryonic market matures, and both ground and space based installations grow into a proper global infrastructure, like todays commercial jet airlines. Some people are captivated by space exploration, and others are not. My favourite quote comes from the early 20th Century father of the Russian space program, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, who said The earth is a cradle of the mind, but we cannot live forever in a cradle. One cannot help but be enthralled by the moments of shear bliss experienced by some of the Apollo Astronauts as they peered out through their capsule window, the earth, the moon and the sun slowly rotating into view. Astronaut Ed Mitchell on his return from the Moon described having a kind of epiphany, a spiritual feeling of connectedness, knowing that every atom in our body, the earth and the moon were all prototyped from an exploded star many billions of years ago, and here is Ed, enjoying this apparition of Brahma Creation.

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TEXT BY JOHN CURRAN

John curran heads up Imagine zero gravity, no up no down to concern sparchs shanghai office. yourself with. Now imagine the wonderful possibilities As a member of the aiaa (american institute of new ways to get around (your ticket includes aeronautics & astronautics), john has had several arm jets), new ways to eat, sleep and do the other peer reviewed papers things! Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon really published by the aiaa, including: sky city (a tourist does come to life inside the Space Arboretum (see city in low earth orbit), base (bubble architecture adjacent illustrations). space environments), alis Going back to the point of this article, by allowing (art lab in space). See adjacent illustrations. ourselves to engage in Dream Research, we build up a repertoire of ideas we can feed into our Art by Tuesday terrestrial deadlines. The prominent space architects call it Spin Up & Spin Down. As an example, environments in space are becoming semi-closed life support systems that are environmentally green and super efficient life is powered by the sun, captured by solar panels, waste water is recycled, air is even scrubbed of carbon dioxide and recycled. Soon plants grown in space will form a staple diet. This led to the Spin Down idea of Infrastructure Free abbreviated to INFRAFREE housing on earth. This is particularly interesting when you consider the devastation caused by the out break of cholera and other diseases in the aftermath of an earthquake. If each house is a self contained unit free of physical infrastructure grids, there are obvious benefits to humanity. If there is no power grid to break then homes remain powered. If there is no fresh water and waste water grid to break then water will not become contaminated, and the spread of disease will be contained. A Spin Up example would be say inflatable technology, developed on earth from anything from vehicle tires to pneumatic enclosures. Inflatables are the Holy Grail for achieving large public arena enclosures in space, a welcome departure from the tin can modules. Inflatables are light and compact at launch, an important consideration when the price tag per kilogram to place something in orbit is approximately USD20,000. NASA developed a space inflatable called Transhab back in 1997. Unfortunately as happens with so many good ideas, it was dropped due to shortsightedness. But then the Texan Bigelow came along, of Bigelow Aerospace mentioned earlier, and bought the patent license from NASA for a song (country & western style), and Heee-Haw, Genesis 1, his inflatable hotel rode into orbit in 2006. Finally, architects are designing for space (some prominent ones shown adjacent), a field released from the monopoly grip of the aerospace engineers. This is primarily because space is no longer about fighter pilots sucking it up in cramped conditions. The private entrepreneurs with a focus on space tourism recognize they need imaginative designers to deliver imaginative solutions for what is a once in a lifetime human experience. The bugle horn blows for aspiring architects and interior designers interested in this field, but always good to build up a portfolio of some personal Dream Research before knocking on doors. The vacuum of space await our ideas, and I started this muse with the statement: Designers do not operate in a vacuum, so now I end by contradicting myself and hoping more of us do!

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comment

SPARCH @TCDC DECEMBER 2010 UTOPIAN BROADACRE, SUZHOU CREEK AND THE CONVIVIAL TOWNSCAPE.
In December 2010 Stephen Pimbley was invited to speak at the Thai Design Council, the following text formed the basis of talk.
TEXT BY STEPHEN PIMBLEY

For every building that we have built, for every masterplan studied, for every competition win, there are dozens of our other designs lurking in the shadows. The ones that should have been built but werent. The hopeful contenders that never passed Go because of many and varied reasons that elude rational explanation and in spite of our eloquent testimonies and passionate conviction regarding the philosophic and social basis of the design ideas, they are inevitably consigned to the server archive. There are many examples we can refer to old and new, the competition entry for LaSalle School of the Arts in Singapore1 won by 2 blocks enclosing an open street designed by local Singaporean practice RSP, our proposal for Raffles City Shenzhen2 a civic scale proposal that wrapped the edges of a new urban park won by the retail architect Benoy and most recently our proposed addition to the Shanghai waterfront at Suzhou Creek3 a mixed use development that sought to capture the spirit of its heritage location and provide a new destination for the city, a new landmark but not another Bilbaoesque icon landed on the Shanghai skyline. The final result of our submission lies dormant, and our models gather dust whilst the client continues their crusade for fresh ideas. This might all sound like an exercise in sour grapes from this moithered man but take it for granted that some of our best architecture will remain un-built; it exists however as our own alternative world, a parallel universe of fruitful possibilities. I find that a cheerful thought, perhaps a womb of succor as the rancor of the competition loss takes hold and the inevitable self questioning keeps me awake at night. All projects are about investigation and a process of learning, the hunting and gathering of the idea, the process of Suzhou Creek was no different Stephen Pimbley @TCDC with other guest except it was coloured by a desire to create a proposal that was quite theatrical speakers and board members of TCDC and radically different from the rather mundane strategies previously developed for the riverside location. An exercise of drawing together notions of city making, putting on paper the types of spaces that you have felt happy in and that have provided some sort of visual / emotional pleasure. What sort of proposal could stitch together the disparate existing buildings and vacant space? Suzhou Creek was a particularly challenging project but one with substantially more content than developing from scratch the ubiquitous out of town sites that have little or no context save themselves. We witness in Asia many of these mega developments, instant cities created by whipping up some second world war powdered eggs into a tasteless souffl. The virtue of these projects paraded in front of provincial planners with much puff but total lack of critical assessment especially when the prefix Eco is attached. The Greenwash credential all too easily provides immunity from debate, the rolling pseudo sustainable bandwagon becoming 1 very quickly unassailable.

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Large construction projects on virgin land as examples of sustainable urban development are perhaps a long way off, I firmly believe in following the philosophy of Richard Rogers who advocates the densification and repair of our existing cities as a more effective way of securing sustainable development. Rogers himself an inveterate utopian has however slipped up more than once witness his 1990s masterplan for Pudong, his vision of Alphaville4 based on the radial plan of the romantic German university town Karlsruhe5. The much feted following developments are no better, Fosters Xanadu (Masdar) in the Abu Dhabi desert or ARUPs eco paradise off the coast of Shanghai at Dongtan Island or the most gratuitous of them all the Palm Island of the coast of Dubai are a serious call to pick up arms like Orwell and make the trip to Catelonia and fight all those who resist working to repair the urban fabric that already exists in abundance. Sustainable repair and renewal of our existing city fabric with contemporary architecture and new programmes to replace those that have been lost due to social or economic reasons has to be the objective of the 21st Century, this should not be read as advocacy for conservation, turning empty buildings into subsidised museums but rather a programme of demolition of underused inappropriate building stock and replacing them either with open green space or new uses that enrich the quality of the city. 2 very successful and very different examples of tuned in regeneration are the Spinnerei in Leipzig, Germany a complete city block of old cotton factory buildings reinvented by artists, as studios, small scale manufacturing units, galleries, cafes and restaurants and the High Line in New York City by Diller and Scofido, a disused elevated railway line has been reinvented as an elevated park slicing its way between the cities real estate6 and 7. I sometimes find myself thinking about Frank Lloyd Wrights Broadacre City8, FLW always had his finger on the zeitgeist button but Broadacre like all notions of the Utopian City down the centuries was of classical origin, relentlessly geometrical and symmetrical, so complete in itself, and so incapable change. It begs the question where is the rambling gothic Utopia that sustains growth and change and does not look like its all been designed in a single uniform unforgiving style? I was determined that our strategy for Suzhou Creek would feel like a natural extension of the city, varied, layered, different components nestling and jostling with each other for position, not a picture perfect classical plan but more of an assemblage of ideas, an architectural variation of Marcel Duchamps La Bote-en-Valise9. Suzhou Creek was influenced by the cities I love; the cities I like to spend time in rather than for their utopian vision, real cities like Hong Kong, Paris, Bangkok, London, the provincial cities of France and Italy or the medieval cities of the Middle East. These cities seem to have a habit of stymieing the best-laid plans; it is this that gives them an edge, an interesting juxtaposition of scale and style, of shifting perspective, of surprise and event. You are never quite sure what you might find when you turn the corner or move from one arrondissement to the next, these are the qualities I wanted to bring to our vision for Suzhou Creek10. At this point I

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have to declare I prefer the urban clutter and semi decay sitting cheek by jowl with the 1970s architecture found in Kuala Lumpur to its Straits jacketed neighbour Singapore. Wonderfully ambitious though Singapore is in its constant self reinvention from colonial outpost to China friendly superstore and health resort, but the city lacks the smell and grime of a real city. Singapores once odorous shop houses, canals and Bugis Street (the naughty street of pimps and transvestites) have been cleaned up, the Gob Stoppers and Love Hearts11 have made way for Swiss herbal candy to be licked prudently under strict supervision. The age of a tree is determined by examination of a section through its trunk, the trees dendrochronology, Singapore to a certain extent has lost this direct trace of its past, its almost impossible to read its varied and interesting history, a history that articulates and informs the street patterns of the real city. Is Singapore is the embodiment of a modern planning and social 11 utopia? Implementing wholesale reconstruction and Social Engineering on a city state scale i.e. to design and rule a utopia, you need to be a serious control freak and have the political mechanisms in place to deliver the baby either naturally or in this case with an elephant sized epidural. It is essential to know exactly where everyone is, how many there are, what they are doing, how many babies they are making, what they are buying, where they are going, and how. The Singaporean urban planners new broom has created a city 12 machine for a life, work, and surveillance, that is why Singapore has taken the form it has, at least parts of Mr Lees Singaporean vision although the envy of many of its South East Asian and Chinese counterparts should have remained on paper. Real life leads to compromise and the Singapore plan of rapid shiny growth in under 50 years stitched together by huge swathes of manicured greenery is not to be tinkered with. Its only redeeming features are the apple orchard like suburbs with road names like Chatsworth, of course ber English and very Bournville12 although in Singapore there are no suburbs so no urbs to be sub to. These urbs are home to fancy al freso eateries, the cosy black and white imperialist bungalows, Singapores super rich who live in landed property and not the mass market slab apartment blocks built by the Singaporean Housing Development Board where the hoi polloi hang out their socks to dry on very long poles. Evolution of a city has to be preferred over wholesale reconstruction, 13 where is the room for the sordid alley way, the rotten, the stink and the feted, the city that is accretive by accident, complicated and difficult to navigate? Have we totally given up or are we just rolling over in the risk free drive towards gated communities and impermeable shopping blocks away from the darker more interesting sides of the real city? Bangkok where we now have a number of new projects is in my opinion one of the more interesting idiosyncratic cities that you have to get to know to enjoy its secrets; sure it has suffered major infrastructural interventions at the hands of clumsy traffic engineers and is now in part reminiscent of Fritz Langs scary 1925 fictional Utopian film Metropolis13. Sukhumvit, Bangkoks Oxford Street, Omotesando or Orchard Road has become a 3 dimensional operatic libretto about movement a living Technicolor Piranesi etching14.

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The gap between film and architecture here is obviously very small, both are about narrative and surprise, the experience of being flushed through the city intestines at a modest pace out into the bowls of the city superstores is quite pleasant. The masculine concrete pylons supporting the Bangkok Transit System, BTS have a rather clumsy interface with the city creating lots of left over spaces convenient only for a needed and surreptitious wee-wee, but in the spirit of Herr Langs utopian vision of the future the central highways of Bangok have become a multi level city where people and modes of transportation are intertwined with the telecommunication and electricity cables strewn from the adjacent buildings. Bangkok residents seem not to like these cables, but they are just another layer of the stuff that makes this place unique, the American consumer products giant Proctor and Gamble inventively used the matted web of cables to advertise a range of tangle free shampoo to the Thai market15. Our proposals for Suzhou Creek16 and 17 imagined a new Utopia inspired by the experience of some of the cities already mentioned. A desire to create an active densely-populated yet convivial townscape, where cars are removedthink Piazza Navona and shared surfaces18 where you can wander from your cleverly-designed home overlooking the river past squares and fountains to a cafe, to a cinema, theatre or concert hall; where there is also an art gallery, hotel, museum, library, and shops. Where all these things are well-designed, the best you can find; a unique destination for Shanghai. Is this an impossible dream? Could it ever happen in Shanghai? The client a government developer thinks not, the city planners are too conservative in this of all testosterone fuelled cities I find that hard to believe. Our modest almost polite intervention reminiscent of the Beijing Hutong and the Shanghai Lane House19 typology deliberately made appropriate connections to city routes and infrastructure, reconnected the site to the river and generally was a well conceived piece of work. Pickled in formaldehyde, our concepts are now floating around in specimen jars like snow storm souvenirs only to be shaken when the visitors and new clients drop in to inspect our wares. Although frozen in limbo these ideas are never lost, they sit somewhere in a lexicon of future stories waiting to be told and perhaps built. Should we worry that our architecture does not fit within some sort of easily recognisable idiom, or that we are admonished for being too fanciful or that our work is rejected for adopting a counter-intuitive line? Hubris aside, we have no choice, we have to remain steadfast in our ambitions and true to the way in which we have been educated, the way in which we conceive and execute our projects. I think the frontline of hostilities is more of a reflection of what is happening in the architecture and construction market, and it seems that nobody has the faintest idea of what is really going on. Even the most eloquent of commentators find it hard to pin the tail on the donkey, there is no certainty and no consensus apart from the European and North American state of economic bust versus the Asian boom. Certainly there is no recognisable architectural style at the start of the 21st Century, there is only the Kraftwerk like manifesto of the Parametricists published like all other manuscripts with the intention of making you behave and design in the same way that they do. (Humming softly Kraftwerks Computerwelt)20

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It would seems the perpetrators, the Para... Architects are becoming globally successful, blogs and magazines abound with ever more complex organic and floating planet friendly structures right off the story board of Avatar. Dont get me wrong, I believe this geometric analysis of organic form is a fantastically important development in architecture, however the bandying and Gerrymandering of you must draw like this or you must behave like that is no different in purpose to Tatlins the Monument to the Third International21 or Nigel Coates urban decomposition strategies during the brief period of 1980s NATO. All are about proclamation of ideas and a program of objectives, they are not designed to worry us only hopefully engage our senses as we occasionally look over the top of the computer screen. These days, there are no rules, no styles, you can make a building any shape you want, the machines give us limitless choice, nothing is impossible. But just because something is possible, does not mean you necessarily have to do it, restraint is a virtue in architecture as in everything else as David Chipperfield said of his award winning Berlin Neues Museum. Suzhou Creek was not all about the next big icon building for Shanghai, it was our own exercise in restraint a desire to fit in. However, the demand for new icons is unfortunately not as yet on the endangered species list in China, but Im pretty bored with the iconic projects and their peripatetic gang of designers, there is an clearly an epidemic of manic shape-making going on, in which the Louis Sullivan mantra, form follows function, is all but forgotten. The Bilbao 20 Effect (the self-conscious iconic structures that have sprouted up across the world since Frank Gehrys Bilbao Guggenheim in 1997) is a minor Tsunami washing over Chinas varied topography with Madame Hadid currently the most globally successful at giving good blob jobs. The validity of the post-Guggenheim effect and the striving after landmark status depends on what you think the role of architecture ought to be. If you think it is merely a question of selecting one style over another then fine, there is a plethora of choice. But if you think that architecture should really be about providing fundamental solutions to human problems, needs and hopes as I do, then you start to worry. Suzhou Creek attempted to elevate the discussion above style, our focus was on content and on the idea of place, our ambition was to create a garden, an urban oasis, a fragment of a dream of what an ideal city could be: cosmopolitan, smart, cultured and cared for, a secret city with a city. I have been through the arguments in my head too many times 21 but I keep coming up against an inescapable fact that perhaps we are just not set up to do this kind of architecture anymore, its not as the client would say risk averse or perhaps does not fit within a known business model. The ideas of artistry or romanticism, qualities that bid us towards or repel us from places are too easily forgotten in the search for the easily understood global copy cat development mix. Perhaps our type of proposed city making at Suzhou Creek is unfashionable, and died along with Londons Barbican?22 A city within a city, possibly unthinkable in an economy now based almost entirely on people looking at screens only feeling comfortable eating and shopping in temperature controlled boxes. So it seems that our strategies for Suzhou Creek will be forgotten like the street and wharf side activities that once provided the life blood of the Suzhou River. The design of places that make people feel comfortable outside the glass office blocks and the subterranean shopping malls is one of those things requiring subtle skill and appreciation of cities that planners and second rate developers seem thus far not to have dexterity to handle or first hand experience of. The paternalistic governments redevelopment of industrial and agricultural land with whole swathes of real estate given over to the influence and sway of the private developer is 22 another utopian equation that in Asia does not really add up, everything is happening all at once its the Singapore syndrome but on a massive scale. In one way, its terrifying, in another - whatever you think of the politics its awe-inspiring. Last years Shanghai EXPO held under the moniker of better city better life had far reaching implications on the tidied up city beyond the pavilions landed like alien space craft for the duration in Pudong, the ordinary folk of Shanghai were encouraged to stop clearing their throats and spitting in public and wearing their pyjamas in public for fear of offending the sensibilities of the visiting Lao Wai. The pyjama wearing residents in my opinion need a bit of support here, they like the Bangkok telecommunication cables are one of the things that make 23 the city different, interesting and unique. Utopias must be perfect, so comforted by this fact I can put our proposals for Suzhou Creek to bed, always to remain of paper like the for inspiration only Acid infused psychedelic dreams of Ron Herons Archigram23 group with their Plug-in, Walking and Instant Cities, Pop Cultures Gothic sensibility combined with experiments in what was tomorrow, Im happy to pretend to be in the camp of the discarded Utopians until the next time I have to join the real world and make a buck. God bless you Ron.
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interview

feature
PHOTOGRAPHS OF YES BY TIM NOLAN PHOTOGRAPHS OF STARHILL GALLERY BY MIKE GIBERT

How important are the Sparch designs for the Butterfly District to changing the face of Zhongshan? Sparchs design brings Zhongshan visual impact and a new possibility. Buildings in Zhongshan are generally conservative in style and color, lacking variety. The successful development of the Butterfly District would play a leading role, urging developers and designers to try something new. What books are on your bedside table? We dont have bedside books anymore since we got iPad now. What are the 3 most pivotal moments in your careers that you either learned from and/or that got you where you are? Getting married, and the birth of my son and my daughter. The continuous process of building a complete family literally taught us to be tolerant, respectful and thankful, giving us motivation to create. Your masterplan for the Butterfly district is very ambitious, where did the inspiration come from? It is our dream! We see it as a dream home rather than a commodity. Are we becoming too reliant on the internet? Would you ever go online to try on the clothes you design for your own avatar? I dont think we are too reliant on the internet. It is just a choice and a tool that brings us convenience. We never go online to try on the clothes we design. Actually, clothes needs very accurate fitting. We make paper patterns according to the design, sew samples according to the patterns and try the samples on standard models or live models. We check against the differences between the real effect and the design on paper and make changes. Only until they meet the requirements 100%, then we decide on the final sizes and begin production.

INTERVIEW WITH JANE AND NELSON SPARCHS CLIENTS FOR ZHONGSHAN BUTTERFLY
QUESTIONS BY JOHN CURRAN
, Butterfly District iPad , , . , fitting , 100%,,

SPARCH ON BUKIT BINTANG

SPARCH WERE COMMISSIONED BY TAN SRI FRANCIS YEOH CEO OF YTL TO UNDERTAKE THE TRANSFORMATION OF 2 OF HIS PROPERTIES ON KUALA LUMPURS BUKIT BINTANG. FIRST THE RADICAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE FAADE OF STARHILL GALLERY TO PROVIDE INCREASED GFA AND STREET FRONTAGE AND A NEW HOME FOR THE LVMH BRAND SEPHORA. SECOND, INSTALLATIONS AT LOT 10 TO ASSIST THE LAUNCH OF YES, YTLS WIMAX 4G TELECOMMUNICATION INITIATIVE, THE INSTALLATIONS INCLUDE A NEW FLAGSHIP STORE AT THE CENTRE OF THE LOT 10 ATRIUM, NEW EXTERNAL LANDSCAPING AND A FEATURE LED CUBE. BOTH PROJECTS ARE HAVING A BIG IMPACT ON THE FACE OF BUKIT BINTANG READ BELOW WHAT BLOGGERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE PROJECTS:

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STARHILL GALLERY
Store ired by Apples ship store is insp n try out their I believe the flag t where people ca ncep with an open co ol place to visit. product. Its a co

i saw hoardings up surrounding the cafe now, and its written there development by YTL with SPARCH.. also on the hoardings, the same rendering we are seeing here. does this mean this project is ON!?

Yes 4G. t box advertising n advertisemen A

Cant wa it for the new Star in the ne hill to be ar unveiled Vision M future! , all in KL is also de signed b y Sparch .

holy shit.....hopefully this turns out man..

im actually quite worried... huge glass facade at the outdoor is quite dangerous for Malaysia especially our drivers...

Was walking around Bukit Bin namely Pavil ion for the Q tang area yesterday, uiksilver Ro Frnaks An xy and Pau nual Friend l s and Famil Farenheit 8 y Sales and 8 to check o Yes 4G again @ vertising ad ut Uniqlo. P rtisement boxes ere moving but and something amazed assed by LOT Saw these adve me when I sa and the words w reen The Cube w a Transfo 10 was actually a sc in front of th not? Lot 10. It rmer-ish e YES - YTLs pic! Awesome or latest and re complex. It was promotin aged to take this through. I man essage g volutionary Internet wit really get the m 4G Mobile h Voice !! They wanted to

WIMAX 4G

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On the brighter side, i shall call this new Starhill the most modern mall in Southeast Asia (beat Ion Orchard hands down) !!!

_jal d by daeng ,, ginally Poste paragon, starhill for ion Ori for on ere the great..pavili ccasion wh of a small o a.!!! this is one ll for malaysi ism work we kiausu

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Truly amazing architectu re, and if Im not wrong, this will be Ch anels second boutique in KL right?

ith ed by YTL w develop RFR PARCH and fr-group.com/index.php?i... S

ww.r . --> http://w ck RFR out. che 672&L=1 i1[project]= frprojects_p

yeay yeay.. (if this really become reality)

s ve by and wa other day. Dro of the new said... ter the Vonvon meones Twit cool pics ...read it on so e Sephora logo too. Btw, Yea.. to see th . :) really excited you got there ora structure Seph

? for real huh the louvre.. build e one who they are th

..... OME.......... AWES

Miu said... huh?! so futur istic wan this s ephora?! omg cant wait ..the rumours is coming true!!!
id... BRYAN sa

Now surrounded properties will ask PREMIUM for STARHILL view.

t for 1 Mont Kiara er term, watch ou Sparch In the near ntally designed by l, which is coincide mal architecture for a some cool interior featuring all. neighbourhood m te is ect in RFR websi arhill gallery proj the st cant find it back re in there, i just somewhe i googled it and again ha ha ha.. citing whoaaa! this is ex it appeared. but haha

E TA AGRE UT I GOT B O SALAH IS DARN COOL NY U R S BEN FACELIFT THE NEW TAT HAHAHA aid... ITED TOO Y NICER BRYAN s AMN EXC A A I WAS D IT TOO THIS IS W N YE VO ANT WA IU YES I C E IN SG M E ON THAN TH
Nicole said... hey i put a link to this post in my blog thanks for the info!!! i was super excited and jumping all over the place!!!

said en its Missy Doroshi Sephora gonna op t ard rumours that Earlier we he the hoarding righ is TRUE!! Spotted g store in KL. Yes, it lery today. Judgin trance Starhill Gal ea outside the en arding, it looks lik uvre e image on the ho from th inds me of the Lo ass house! It rem phuturistic gl e building and t to see this awesom in Paris. Cant wai rful stuffs. Sephoras wonde

Nail Galore sa id.. Oh wow! now . i can get my p olishes frm ther Cant wait for e! it to open

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BRYAN said...

Y READERS TO W I WANT ALL M NO ST !!! KNOW THIS FIR ... G TO MALAYSIA PHORA IS COMIN EADY SE E ALR YES AND THEYR ING ... RIGHT VAT STARTED RENO GALLERY AND TSIDE STARHILL OU OOL ITS FREAKING C
Benny said... d about that OMG not so excite ore excited on the make up store - m orld facelift! Star Hill out-of-this-w

BRYAN said... TOO .. CANT WAIT TO SEE IT UCTION NEAR ING STILL IN CONSTR A BUILD LED IT AND TURN N. MY FRIEND GOOG PAVILIO ESTIC BUILDING GOING TO BE A COM OUT ITS CALLED SEPHORA :O

feature
TEXT BY TAN MING YIN

VANKE SUPER CITY

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The Changping site is located about 50km north of Beijings Forbidden City. Downtown Beijing has over the years become increasingly congested and set in train a process of urban migration to suburban satellite towns like Changping. The common perception of satellite towns like Changping is that its commuters city, for sleeping with real life only happening in the city centre. A utilitarian domicile, far away from metropolis; the Chinese national developer Vanke saw the potential in providing a richer out of city experience for the needs of these satellite dwellers. SPARCH were given the opportunity to rethink the conventional mould of the mixed use development, with a retail component of around of 100,000 sqm, the massive scale of the brief required for compartmentation of retail facilities to expand the retail offer to suit the requirements of disparate local consumer groups. The agglomeration of the mixed functions and offers was dubbed Vanke Super City.

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Vanke Super City has 2 retail circulation routes, a 12 hour a day route and a 24 hour route. Retail programs (shops and department stores) that operate in the day are consolidated into a shopping mall typology (12 hour) these programs ostensibly make up the mass of the podium architecture, circulation routes and terraces are carved out of the podium facilitating access to the roof top elevated courtyard (24 hour). Around the courtyard interlocking boxes create a three dimensional activity neighborhood; the boxes contain the 24 hour retail functions (cinemas, KTV, games and restaurants). The typical shopping mall typology locates functions such as cinemas and KTV at the upper levels of the mall, historically difficult spaces to rent to other users. These entertainment functions operate into the early hours of the morning long past the closing time of 80% of the other retail facilities necessitating the public to navigate a difficult journey down out of service escalators and darkened non air conditioned shopping spaces towards the nearest fire escape or secondary exit.

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Our proposals for Vanke Super City resolved this by having two complementary circulation routes, the day route and the night route. When the normal day shopping functions have closed for business, customers are provided with an alternate animated route lined with shops and terraces snaking along the podium faade. These shops operate outside the standard retail hours and service the customers using the entertainment neighborhood, they also increase the extent of shop frontage along the trafficked increasing the value of the space. From an urban perspective, escalators along the faade express movement and energy in the spirit of Archgrams moving cities or Rogers and Pianos Pompidou Centre. The facades of Vanke Super City are articulated using a varied palette of materials in layered bands reminiscent of folded geological plates. Vanke Super City a new retail typology and a new landmark for the center of Changping.

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interview
When did you know for yourself that you will become a painter and what was the leverage that made you peruse this direction? I wanted to be a painter ever since I was little, but I only knew I could be a real painter after I graduated from the university. Except painting, I was part of the Silence Majority among the Chinese, thus painting, or visual art, is my way of expression, where there are not only the charm of art, but also the sound from me. If you think of your childhood what are the scenes, colours, smells, objects or spaces which might have disappeared from the Chinese city as you remember it? I spent my childhood in the countryside, and my hometown has become a straight highway now. Thinking back to my childhood, I always have the feeling of warm and light shade of colour in there. Quiet, winding, and uneven paths give the illusion of time extended and space enlarged. Nowadays the Chinese cities are expanding too fast, the new and the old are altering constantly, but to the individuals the space is compressed unknowingly, and the sense of stress is hanging over them. And what new scenes, objects or spaces have moved to the foreground of your perception of cityscape nowadays? Our cities are becoming larger and larger. There are more and more buildings in every city of China; the houses becoming more beautiful each time; the roads become wider yet more jammed also. The architectures of the last 90s are probably young to Europe, but to China there were like declined old men, waiting to be torn down. The birds eye perspective seems to be your favoured choice to depict your scenes. How come you have chosen that perspective for most of your work? Because I believe that the change of angle and distance can create different visual effects, and in return makes it different the information received and delivered. In case of seizing the whole sight, I think the aerial view is good perspective. Do you yourself assume a birds eye perspective when you make your observations of a city? And if so do you have a favoured spot for your observations? If possible, I would try to look for a high point in the city, and see how
You can see more of Zhou Jinhua and his contemporaries work in the book: Young Chinese Artists - The New Generation Book by Prestel publishers - New York/Munich 2008 ( www.prestel.de ) By the Ministry of Art - Cordelia Steiner and Christoph Noe

INTERVIEW WITH CHINESE ARTIST ZHOUJINHUA

QUESTIONS BY CHRISTIAN TAEUBERT

the whole city looks like, but it is not much a problem if I cant observe from a high stand, because the height of standing site is only the term of physics, the thing matters in the creation is the psychological height, which comes from the observation and reflection to every detail from life. In some cases you even turn your perspective into an almost top view (for example: Respendence No.2). This allows the observer to assume multiple perspectives. Hence have you ever turned a picture 90 or 180 degrees once you hung it, creating an element of surprise that pleased you more then the intended perspective? In some previous works I did enlarge the normal perspective from top view so as to make it possible to be observed from every aspect. It is a visual attempt from me. But when I hang a picture I only offer one angle, leaving more dispositions to the observers. In some of your paintings one can see flames and smoke in rage being observed by standers from a far distance. Do you have a liking for fire? The dense smoke from flames and fires is a kind of severe chemical reaction, containing strong conflict, and can lead to destructive results. Therefore, I have special preference to use it when I want to express intense feelings. Do you draw your inspiration for your paintings from personal experiences and observations or do you have other sources of inspiration? I should say that it is from the personal experience and observation. A lot of land we see in your paintings lies fallow, empty or shows some indication of what it might have been like before destruction had visited it. In contrast more and more public space seems to disappear in the transformation of Chinese cities. What is your vision of public space in a metropolis Chinese City? Right now the Chinese cities are functioning in great conditions, but I think one day in the future the officers will have to look back and inspect the present model, and pay big price for it. When you depict these empty and scarred cityscapes do you sometimes have a vision of what they could be? Maybe yes, but the reality is heavy.

ZHOU JIN HUA 1978 Born in Deyang, China 2002 Graduated from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Chongqing Lives and works in Beijing and Chongqing SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2009 Alles war in Ordnung, bis das Unerwartete geschah, Kunstverein Konstanz, Konstanz 2008 Constancy. Inconstancy, Gallery Beijing Space, Beijing 2007 The Observer, Schoeni Gallery, Hong Kong 2005 We, Schoeni Gallery, Hong Kong GROUP EXHIBITIONS (SELECTED) 2008 Anything is possible, CCRN, Luxemburg 2007 Your view, my story, Pferdestlle des Postfuhramtes, Berlin Start from South-West, Guangdong Art Museum, Guangzhou Generation sss-sauer, Mannheimer Kunstverein, Mannheim Visual Experiences, National Gallery, Beijing 2005 Southern life, Kunming Loft, Kunming

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Respendence2 90180

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places

LONDON

BEIJING

BEIJING TIAN JIN

CHENG DU CHONG QING NAN JING

SHANGHAI

SHANGHAI HANG ZHOU

BAHRAIN ABU DHABI

ABU DHABI HONG KONG

FUZHOU XIA MEN SHEN ZHEN

HYDERABAD MANILA

BANGKOK

HO CHI MINH

KUALA LUMPUR SINGAPORE

SINGAPORE

OFFICE PROJECT

SEMARANG

people

stephen pimbley
Director Stephen graduated from the Royal College of Art London in 1984 where he was a Gulbenkian scholar. He started his undergraduate professional career at YRM in London working on the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport an on graduation he worked at the London office of Richard Rogers and Partners, and designed the project installations for the Rogers room of the Rogers Foster Stirling exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1985. In 1990, he joined Alsop and Lyall as project architect for the award-winning Htel du Dpartement des Bouches du Rhne in Marseille. Stephen was promoted to director of Alsop Architects in 1994 and partner of Alsop and Partners in 2000. Stephen was primarily responsible for the Alsop overseas projects and following his time in Marseilles he worked with Alsop and Stormer in Hamburg and Berlin and then established a Rotterdam studio to undertake a 1.6million m2 redevelopment of the city centre. In 2009 along with former Alsop colleagues - Stephen established Sparch. He has lectured extensively throughout Europe and Asia, speaking most recently at the Datum conference, Kuala Lumpur, the Holcim Foundations sustainability conference in Jakarta and at the Creative Cities conference at TCDC in Bangkok. Stephen has taught at universities in the UK, Germany, France, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

jan felix clostermann

Director Jan is the head of the Beijing studio; he co-founded Sparch in 2009 having joined Alsop architects in 2001, he worked in Alsops London, Rotterdam, Singapore and Shanghai offices before establishing Alsops Beijing office in 2005. Jan directed the project teams responsible for Raffles City Ningbo, Zhabei Plot 313, Ningbo Expo and the award-winning Raffles City Beijing project. In addition to his contribution to the strategic goals of Sparch, Jan has a role in the growth and branding of Sparch in Asia. He has extensive experience in mixed-use and urban projects. Some of Jans previous projects include The Public in West Bromwich, the masterplan for Rotterdam Centraal and the Entertainment District Clarke Quay in Singapore, for which he designed a series of tensile fabric and inflated ETFE canopies. Before his graduation from the Architectural Association in 2001, Jan worked for a number of studios including GMP and FOA.

haiwen lou
Finance Director Haiwen joined Sparch in July 2010, she responsible for directing the commercial and financial aspects of Sparch. Haiwen graduated from the Deans List at the Manchester Business School (UK) and in Finance at the Indianas Kelley School of Business (US) in 2001. She acquired substantial experience at one of the UKs largest private multinational companies where she improved and monitored business performance, and streamlined financial processes for efficiency. Earlier in her career, she worked as a senior auditor in one of largest global accounting practice in China for five years, engaging successfully with a variety of public and private sector clients. She is an elected Fellow of the Association of Certified and Chartered Accountants (UK) and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (UK).

fanny yu
Associate Director Fanny is a co-founding associate of Sparch and joined Alsop in 2004, making large contributions to the set up of both the Shanghai and Beijing offices. Fanny was promoted to associate director in 2010. With more than 10 years of experience working in dynamic roles for numerous multinational companies, she has extensive organizational expertise. Currently she is Sparchs associate director of finance and Shanghais office manager. Fannys commitment and strong interpersonal communication skills enable her to smoothly run a multi-cultural office responsible for designing projects located around the world. In 2007, she was appointed associate at Sparch.

mingyin tan
Associate Director Mingyin is a co-founding associate director at SPARCH. She graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2004 and joined the Alsops Singapore office the same year. After working on the Clarke Quay project, she relocated to Alsops Shanghai office in 2005. Mingyin was the project architect for the awardwinning Raffles City Beijing project. After the founding of SPARCH in 2009, Mingyin was appointed to associate director. She now leads an array of projects from the Beijing office, contributes to business development as well as communicating SPARCHs design aspirations to potential clients and developers.

jonathan harper
Non Executive Director Jonathan is an experienced construction industry professional; he is currently an independent consultant having recently left his director level position as UK head of project and programme management within Aecom. Previously Jonathan was one of four shareholders of Savant, responsible for the UK and Western Europe. Earlier in his career, Jonathan trained as a professional Quantity Surveyor and was Managing Director of Hanscomb Ltd and Main Board Director of Atkins Faithfull and Gould. Jonathan is currently an advisor to the BBC and the British Museum.

sven steiner
Director Sven cofounded Sparch in 2009 having initially joined Alsop after his studies at the Architectural Association in London in 2001. His work at Alsop included OCAD in Toronto - winner of the RIBA Worldwide Award. Previous practices include Asymptote, New York, and Brookes Stacey Randall Architects, London. On joining Alsop, he was part of the team responsible for the extension of London Undergrounds Jubilee Line and then the redevelopment of Clarke Quay in Singapore, the schematic design for the complex shopping mall atrium roof and swimming pool enclosure of Raffles City Beijing and the Macau Studio City ride. Appointed as director of SMC Alsop in 2007, he is currently responsible for Arzanah a 1.4 million square metre entertainment and residential hub in Abu Dhabi. Sven aims to approach design with originality and rich expression, seeking to explore a variety of geometric forms while combining practical design with sustainability.

john curran
Director John is the head of the Shanghai studio; he cofounded Sparch in 2009 having initially joined Alsop Architects London office in 2001. In 2004 he established Alsops Shanghai office, John has made significant contribution to masterplan proposals for major Chinese cities including Shenzhen, Ningbo and Zhongshan. He was responsible for the design and delivery of Shanghais New International Cruise Terminal - a 240,000 square metre riverfront development on Shanghais North Bund. John has successfully led numerous projects including the Queen Mary Medical Research Centre in London, a winner of an RIBA International Award. Previously John worked for Shepheard Epstein Hunter in London and Konrad Mockel Architects in Berlin. As a well-published member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, John gives presentations on the topics of space urbanism and the cultural celebration of space. He has also taught at the architecture studio of the University of Hong Kong, Shanghai Study Centre.

wenhui lim
Associate Director Wenhui is an Associate Director of Sparch having joined the Singapore studio in 2006, she is primarily involved in its creative processes and design leadership of new projects delivering concept design strategies across a variety of different business sectors, including master planning, retail developments, commercial offices and residential projects. She has consummate skill in the preparation and execution of projects from the analytical and broad conceptual stages through to the fine detail and complexity of detail design proposals. Recent works include the Yes flagship store and Starhill Gallery facades in KL, Fah-Fah Prachutis in Bangkok, Suzhou Creek mixed use development in Shanghai and a masterplan for a new township in Subang Malaysia. Wenhui is a graduate of the National University of Singapore.

sparch shanghai john curran, sven steiner, gabriel briamonte, simon casati, shu fan liu minghao, anna wang, xu chengming, andrius gedgaudas, fanny yu, jenny liu, diana liu, adrian lo, calvin, alex valle, judit cabezas, luo haiwen, chen haijing, lukas vytisk

sparch singapore stephen pimbley, lim wenhui, angie ang, ho hsiu yen, handoko santoso, mark mancenido, darmaganda, cecilia lau, conyee chan, dawn parke, isabella ong, carlo joson, rafal kapusta, ahmad jufri abu kassim

sparch beijing jan felix clostermann, tan ming yin, christian taeubert, sofia david, wu jianyun, tamara hains, guo jiakai, lu wei, eldine heep, diana xue, cristina perez guillen, cary cheng, lu wenhui, emer loraine, dominic black kek leong seow, andrew lo, phoebe wen leonardo micolta, andrew ng, sunny yang li xiaolan, shih-hua tseng, filipa castelao

sparch kuala lumpur michael gibert sparch abu dhabi paul priest

sparch shanghai

sparch singapore

sparch beijing
sparch associates simone casati conyee chan sofia david ho hsiu yen christian taeubert michael gibert scasati@sparchasia.com cchan@sparchasia.com sdavid@sparchasia.com hyho@sparchasia.com ctaeubert@sparchasia.com mgibert@sparchasia.com

sparch business development + pr angie ang jenny liu sunny yang aang@sparchasia.com jliu@sparchasia.com byang@sparchasia.com

work

singapore clarke quay

Retail / Leisure / Public Space // Status: Complete

shanghai international cruise terminal

Office Headquarters / Interior/ Landscaping // Status: Complete

chongqing botanical garden

Culture / Leisure Status: Competition

Sparchs first major project in Asia, is a dramatic redevelopment of the riverfront district of Clarke Quay in Singapore, and is succeeding in drawing tourists and locals back to the historic waterfront. Developed by CapitaLand, the SGD 88 million mixed-use scheme, has been designed to increase commercial and leisure activities, giving the riverfront area a new identity positioning Clarke Quay as a vibrant and attractive destination. Crucial to the success of the project has been the architects ingenious moderation of the sites micro climate through the design of distinctive and sophisticated shading and cooling systems that provide the quayside and streets with tremendous visual interest and sustainable environment.
8800

The scaffolding came down in December 2010 to expose the Shanghai Chandelier to the public street, which was quickly picked up on the front page of the Shanghai Daily newspaper, and described by the reporter as an Arch of Music. The Chandelier is part of Sparchs 260,000 sqm Cruise Terminal Business and Entertainment District, in the north Bund, and is programmed with restaurants, cafes, bars, public exhibition and a rooftop nightclub. The hospitality part of the Ferrari organization are is one of the favoured parties bidding for the Chandelier.
201012 26

The competition brief asked for an innovative design for the greenhouses of the botanical garden of Chongqing, China. Inspired by the complexity of nature and its intrinsic structural repetition the design took shape in a series of undulating and interconnected volumes. The greenhouse accommodates the different climate zones of our planet and takes the visitor on a journey from an arid desert display of succulents and cacti through savannas to temperate forests to culminate in a controlled rainforest environment. The earths green lung can be experienced from within, as a 3-dimensional route takes the visitor through the buildings. This route incorporates a number of canopy walks through the denser forest zones of the gardens. The greenhouse skin comprises of a helical steel structure which supports both the cladding made up of ETFE cushions and suspended walkways. These walkways are flexible in the design of its components and can be rearranged to cater for future changes of the exhibition.
ETFE

shanghai shanghai kiss

Leisure / Culture Status: Competition

shanghai hongqiao lingkong

Mixed Use Status: Competition

beijing raffles city

Mixed Use Status: Complete

suzhou cci gardens

cci
Residential Status: Competition

The city of Shanghai, in preparation for the World Expo 2010, wished to construct an iconic visitor attraction on a vacant parcel of real estate next to the Huangpu River. The site is located on the Puxi side of the river and commanded a city central location and panoramic views of the river and the historic Bund and the CBD in Pudong. Sparch with Arup and client Shanghai Honyear Investment Company were invited by the Shanghai North Bund Development office to submit a competition proposal for the site in September 2004. Originally requested by the city to design a wheel similar in scale the Singapore Flyer, the team led by Stephen Pimbley conceived an exciting alternative to the Ferris wheel inspired by the romance and passion of this magnificent high rise city. Stephen named it the Shanghai Kiss and the design went onto win the competition and was rubber stamped by Shanghai Mayor Han as one of the key cultural attractions for the 2010 Expo. The Kiss similar in height to the Eiffel tower took advantage of its unique arch type structure to provide high level views over the city that are not possible from the structurally restrictive height of a wheel based structure.
2010 ()20049 Stephen Pimbley Stephen 2010

The Hongqiao district in Shanghai is experiencing a boost in developments going hand in hand with the extension of the local airport and introduction of a large transport hub to west Shanghai. Sparch were asked to investigate the architectural potential of a site in the heart of the Hongqiao Linkong district. The site is split by a pedestrian corridor which is flanked on both sides by two retail strips. The buildings are woven to create ramped access between the floors and pockets of activities on larger balcony areas, which allow access to the green roof gardens. Small cafes and restaurants line the route culminating at a sunken event plaza with landscaped terraces. The plaza and large parts of the pedestrian route are covered by ETFE cushions allowing for year round activities on the pavement below. Stunning light displays during the dark hours promote the site not only on the ground but can be seen from incoming planes in close proximity too. From the south a foot bridge links into the Hongqiao Linkong site, encouraging the pedestrian use of the development. Towering above are office towers clad in a similar fashion to the retail areas; carrying the idea of weavings forth into the faades. SOHO units are proposed for the site in an effort to boost the community on site to make this a true 24h hub.
ETFE , SOHO, 24

Raffles City Beijing, a key component of an expanding global brand, developed, owned and operated by CapitaLand, is located at the junction of Dongzhimen neidajie and Beijings 2nd Ring Road. The site is at the heart of Beijings business district and sits on one of the citys most important crossroads. The organization of the building components is designed to be straightforward, well-connected and clearly expressed. There are 4 components: the retail podium, residential apartments, the Beijing Ascott serviced residence and the commercial office tower. The retail podium with its 5-storey sweeping day-lit enclosure and glass Crystal Lotus is the defining centrepiece of Raffles City, and combined with the office lobbys tessellated glass envelope is a statement of the projects ambition and commitment to excellence in design and construction.
5

The concept is a simple but powerful one. The starting point is to engage with the surrounding water system in a positive way by extending a series of waterways inland. The selling point for the site will be that every villa will overlook a river or canal. The intention is to create the feeling of island villas set in a serene landscape with flowing water. The waterways will be lined with places to moor shallow draft boats outside every villa. JinJi Lake is a short boat ride away and the site can therefore celebrate this recreational resource in its marketing strategy. The taller apartment buildings will be orientated to receive views of JinJi Lake. The next step is to create a permeable site with pedestrian routes weaving north to south crossing over the waterways, and maintain a riverfront promenade along the Xie Tang He River and the west canal. These routes will connect breathing spaces within the scheme of villas, in the form of public squares and landscaped parks. The clubhouse will be one of the sites jewels, sited prominently to the north on the Xie Tang He Riverfront. The pedestrian routes will gravitate towards this destination point.

xiamen hidden dragon

Retail Status: Project

hyderabad space station 1

1
Masterplanning / Residential Status: Under Construction

singapore raffles city

Retail Status: Complete

semarang paragon city

Retail & Hospitality Status: Complete

Xiamen Hidden Dragon is a unique iconic new 19,500 sqm destination for: Fashion & Music, Art & Culture, Relaxation & Exhilaration, Eating & Drinking, and Business & Pleasure. The built form is designed in a fluid fashion to celebrate the landscape and veil the buildings beyond. High level views from the surrounding apartment blocks and a new hotel will be of a wonderful green landscape, with scattered jewels embedded in the hillside. Walking through this valley from the gateway at Hubing Dong Lu, visitors encounter openings in the ground which reveal the intimate basement shopping area below. At ground level, a 2-storey building at the far of the valley carry the subtle stratified faade, whilst the 3-storey buildings towards the main entrance represent jewel-like sculptural elements, exposed by the erosion of time. A continuous, flowing path interspersed with a variety of local natural materials and planting, leads the visitor further through the valley, whilst the stairs, escalators, lifts and the hillside itself connect to the upper level of shops and restaurants.
19,50012,5007,000

Space Station 1 is a mixed use development located in Hyderabad, India. The project comprises of 2,200 residential apartments, a 5,000sqm clubhouse and 35,000sqm commercial zone situated on a 7.5 hectare acre waterfront site. The residential component is a 30 storey linear building sited over a pedestrianised landscaped podium, below which there are 3 storeys of car parking. The landscaped podium area is occupied by leisure facilities such as a golf driving range, cricket nets and shooting gallery. Individual apartment plans are organised around the Vastu rules and beliefs in order to make them more attractive to local Indian residents.
12,200 5,00035,0007.5 30 Vastu

Constructed over a number of separate phases to maintain the operation of the existing shopping mall the project ambition is to generally upgrade the quality of the shopping experience internally and externally and provide significant further rentable floor area. Existing basement parking floors were decanted and turned into shopping floor and new pavilions were constructed inside and out side the building adding a total of 6,000m2 rentable space to the building. Future phases as part of a building wide masterplan will be completed in due course.
6,000m2

Located in Semarang Indonesia is Paragon City, a 7-storey retail podium with 2 basement levels and a total of 75,000 sqm of floor area. The podium houses a shopping and lifestyle mall, hyper mart, Cineplex and car parking facilities. A 300 bedroom 4 star hotel and convention centre sit on the podium, adding a further 27,000 sqm of floor area. The tessellated hotel and convention centre combine with the podiums pleated faade to create a new icon and destination for Semarang.
72 75,000 300427,000

abu dhabi zsc masterplan

Masterplan Status: Project

kuala lumpur one mont kiara

Retail Status: Complete

shenzhen raffles city

Mixed Use Status: Competition

abu dhabi rihan heights

Residential / Interior / Landscape // Status: Under Construction

The proverbial Magic Carpet has been used as a metaphor for the ZSC master plan design proposal. A seamless surface gently undulating across the site is creating a new alluring and dynamic topography. The notion of a rising and falling landscape has been put to practical effect to provide enclosure to the large volumes of the residential podiums and provides extensive surfaces of green and semi arid landscape punctured by pools of water that are resonant of the underlying theme of the master plan as an Oasis in the City. The Zayed Sports City site has been parceled up as a series of interlinked discreet development districts predominantly residential but supported by retail and sports related buildings that underpin the general ambition for it as an active residential community themed by its leisure and sports history. The master plan incorporates several of the existing buildings on the site notably the existing Zayed football stadium and the tennis arena. The plot areas for the development parcels vary in scale to support varying densities and scales of development.
ZSC

The ambition for this project is to make One Mont Kiara a unique and exciting family retail destination standing out among its competitors in this predominantly residential quarter of Kuala Lumpur. Crossing the threshold of the mall the experience is of a 4 storey airy volume with a colourful floral floor surface that provides the space with a unique identity and pays homage to the buildings tropical context. The floor depicts an abstract image of the Hibiscus flower which is used as a device to guide shoppers towards points of interest such as shops, lifts and escalators. The atrium roof is constructed using linear ETFE cushions that modulated the amount of daylight entering the mall to reducing heat gain and contributing to the thermal comfort of the mall. The roof is partially supported by an expressed structural frame that is wrapped in fabric and back illuminated helping animate the space with advertisements.
One Mont Kiara ETFE

Capitalands Raffles City brand is successful and well established comprising a dense mix of tried business components usually on tight urban plots. The Shenzhen condition is very different, a large site with a public park at its centre with development permitted only at the fringes of the site. This Raffles City is therefore spread out wrapping 3 sides of the park with its focal point a 200m tower located at the interface with the existing city shopping district. The competition scheme was designed to provide a seamless integration of the architecture with the landscape of the park, with all elements of the building facing and taking advantage of the gardens. Pedestrians are encouraged to move through the buildings unhindered into the landscape where open air amphitheatres coexist with al fresco dining facilities and shops. The relationship of built form and landscape is the key to the success of the development and a trigger to defining the forms of the architecture as they rotate to provide the business and civic address as well as maximising aspect over the greet heart of this new city quarter.
200

Rihan Heights is the first of a series of developments in the prestigious Arzanah masterplan situated at the gateway point to Abu Dhabi Island. The developments high end design character responds through its form, careful choice of materials and disposition to the unique location, climate and its residential use. five residential towers seemingly float above lush podium gardens, enclosing and embracing the landscape, creating a private environment for the residents. The 5 buildings combined with 14 generous villas provide a variety of apartment types from single bedroom apartments to penthouse units. All of which are offering spectacular views across the gardens, city and seafront.
5 514

ningbo raffles city

Mixed Use Status: Under Construction

tianjin tianjin centre

Retail Status: Project

shanghai zhabei plot 313

313
Office & Hospitality Status: Under Construction

kuala lumpur vision city

Retail Status: Project

Capitalands Raffles City Ningbo is a 150,000 sqm mixed use development, consisting of an office tower, a Somerset serviced residence tower and a retail podium. The development that started construction in March 2009 is located to the east of the Yuyao River, within the Jiangbei district, adjacent to Ningbos historical centre. The conceptual architectural idea was to provide two spatial experiences that respond to the context of the project. A Fast Zone interfacing the retail faade and office tower with the city and the adjacent South Daqing and Jingjia roads and a Soft Zone interfacing a modulated retail faade, public square and serviced residence with the recently completed CapitaLand Summit residences. The 90 m high office tower located at the junction of the two main roads provides a visual link from Jiefang Bridge, the main connection between Jiangbei District and the city centre across the Yuyao River. In front of the office and retail podium, a sunken plaza provides a link between this busy pedestrian corner the future the subway station and the retail mall.
150,000 20093 90

In 2007 Forte approached Sparch to turn an existing convention centre into an exciting retail destination that is a pleasure to move through. The podium portion of Tianjin Centre which was originally built as a convention centre in 1998 lacks the usual spatial characteristics of a mall: central atrium, short distances, and generous ceiling heights. To overcome these shortcomings, Sparch came up with series of unique interventions including vertical light cones which transport movable displays across retail levels, peep holes through the floor slabs, floors ramping from one level to the other, and a specially developed palette of interior finishes and visuals enticing shoppers to explore the entire mall in a continuous loop.
2007, 1998 ,,

Zhabei Plot 313 is a 70,000 sqm landmark development that will be the catalyst to the redevelopment of the Zhabei district of Shanghai. The development which started construction in May 2009 comprises international A grade quality offices and a 5 star hotel, at the centre of the ensemble is a public plaza, filled with cafes and shops creating an attractive destination.
31370,000 200955

Vision City is a retail mall development a few blocks from Kuala Lumpurs main shopping district. The project started off as an abandoned construction site where over one million square feet of bare concrete floor area is distributed over six storeys. In addition to the briefs requirements of interiors and faade treatments, Sparch proposed strategic structural modifications to transform the original spaces within the building mass. The design, informed by climate engineering, creates a hybrid garden environment in the heart of the building volume conducive for round-the-clock activities. The mall becomes a seamless urban living room.

hyderabad ningbo metropolitan development ningbo plot a1 authority headquarters A1

Headquaters Status: Competition Residential & Hospitality Status: Under Construction

xiamen xiangshan yacht club

Leisure Status: Project

xiamen xiangshan phase 2

Mixed Use Status: Project

A new headquarters building for HMDA located at the heart of the IT district of the city. Designed to reflect the energy of the rapidly expanding IT industries of Hyderabad this building hovers over a central covered courtyard that is the organising device and hub of the building. The building arranged in a horse shoe plan provides exhibition, lecture, civic and office facilities for the many departments of the authority. The naturally ventilated courtyard gives access to all the public facilities of the building whilst the private areas are layered around and above the courtyard to achieve a clear separation of function. The building embodies new technologies and well as passive sustainable means of cooling that make reference to the historical Mughal architecture of the region.
HMDAIT IT

Ningbo Plot A1 Plot is situated within Ningbos New West Development Zone east of a major waterway and directly west of the Exhibition Centre. The plot is designed around the citys vision to depart from the unsuccessful model of single use CBDs that become ghost towns after working hours. In response, Sparchs proposed an inclusive model of the city which accommodates multiple programmes, 24-hour activity, and fosters proximity of the natural and built environments. Plot A1 consists of a northern and southern part split by a canal connecting to the waterway along the eastern promenade of the site. The northern plot A1-1 caters for residential, food and beverage and retail uses, whilst the southern plot A1-2 accommodates a 500-room five-star hotel, 150 serviced apartments, clubhouse, food and beverage, a convention centre and a 1000-seat ballroom. The overall built area including basements is approximately 225,000 sqm.
A1 CBD 24 A1 500 1501000 22.5

Ultra_Marine runs along the western edge of Xiangshan International Yacht Club and functions as a primary link between the Exhibition Sales Centre in the south and the Retail Mall in the north. The water street, which is 30m wide and 800m long, is an artificial water taxi canal featuring water-related activities. The project consists of 5,500 sqm of variegated retail program which acts as a backbone to this experiential water strip teeming with day and night activities and water interaction. Unique louvered canopies are spread along the length of the site and their tree-like structures add a unique spatial character to the project. Some canopies rest on the roofs of the buildings or in the water, whilst others penetrate the buildings and deckings. The public can choose to travel along the canal by a water taxi or simply meander through on elevated bridges and terraces, enjoying the close proximity to the water, landscape, activities as well as the views out over the yacht marina.
30800 5500

Xiangshan International Yacht Club is located along Huandao Lu in Xiamen, China. The site faces the east coast of the sea and sits opposite Xiamen International Convention Centre and the International Olympics Tennis Centre. The International Yacht Club is slated to be an exclusive luxury location; and positioned to be the first development of its kind in scale and magnitude in Asia. Sparch was invited to compete in the schematic design of Phase 2 of Xiangshan International Yacht Club. Phase 2 consists of 20,000 sqm of retail which comprises three towers designated for SOHO and hotel use which makes up 110,000 sqm, a podium housing hotel and clubhouse facilities as well as VIP townhouses.
22200003 110000VIP

zhoushan shenjiamen regeneration

Leisure Status: Complete

changchun super garden

Masterplan Status: Competition

hangzhou the lake

Retail Status: Project

ningbo mingsheng bank headquarters

Office Status: Project

This project forms part of the Islands Vision for the regeneration of the Shen Jia Men Fishing Harbour, a 2.5 km stretch of coastline. The first phase is a 9.14 hectare site, located at the east end of Bin Hai coastal Road. The mix of functions will include reinstating the famous sea food restaurants along a new waterfront promenade. The second layer behind Bin Hai Road will create new retail and entertainment environments, anchored by medium and high rise hotel, office and residential apartments. The third layer further north, creates a Residential Village that will grow organically from the base of the mountain, to coalesce with the existing residential village rising up the mountainside. Zhoushan contains a number of natural stone quarries from which are extracted a dark blue sandstone and a light speckled grey granite. This development embraces the idea of using Zhoushans natural resources and local craftsmen, hence the term MADE OF ZHOUSHAN, MADE BY ZHOUSHAN. This development can therefore become an authentic environmentally sensitive entertainment resort, made from the rock of Zhoushan Island.
2.59.14 ,

In October 2008 Sparch submitted a proposal for the Changchun New South Development Zone which is envisioned to become a new hub with 3 million sqm of government and commercial office, retail, and exhibition, cultural and residential programme. Changchuns harsh wintry climate raised the idea for a continuous underworld landscape, an all weather public space that reflects the ambience of the public space above. We called this hybrid landscape the Changchun Supergarden. Along its three kilometers nature, leisure, sport, shopping, exterior, interior, public transport, and parking are allowed to coalesce. Public space seamlessly links horizontal and vertical space between the city and high rises.
200810 300

This project at Hangzhous West Lake is an existing retail development of low rise blocks grouped around an external courtyard. Sparch designed distinctive and sophisticated shading and cooling system that provides the courtyard with spatial interest and environmental benefit. We proposed an origami-like glazed roof that takes its formal cue from the surrounding roof landscape. The guiding principle behind the intervention was to avoid interference with the existing faades. The roofs seemingly complex geometry was generated by connecting the eave lines of the buildings gable walls on the opposite sides of the courtyard. The roof is mainly supported by existing concrete columns set behind the gable walls.

One of four commercial development sites at the centre of Ningbos expansive new financial district, originally commissioned by the city to masterplan this quarter of the financial district Sparch were then commissioned to prepare a concept design proposal for the end user the Mingsheng Banking Corporation. A 60,000m2 development that comprised corporate banking facilities, general office space and an associated serviced apartment were organised around 2 public courtyards that were lined with small shops and restaurants positioned to animate the public domain and create connected routes through the 4 development plots.
Sparch 60,000m2 2 4

shenzhen mocape

Arts & Culture Status: Competition

zhongshan butterfly district

Mixed Use Status: Under Construction

shanghai jianguo lu hotel

Hospitality / Historic Renovation Status: Project

singapore ite college west

ITE
Education Status: Competition

Our proposal is organized around two interconnected public spaces. An interstitial semi enclosed space is created by separating the white volume of the Planning Exhibition below from the black Museum of Contemporary Art above. This space accommodates the red crystalline foyer to MOCAPE, and functions shared by both components. Varying floor heights in the PE and a system of ramps in the MOCA create varied spatial experiences along an open air loop around the whole building, raised 15 meters above the city. Visually connected to this urban loggia is a central vertical space along a protected north south route through the building. This space is open 24 hours to the general public and mediates the threshold between museum and public space. It offers Shenzhen an exciting public space for the experience of art and cultural events. Shared Auditoria, the PE library, shops, restaurants, and other Interactive programs delineate this space. Escalators within the red crystal level F3 connect the ground floor with the main foyer and the Museum of Contemporary Art. From the Foyer one may either take another set of escalators down to the PE, or up to the MOCA, or alternatively enter the shared space between MOCA and PE with bookstores, cafes, and art salons. The visitor is offered a multitude of possible routes through the different museums and shared spaces. Both PE and MOCAs exhibition spaces are organized as continuous spirals through a system of ramps. It is possible to connect directly between PE and MOCA via a set of staggered escalators on the east side of the buildings. Circulation of MOCA and PEs office and administration staff is separated from the flow of visitors. Private entrance lobbies for each MOCA and PE are provided in the North. However interaction with the museums operations is possible with offices being directly adjacent to the exhibition halls.
15 24

Sparchs Creative Business District in Zhongshan City takes shape on site. Praised by local Government, this regeneration project networks old structures together into one connected community, giving a new lease of life to a district transitioning from manufacture to service industry. The regeneration encompasses 5 plots of land, rippling out from the busy Dong Ming Intersection (see before and after images of phase 1). Refurbishment is a green low carbon strategy, and four of the five plots involve retaining the existing warehouse structures. The exception is the vacant west end plot on Kang Hua Lu, from which will spring a new serviced apartment block, adding living to the vibrant mix of F&B, entertainment and studio offices. The client (Best Chance) operates in the fashion industry, designing and exporting clothes to Europe and North America. The clients logo, the butterfly, is used as a theme that weaves through the architecture and the landscape design.
5 ()5 4 (Best Chance)

20 Jianguo Lu Hotel is a transformation of the former local police station built in 1910 into a luxurious 13,000 sqm boutique hotel complex. Located in the central Shanghai French Concession Luwan district, next to the hip Taikang Lu with lots of unique international cafes and boutique shops around, two preserved historic buildings are refurbished. One will be regenerated into a 20 room deluxe hotel and the court house building will become a high-end Chinese restaurant with private function rooms. An 8 storey new-built hotel block in the back will be constructed to serving as a glass back drop to the two historic buildings, housing an additional 60 guestrooms and offering exquisite western cuisine. In addition, a new elevated terrace connecting all buildings will provide a tranquil and private garden for all its guests to enjoy. The hotel complex will give a new vibe to the neighborhood as well as and an interesting new addition to Shanghais boutique culture.
13,000 1910 20 8 60

Situated on the outskirts of the city centre on a former military facility this new campus has been designed to provide facilities for vocational training for principally the automotive, leisure and hotel industries. Each business component of the campus has it own bespoke facilities with access to shared classrooms and computer suites. The bespoke facilities are arranged in a linear sequence following the natural topography of the site, creating a series of courtyards that are heavily landscaped. The central axis of the site has been designed as a garden, the generic classrooms contained within a linear block and the bespoke facilities are all designed to face and interact with the garden, the garden is seen as the circulation route for the campus and is intrinsically linked to the environmental strategy for the development.

hyderabad aliens hub

aliens hub
Masterplan Status: Project

ho chi minh city project s

S
Residential Status: Project

manila wet market

wet market
Mixed Use Status: Project

singapore leonie hills

Residential Status: Under Construction

Aliens Hub is an ambitious 15-year project to develop a valley on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The projects catalyst is the new Hyderabad International Airport 30 minutes drive away and the expansion of the IT industries towards the airports environs. The Hub will become a self sustaining satellite city with residential quarters, education and sports facilities, commercial developments. At the heart of the masterplan is an international quality 18 hole golf course with clubhouse facilities and a hotel. The golf course provides a green heart to the semi arid conditions in the valley. Private villas 5 bedroom villas take advantage of being nestled into this green environment whist 300 eco homes, carbon neutral villas sit in the rocky outcrops above and along one side of the valley. The Hub also has its own airstrip design for light aircraft with hanger villas located along the perimeter of the airstrip facing the golf course. When completed, the Hub will comprise approximately 4.8 million sq m of development.
Aliens Hub15 30 Aliens Hub 18 Aliens Hub Aliens Hub480

Sparchs first project in Vietnam close to the Saigon River in district 2 of Ho Chi Minh City is a high-rise residential development. Comprising a 42 storey 50,000m2 apartment building, a 200 unit serviced apartment building, retail units and clubhouse facilities serving the development. The plan form of the development was inspired by the Ox Bow shape of the adjacent river, the winding river embankment enclosing almost an island idyll; similarly the building mass of Project S has been configured to enclose a semi public courtyard with shops and restaurants, a protected space away from the adjacent busy road. The lower levels of the buildings have a layered interface with the podium to soften and sculpt the building mass giving the courtyard a human scale that is enhanced by water features and landscaping. Designed over 4 levels the courtyard is the centrepiece of the proposal, the fulcrum that gives each business component clear identity and address but also contains them as part of the whole composition and as key contributors to the energy of the development. The apartment and serviced apartment towers rise over the courtyard and are articulated in slightly different ways befitting their function. The buildings fall away from each other and rotate as their height increases to maximise the distance between the towers and to maximise views to the Saigon River.
2 425200 S 4

The masterplan conceived by the client is the key driver for change in this predominantly light industrial and residential quarter of Manila. New development parcels are linked together via a variety of public spaces, green routes, urban parks, courtyards and tree lined streets. The Wet Market plot provides linkage between one of the key avenues of the quarter and one of its larger open green spaces. The architecture responds to the masterplan by opening rather than closing its podium floors to its city edges forming a portico or gateway to connect adjacent space along its north south axis. The new public space formed on this axis is the active heart of the development, shops and restaurants as well as the lobbies to the office and serviced apartment all face into this public space / courtyard. Designed over 2 levels the courtyard is the centrepiece of the proposition, the fulcrum that gives each business component clear identity and address but also contains them as part of the whole composition and as key contributors to the energy of the development. The office and serviced apartment building rise above the courtyard and are articulated in slightly different ways befitting their function. The buildings fall away from each other as their height increases to maximise the distance between the towers and to accentuate the notion of gateway, iconography and landmark quality of the development for Greenfield as one of the Philippines leading real estate developers.
Wet Market , , Greenfield

This exclusive residential development is nestled within Singapores green residential belt adjacent to Orchard Road and rises 36 storeys to enjoy the panoramic views of the Orchard skyline. The 53 apartments are housed in 2 separate towers connected by a central sky garden. The apartments are detached from the communal circulation and service core maximizing the levels of privacy. The development reflects the developers trademark lifestyle theme where integrated state-of-art home automation systems, glass infinity swimming pools, and cascading water features are a standard feature. LeonieHills has been designed in association with Yap Architects.
36 53 Leonie HillsYap

taipei pop music centre

Arts & Culture Status: Competition

kuala lumpur starhill gallery

Retail Status: Under Construction

ho chi minh city caravelle hotel

Hospitality Status: Competition

kuala lumpur traders hotel

Hospitality Status: Competition

To encourage pop music creation, patronage performing talents and teams, integrate relevant peripheral industrial development, the R.O.C. plans to build a large pop music performing centre in northern Taiwan with outdoor performing plaza and relevant measures. It is aimed to support development of the pop music industry in Taiwan with the goal of becoming the leading centre of the Chinese creative music development internationally and for industrial experiment. The government is now actively pushing for the Northern Taiwan Pop Music Centre Construction Plan. With an area of approximately 7.65 hectares, the centre base is located in Nangang District, Taipei City, nearby the MRT Kunyang Station. The principal space design comprises of an indoor performing hall with 4500-6000 seats, an outdoor performing space with 15000 standing seats, exhibition space for reputed musicians, a digital library, a medium and small indoor exhibition and performing live house, industrial communities and incubation space, etc. We are eager to custom design a unique performing space for Taiwans pop music operation and development by taking into consideration all music types and the development trend of international pop music. We hope through clustering and trans-border performance will form the core of industrial development in the future.
ROC 7.65 4500600015000

Starhill Galley is one of KLs destination shopping malls featuring an extraordinary array of luxury shops and fine dining restaurants. Our proposal deals with the reinvention of the faade of Starhill facing Bukit Bintang. Unlike a lot of street facing malls the faade of Starhill is predominantly solid and disengaged from the heavy footfall of shoppers walking along Bukit Bintang. The design is to simply open up the faade to provide a lot of visual interest with a continuous double height shop front along its length. At the road intersection the existing temporary eatery is removed and replaced with an iconic triple height shopping pavilion for the French luxury retailer Sephora. The design of the new faade and pavilion embodies the quality of the products for sale at Starhill, the lightweight steel and glass faades will be the first of their kind in Malaysia embracing cutting edge glass technology and with specialist engineering by the team that delivered the Pyramid at the Paris Louvre. The crystalline form of the new faade and the Sephora pavilion establishes an iconc new identity for Starhill Gallery reaffirming its position as the foremost destination for luxury shopping in SE Asia.
Starhill Gallery, StarhillBukit Bintang Starhill Bukit Bintang , Starhill Starhill

Sparch was invited to propose designs for the faade and interiors upgrades of Caravelle Hotel, an existing 4-star business hotel located in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Drawing inspiration from the hotels rich history as a base for foreign correspondents and its excellent location across Ho Chi Minhs Opera House, Sparch created a rich palette of theatric and contrasting textures and muted tones using motifs of old typewriter keypads, lithographic prints from stamps with highlights of gold leaf and weaving details derived from Vietnamese culture.

Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur is a contemporary hotel in heart of Kuala Lumpur that caters to smart business and leisure travellers. Equipped with 571 stylishly appointed rooms and suites in the heart of the city, it is located just opposite the Petronas Twin Towers. The client brief was calling to remodel three of its recreation floors and especially Level 33 roof top which currently accommodates pool, spa and sky bar. The proposal focuses in transforming the spa into a modern dining lounge serving famous Asian and Western cuisine along with numerous high end wines to chose from. The design of the pods above the pool serves as to extend a very limited floor plate allocated to the restaurant as well to provide a unique identity as to transform Level 33 into an international destination.
571 33 33

shanghai bangkok french concession ascott tmb 6th floor

Hospitality Status: Competition

singapore lasalle school of art

Education Status: Competition

ningbo exhibition centre

Culture Status: Competition

TMB
Interior Status: Competition

The English has a saying, an Englishmans house is his castle. The interior design of the Ascott Serviced Residence, an English brand, is an amalgam of ideas of country house, castles, textures and colors of the old French concession and the rich history of its Shanghainese context. A unique opportunity to create a boutique Ascott product expanding its interior oeuvre beyond the usual polite business interiors of its competitors; the five storey-tall lobby clad with a supersized photo realistic canvas of a medieval castles stone wall is counterpoised against red Chinese shutter screens, Wedgewood blue willow printed lampshades reminiscent of traditional porcelain and rugs inspired by the patterned tree barks of the French plane trees which line the French Concession streets outside Ascott. Common areas lift lobbies and guest rooms similarly express a subtle collage of old and new, eastern and western elements, providing an atypical experience for the Ascott resident.

The project is a refurbishment scheme for the TMB Office Tower located in Bangkok, Thailand. It covers the entire Level 6 and comprises a suite of staff facilities, including a canteen, a library and recreational rooms, most of which are utilized only during lunch hours, if at all. Sparch proposes a paradigm shift away from the typical concept of a canteen, by breaking down walls and regimental planning to make way for an organic bureaulandshaft an office landscape that extends length and frequency of usage of the facilities and creates a lounge-like ambience for the users. In line with the clients new branding philosophy Make THE Difference, Sparch chooses to use the new corporate logo of the Tree as a leitmotif for the scheme. Branch motifs pattern the circulation that flows seamlessly from the lounge, library, games rooms and gym. Mobile nests via plug-in workstations are strewn across the branch office with a coffee bar, projection screens, and an access to the outdoor terrace where two new tree houses accommodate a spacious meeting room and the new dining areas.
TMB

A competition entry by Sparch for the new Laselle SIA School of the Arts along McNally Street in Singapore, the proposal for the campus houses five art faculties in two organic snaking rings of stacked accommodation. Each faculty has a distinct identity but is connected for interdisciplinary teaching and learning. In between the two rings are found spaces for lively, informal and unplanned events that overlook a central courtyard sheltered by a weblike canopy. In response to the brief to provide a traditional five-foot way, the building mass is lifted to provide a sheltered corridor around the development, allowing public interface and entry to the central green courtyard a sculpted landscape platform housing a gallery, event and performance spaces, and a open marketplace which rests on top of a partially buried auditorium, a campus centre, cafes and shops. The design strategy aims to erase the boundaries between art and the city, and art and the institution. Breaking out of stereotypical box-like educational architecture, it is a found space to inspire the students and engage with the local community.

The project is envisioned to become the new urban center in the Ningbo East Economic Development Zone, Ningbos new CBD. With an overall combined gfa of 660,000 sqm, it will accommodate 360,000 sqm of exhibition space at the podium and towers comprising of 180,000 sqm of office and 120,000 sqm of SOHO and serviced apartments. In order to become a vibrant centre our site strategy is based on the following core principles: - Maximize public space with views towards the street - Mediate the contrasting architectural scales of the immediate surroundings. - Design a landmark and create an iconic destination for work, leisure & entertainment The existing critique with conventional exhibition typologies is spatially non interactive and visually un-stimulating due to the inherent spatial requirements of its programmatic functions. Based on a 9x9 grid, exhibition spaces are normally enclosed to allow for an internalised environment. This often results in a boring dumb box massing on the city grid. The opportunity to shift away from this existing paradigm is to re-interpret the spatial connections of the mixed use typologies to the exhibition halls. Lobby entrances to the office, SOHO and serviced apartments crave out a vertical volume from the podium massing which not only defines the entrance and maximises views towards the street. Movement and action is also revealed from inside to outside, making a more vibrant and exciting street front.
660,000m2360,000m2180,000m2 120,000m2SOHO - - - 9x9 SOHO

qingdao the resort

Residential & Hospitality Status: Under Construction

changping super city

Mixed Use Status: Competition

chendu jiancailu

Residential Status: Project

tianjin international trading center

Residential Status: Project

The Resort aims to be an exciting landmark within the High Tech Industrial Development Zone. Its location is both exclusive and inviting and its promising of a building that will host a destination within itself. The project, a mixed use building housing luxury entertainment, food and beverage, spa and accommodation, looks to achieve singularity amongst the new business district, providing an oasis to meet, greet and relax. In order to achieve this bridge between the city and the park, the design approach relies on the following site strategy: 1- Defining a street front to the north and east of the site, creating an urban edge that clearly demarcates the entrance. 2- Creating a semi-private park that dilutes the edges to the south and west of the site, providing a visual extension of the park planned to the west of the site.
1 2

The site is located about 50 km north of the Forbidden City - Changping Satellite Town a commuter city just for sleeping? Vanke Supercity will rethink the conventional mould of malls. Circulation routes and terraces are carved out of the lower podium. Escalators behind clear glass express movement upwards. Facades are articulated by shifting bands reminiscent of geological plates. Elevated urban courtyard are created by interlocking boxes which becomes a three dimensional neighbourhood. Views are maximised for the residential tower. The north east corner is emphasized by the tall elevation of the cinema tower.
50

Sunshine 100 has visions of transforming plot 2 & 5 into residential landmarks in Chenghua district, Chengdu, China. The site is adjacent to a railway station that serves as a major transportation hub to the western provinces in China. Sparchs design proposal emerged as the winning scheme, for its fresh appeal in masterplan and faade design, as well as clever integration of retail into podium and basements, creating a series of in between spaces that connects the two levels spatially and visually. The faade is conceived of S-motifs with highlights of double height pink fritted glazing, and adds an element of fun into the overall massing.
10025 S

Tianjin International Trade Centre is located in Hexi District, south of Machangdao Road, east of Nanchang Road, West of Nanjing Road, north of Hefei Road. This area is the Tianjin Governments strong launch of the Xiaobailou development block. The total area of Tianjin International Trade Centre is 15,709 sqm, the project is currently under construction, in which A tower structure has been completed to 25 layers, while the B, C tower structure has not yet begun.
15,709m2 A25BC

guiyang riverside regeneration

Masterplan Status: Project

guiyang hot spring city museum

Cultural Status: Competition

wuhan capitamall

Retail Status: Project

dalian cbd residential

Residential Status: Competition

The project is situated in the heart of Guiyang city, next to Nanming River. Nanming River and Shixi River lie to the east of the site, with People Square just across the river. The total site area of the master plan is 14.38 hectares. The brief asked for a mixed-use development with a strong focus on cultural activities radiating from the new Guiyang Concert and Theatre Hall at its centre. In order to promote pedestrian permeability throughout the new city quarter, Sparch designed a podium offering various public circulation loops on top of the raised podium landscape. At several nodal points plazas had been carved away from the podium massing to create a chain of cultural event spaces.The podium is topped with five towers rising 250m to 400m elevating the skyline at the centre of Guiyang to a new level. The concert and theatre hall banked alongside the Nanming River will host numerous cultural events demonstrating the rich heritage of Guizhou folk art.
14.38 5250400

The Hot Spring City Museum combines an urban planning museum with corporate sales office and adjacent showrooms to promote the Shili Huachuan master plan in Guiyang, Guizhou. The 20,000 m2 building is situated at the bottom of a hill and divided into four areas that deal with different subjects: the investor company itself, the proposed master plan, the history of the region and the sales office with showrooms. The two proposed schemes deal with the spatial configuration and the sequence of these four zones. In the first scheme the zones are expressed in four volumes that are arranged around a central atrium space. The second scheme connects theses areas in the form of a loop a continuous ramp spirals up the mountain and creates a landscaped courtyard in the centre.
20,000m2

Capitamall approached Sparch to design the ID for the mall. During the process we proposed considerable structural and architectural changes to the atrium space as the initial proposed plan (by another architect) lacked spatial intrigue. By creating shifting floor plates and floor openings on every level we were able to create an unique spatial experience in line with our concept of water.

The project explores the notion of villa lifestyle in a high density CBD environment. Sparchs scheme explores the parameters of villa living within the city. City dwelling in high density apartments is not normally what one associates with high end living. Villa lifestyle connotes abundance of space, privacy and individuality, which is contrary to what high density living has to offer. How the two notions can be combined becomes the central theme of this scheme. Separation of program: The circulation for retail and residential is clearly separated to ensure that privacy for residential is ensured. The sky villas are conceived as sky villas terraced above the retail podium and beneath the Residential towers. Sparch developed a series of typical residential layout modules with protruding balconies which create varying faade rhythms. Sky gardens are inserted to allow for several units across different levels to own a private garden.

bahrain bahrain corniche

Masterplanning / Public Space / Status: Project

shanghai suzhou creek

Masterplanning / Mixed Use / Status: Competition

nanjing jin yu lan wan

Masterplanning Status: Project

changsha dong pai-lou

Masterplanning / Mixed Use / Status: Competition

The masterplan of the Bahrain Bay Corniche envisages the synergy of a new nursery, Bahrain Bay marketing suite and the Corniche Park as a new garden of well-being. The nursery is configured by a perimeter of large trees facing the main highway, providing a protective barrier for the young plants behind. The rhythmic and rectilinear geometry of the nursery fulfil the functional requirements of the brief and is linked by a timber boardwalk which extends to the surrounding Corniche park and a watertaxi pontoon. Programs within the masterplan operate in the spirit of the nursery, for example an ecological incubator along the waterfront and an urban nursery which functions as a test-bed for furniture and landscape designs to be built in Bahrain Bay.

The 37,000 sqm riverfront masterplan by Sparch converts historical warehouses and existing empty plots into an exciting commercial city quarter. Based on the Shanghai Longtang, an urban pattern that reflects the cultural fusion of east meets west, the proposal for Suzhou Creek is a the notion of legibility and familiarity, a pattern of streets and squares that are varied, comfortable, sustainable, and surprising for visitors, retailers and residents. To the north, facing the busy Qufu Road, the proposal is lined by an occupied SOHO wall and Shikumen gate of the Longtang and on the south, newly constructed historical warehouse faades with plugged-in new cafes and artist studios front Suzhou creek. These enclosures form the threshold of a new Secret City, housing varied public and private spaces which slowly reveal themselves as the pedestrians journey unfolds. The bulk of the old warehouses, no longer functionally viable for new commercial and retail activities are removed to make way for new bespoke civic buildings which rise above the old walls in a Piranesi type composition, creating a new city quarter and destination.
37,000m2 SOHO

Located at the edges of the old and new city quarters, Vanke Jin Yu Lan Wan aspires to be a new cultural destination in Nanjing, China. It houses an international grade art museum, a 200-metre tall iconic hotel tower, an arts college, a performance pavilion and a retail street huddled around a lake and cultural green heart. The 950,000-sqm masterplan provides great views and aspects for the organically formed residential towers which terrace down in height towards the centre of the site. The green cultural heart is fully pedestrianised with drop-off points at each building and entry into basement parking at the perimeter of the landscaped centre.
200 950,000m2

Dong Pai Lou is a 900,000 sqm mixed-use development comprising a 330-metre tall twin office towers, a hotel, service apartments, SOHO and retail shops situated at a key junction in the Changsha Furong Financial district in Hunan Province, China. The design concept for Dong Pai Lou is inspired by old Changshas rich landscape and topography the hills, greenery, river and sand bar which are the key drivers for the language and scale of the public spaces as well as the urban glue that holds the diverse business components of the development together. The main longitudinal axis of the scheme is a new green ecological corridor, the Central Park, which either rises seamlessly with the towers to form a vertical extension of the landscape or inverts to become part of a dense public focused environment cut through by shopping streets and open animated spaces. Incorporating fengshui elements and geothermal cooling, Dong Pai Lou aspires to become the new Changsha city destination.
900,000 m2 330SOHO

kuala lumpur klcc lot22

lot22
Residential Status: Project

selangor subang masterplan

Masterplanning / Infrastructure / Mixed Use development // Status: Project

bahrain bahrain bay

Public Space Status: Project

bangkok fai-fah prachautis

PrachautisFai-Fah
Education Status: Project

The 94,000 sqm masterplan by Sparch in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is located along Jalan Ampang in the prime KLCC district. Centered around lifestyle,arts and community themes, four high-rise residential towers - between 26 to 56 storeys rose above a myriad of bespoke artist lofts, townhouses and shops on a terraced podium shielding a multi-storeyed carpark below. Inspired by Tuscan hill-towns and the mid-levels of Hong Kong, artist workshops and alfresco cafes line the streets and meandering routes in the landscape. Juxtaposed against neighbouring high-rise buildings, the four towers are positioned and angled towards the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) and the surrounding green, with the two tallest towers facing KLCC Tower.
94,000m2 2656

Subang masterplan project is a circa 500,000 sqm GFA mixed-use project which sits on a 40-hectare land on a unique leaf shaped site along the expressway between Kuala Lumpur and Shah Alam. Taking advantage of elevated views from the highway, Sparchs scheme lines the 400-metre elevation with bespoke Billboard SOHO and residential blocks which serve as advertising facades and a visual signpost for the development. A retail ring of shops, entertainment and restaurants and an active sports ring occupy the heart of the project which connects to Kuala Lumpur via the metropolitan rail network passing through the site. A 25,000-sqm student campus sits above the retail ring while an iconic beehive hotel perches at the sites eastern end, heralding the gateway into the development.
500,000m2 40 400SOHO 25,000m
2

Sparch are engaged as Placemakers for the Bahrain Bay project. Bahrain Bay is a landmark 1.45 million sqm development in the Kingdom of Bahrain, envisioned as a modern metropolis and the driving force for the redevelopment of the Manama City waterfront. Sparchs mission is to deliver sustainable environments via a cohesive element that links the footprints and disparate scales of building designs into a unique and extraordinary environment. In addition to the development of the general arrangement plan, Sparch will be working closely with the client to provide innovative and high tech solutions for the projects retail units, shading structures, pontoon and jetty structures, berber tents, bagir wind towers, playgrounds, hardscape, softscape, street furniture, lighting design, signage and wayfinding, water feature design and technology integration.
1,450,000m2

In October 2010, Sparch was invited to design Fai-Fah Two, a project which covers the refurbishment of two shop houses located in the Prachautis district of Bangkok. The various arts and creative programmes contained in the clients brief are arranged over five floors, circa 500 sqm and include: the living room, an arts studio, a library, a dance studio and a multi-purpose rooftop workshop space. All five levels are linked by a central feature staircase inspired by the yellow brick road with each level clearly defined by its own colour theme. Toilets and services are housed in a new structure the Utility stick which rises in the courtyard and bends to form a store for the pottery classroom at the roof. The faade is redefined with a new signage screen of ladder motifs marking the street address of an exciting, new FaiFah Two.
201010Fai-Fah2Prachautis 500m2

kuala lumpur yes

yes
Interior / Branding / Furniture/ Landscape // Status: Complete

kuala lumpur jalan gasing

Jalan Gasing
Retail Status: Project

Starhill Gallery, Kuala Lumpur Photography by Mike Gibert

Sparch architects have designed a flagship store and installation for Malaysias first 4G wireless broadband network, Yes . Located in Lot 10 shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, the store serves the dual purpose of a sales platform and a public attraction for shoppers. The mall atrium is outfitted with a series of cascading LED cubes that span the vertical space. An interactive wall and browsing stations are set up in the store to enable customers to test out the package products before purchase. Continuing the language of the cubes, a large multimedia LED cube outside functions as a product beacon for the Yes brand.
4GYes 10 Yes

Sparchs proposal for Jalan Gasing focuses on heavy constraints given from its site, sandwiched between a quiet residential area and a heavy traffic hub. The client brief called for a retail development to act as a magnet to link the neighbourhoods together. The form developed by blocking all noise pollution from the adjacent roundabout and flyovers allows for a strong visual continuity with a created central garden seen by all drivers. Covered with large tensile structures to provide shade cooling the garden beneath, it is to become the centrepiece of the development around which all events, activities and cultural performances will be staged to engage and entertain visitors.
Jalan Gasing