Q: What is the preferred Design Style today in China?

A: After reviewing over 30 different designs for major development projects in Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen over the past 8 months, my personal view is that the Chinese are struggling with finding their own design vocabulary when it concerns buildings. The majority of building design for large scale development is coming from Western-based design firms, thus there is a strong emphasis on fitting Western design ideas into an Eastern culture and environment. This has created a rather disturbing array of geometric shapes throughout cities like Shanghai and Shenzhen that have not created a design "movement", "trend" of vernacular that can say to the world, that is a Chinese Building or a building design that would identify itself with a city like Shanghai, Beijing, etc.

The biggest design trend we are witnessing is the movement towards historic preservation that could be the first "movement" towards creating a true Chinese Design. Taking its cue from the past, the rehabilitation of older Chinese structures and repositioning them for modern functions has rekindled an interest in older Chinese design forms, culture and meaning. This combination of learning from the past in order to define the future is giving rise to a new generation of Chinese designers that will define this next Century's design in China.

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Thanks to Paul Doherty, AIA. He is the managing director of General Land Corp. a full-service, global real estate development firm with a focus on the Asia Pacific market. Paul is a thought leader, strategist and integrator of technology and business. He is an author, educator, analyst and consultant to Fortune 500 organizations, global government agencies and prominent institutions and is on the board of directors of the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). He can be contacted at pdoherty@general-land.com.

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