In an international competition, the Shanghai Expo Village masterplan has won first. It will be realized as an essential part of the World Expo 2010 and a 44-hectare parcel of land situated in the northeast of Shanghai’s Pudong district.
The new area on the banks of the Hunagpu River is a project with complicated requirements in terms of sustainability. “Better City Better Life”, the theme of the World Expo 2010, is also a guiding theme and obligation for the architects.
Expo Village is one of the largest architectural challenges of modern times: The transition of a former industrial area into an urban quarter of international importance and multifunctional use.
Expo Village is situated in a park which is connected to the surrounding countryside, the banks of the Huangpu River. Every building is arranged in a north-south direction in order to provide heat conservation, just applying the building orientation. In addition, this arrangement provides a best view of the river and the city. Spacious green avenues, gardens and pedestrian areas connect the buildings with nature.
The architecture and landscape planning, with the integration of intelligent technical systems, are to create modern urban living conditions and at the same time use renewable resources and energy saving technical systems. The Expo Village, designed on the basis of the principles of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), is a forward-looking project in Shanghai.
Although the Expo Village is designed for the world fair, how to arrange it after the Expo has been considered. The village will be changed slightly into an international residential quarter offering high-quality living conditions with retail, offices, restaurants and leisure facilities. Because of energy saving technologies, flexible construction systems and extension modules, the private property sector will integrate the buildings easily into the market.
The architectural image of the Expo Village is European. The guiding idea is based on the development of structures and the use of stone and other solid materials used in major European cities. The idea suggested itself because of the more or less heterogeneous surroundings in Shanghai, where old and new structures grow together harmoniously.
With significant contributions from German headquarters, the representative office of Germany’s HPP Architect in Shanghai penned the conceptual design of the Expo Village. The implementation is being carried out in conjunction with Tongji Architectural Design and Research Institute in Shanghai.
In the late 1990s, HPP Architect started to cultivate the Chinese market, firstly by participating in international architectural competitions, such as “Beijing Opera”, in 1998.
From then on, HPP has went on its activities and maintained its success in China, mainly in metropolis of Shanghai and set up its official and licensed representative office in Shanghai in 2006, in order to ensure a permanent presence with seven full time employees working there. HPP is currently realizing the new “Asia-Pacific and China Headquarters” for the multinational Henkel group.
HPP works closely with a Chinese project partner, Dr. Zhao Boming, an outstanding doctor of engineering and consulting.
The Chinese building and construction market obviously show the constant demand for German architectural design, know-how and quality, particularly in terms of sustainability or ecological architecture and construction methods.
China highly appreciates German ecological standards and increasing numbers of house or office owners search for architects who can provide the relevant know-how. According to international standards of energy efficiency, providing ecological and energy efficient design, both of HPP’s major Chinese projects, “Henkel Asia-Pacific and China Headquarter” as well as “Expo Village” have been or will be realized.
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