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We can always ask a question which will never be answered in its entirety: Is the 'awakening of the Chinese dragon' and the end of the modernistic era in the Western world a pure coincidence or an inevitable consequence of global, mutually inter-dependent events? The fact is that these two phenomena have coincided and the impact is felt on many levels of the Chinese society.
Consequently, the modernistic city planning with its emphasis on the functional separation and the celebration of individual mobility which originated at the beginning of the 20th century is the main matrix of urban design enforced all over China. As a result, planning of many new urban areas is too schematic. It does not possess necessary flexibility to absorb fluctuations of the market. And this is the case of the project in Qing Pu, Shanghai.
The International Art Center provides work / live space for Shanghai’s 'affluent and artistic' because all units can function as comfortable homes or studios according to the desires of the inhabitants. When bought, the units do not have partitions meaning that they are sold as empty spaces with minimal basic facilities such as bathrooms and fittings for kitchens.
The high-end concrete is used for the exterior finishes. Sleek exposed concrete stand up in contrast to romantic natural features of a lake and a surrounding greenery. With its emphasis on pedestrian environment and majority of car parking underground, the development epitomises the principles of the smart land use which are one of the main objectives of environmental approaches to the smart city growth strategies.