The Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture 2013 rethinks China’s industrial past

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Thank you for signing up to Wallpaper. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
The Shekou Industrial Zone in Shenzhen may not seem the most likely place to house a biennale devoted to design. But given the event's 'Urban Border' theme, this industrial port is in fact perfectly positioned - literally and figuratively - to host a fascinating debate on global urban issues at the Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (UABB). The urban design biennale's fifth edition is presented at two separate venues: an old warehouse at the city's industrial port and the former Guangdong Float Glass Factory, a short bus trip away.
UABB curator and creative director Ole Bouman enlisted a team of local and international designers to transform a four-hectare derelict industrial site into the biennale's main venue, the former glass factory. 'We didn't have much to do,' he says. 'It was all about cherishing its existing beauty and qualities.' Central to the revitalisation is a dramatic Guggenheim-esque spiral staircase and an 'urban farm', that echoes the Hong Kong vernacular.
On exhibit are works from the Ministry of Finnish Architecture, New York's Museum of Modern Art, OMA, the Shenzhen Design Centre and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Must-sees include a display by Droog and TD, which imagines a Shenzhen-Hong Kong 'Special Material Zone', where companies would develop products with material scarcity in mind - using 'boundless' materials like sand and human hair.
The warehouse exhibitions, meanwhile, are dedicated to 'crossing urban boundaries'. Curators Li Xiangning and Jeffrey Johnson have balanced an eclectic but coherent mix of multidimensional perspectives by international and local architects, urbanists, sociologists and artists. Notable highlights include Atelier Bow-Wow's film 'Made in Tokyo', on creating and using coherent urban environments. Artist Liu Qinguan of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts presents 'Blueprint', a shimmering wall of ceramic tiles depicting auspicious Chinese patterns and symbols of modern production tools.
A team from Central Saint Martins are exhibiting a series of four films called 'Liquid Boundaries', which question rigid boundaries in the traditional production of space. The 'Cricklewood Town Square' film - based on a concept by utopian regeneration agency Spacemakers - stands out for its revolutionary attitude, which proposes giving town residents temporary planning power over their own public spaces.
The installation 'Made by Us', by the Het Nieuwe Instituut's Sander Veenhof, uses augmented-reality technology to help connect viewers with their architectural heritage. Cloud Factory, by information-visualisation specialist Mark van der Net, shows how data research can help people make informed decisions based on real-time digital information.
The highlight of the opening weekend was undoubtedly POP-UP, Studio-X Shenzhen’s lively presentation on inspiring urban projects from Tokyo to Rio de Janeiro to China. The interactive space, orchestrated by Hong Kong-based architect Marisa Yiu, comprised a sea of tables suspended from a ceiling grid by moveable steel rods, allowing visitors to transform the space 'to create an architecture for a real-time exchange of ideas'.
Curator and creative director Ole Bouman enlisted a team of local and international designers to transform a four-hectare derelict industrial site into the biennale's main venue. Courtesy of Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture Organising Committee.
The curator wanted to retain the factory's horizontality, so the short walls at centre were painted black, with a strip of low lighting along the balustrades. Courtesy of Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture Organising Committee.
A highlight of the opening weekend was POP-UP, Studio-X Shenzhen’s lively presentation of inspiring urban projects from Tokyo, to Rio de Janeiro to China.
Orchestrated by Hong Kong-based architect Marisa Yiu, the interactive space comprised a sea of tables suspended from a ceiling grid by moveable steel rods and an arrangement of stools.
OMA presented a prelude to the Venice Architecture Biennale next year with two extended workshops. The first will translate the 'Yingzao Fashi', a construction manual for how to build a traditional Chinese roof written during the Song Dynasty. The second workshop will explore how the text can be explained in an exhibition and students will execute their designs into products
'The Tricycle House', an installation by People's Architecture, is a human-powered house that operates off the grid
Impressive architectural features, such as this dramatic Guggenheim-esque spiral staircase, provided the perfect backdrop for urban experimentation. Courtesy of Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture Organising Committee.
Outside, the 'Hong Kong Value Farm' was inspired by Hong Kong’s flourishing rooftop farms and the urban vernacular of its street markets. Courtesy of Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture Organising Committee.
The factory has made space for events, talks and gatherings for the duration of the biennale.
The renovated factory includes a café for visitors and exhibitors
Elsewhere, the biennale team and participating architects transformed an old warehouse's interior to form a secondary venue for the fair
The warehouse, located at the city's Shekou Ferry Terminal, is a short bus ride away from its sister venue
The exhibitions here, curated by Li Xiangning and Jeffrey Johnson, are focused on 'crossing urban boundaries'.
The Italian Pavilion exhibition, on display at the warehouse, investigates how social and economic change shaped the city of Venice
The Belgian Pavilion exhibition, curated by Iwan Strauven and Marie-Cecile Guyaux, is also on show at the warehouse. Titled 'XX Models: Young Belgian Architecture', it includes NU Architectuuratelier's study of a staircase in a former mining site
The installation 'Made by Us', by the Het Nieuwe Instituut's Sander Veenhof, uses augmented-reality technology to help connect viewers with their architectural heritage.
The 'Furniture for Public Use' project outside the warehouse entrance, by Rodrigo Escandón Cesarman, José Esparza Chong Cuy, Guillermo González Ceballos and Tania Osorio Harp, rethinks the use of sidewalks. The project allows anyone to transform their sidewalk into an 'active site of social interaction and better quality' turning walking into a civic experience
ADDRESS
Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture
Shekou Industrial Zone
Nanshan District
Shenzhen
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
-
Ronan Bouroullec book merges art, design and everyday life
‘Ronan Bouroullec: Day After Day’, from Phaidon, is a visual inventory of the French designer’s work, artistic output and daily inspiration
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Inside the gleaming new Comme des Garçons store in Paris
Comme des Garçons reveals a four-storey new retail space in Paris, housing lines previously only available in Japan, as well as exclusive reissues of Rei Kawakubo’s collectible furniture
By Jack Moss Published
-
Eva Jospin and Ruinart put the fizz in Frieze London 2023
Champagne house Ruinart brings artist Eva Jospin’s vision of its terroir to Frieze London 2023, and celebrates with a limited edition Jeroboam of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs
By Simon Mills Published
-
A Chinese island house brings luxury minimalism to seaside living
L House by AD Architecture is a Chinese island house that bridges luxury minimalism and seaside living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The Boatyard Hotel in Suzhou embraces the surrounding landscape
GOA and WJ Studio’s Boatyard Hotel in China takes its design cues from the nearby river
By Hannah Silver Published
-
A9a architects creates community driven timber market in Zhengzhou
Pulo Market by A9a architects injects soul into a commercial building in China's Zhengzhou
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts extension by Neri & Hu draws on urban monuments
The Qujiang Museum of Fine Arts extension by Neri & Hu brings together culture and retail in a sculptural terracotta-coloured structure
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Ma Yansong on global architecture and MAD’s year ahead
We talk to MAD’s Ma Yansong about his thriving studio, global architecture and the year ahead
By Magali Robathan Published
-
At home with Neri & Hu
Architectural super-pair Neri & Hu talk to us about what inspires them, what they are reading, and how they switch off
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
China’s Qingxi Culture and History Museum draws on its surrounding land
Qingxi Culture and History Museum by UAD is a cultural destination in China designed in harmony with its surroundings
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
HAS Design + Research, Thailand and China: Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2022
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory is our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios. Next up, is Thailand- and China-based HAS Design + Research
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated