SUPER GREEN - the International Academy of Design and Health

Market Report: ChinaShenzhen Bin HaiSusan Francis of the UK’s Commission for Architecture and the BuiltEnvironment (CABE) visited Beijing, Shanghai and the surroundingCost: 7,000 RMB/mcountryside on a recent trip organised, during the Olympics, by the Royal2Client: Shenzhen Healthcare BureauInstitute of British Architecture (RIBA). Her impression was that of a countryArchitect of Record: Shenzhen General Architecturalin the process of “an obliteration of a culture and a bringing in of the new”. OfDesign and Research Institutegreat concern to her, from a health perspective, was the fact that rural areasDesign Architect: TRO Jung|Brannen– which still constitute the vast bulk of China’s landscape – are seemingly leftStructural Engineer: Shenzhen General Architecturalin the dark ages, while the cities advance at warp speed.Design and Research InstituteRhodes agrees: “District and county hospitals are in a real dilemma. TheyLandscape Architect: To be determinedare barely buildings. There are naked light bulbs hanging from the ceilings,and no heat or air. For the country to leap from that to what we are doingis really inconceivable.”Which all adds up to a model of work and lifestyles that are far from green. But China is taking note of green concerns. Arup,heavily involved in the engineering and design of many Chinese cityscapes, has drawn up the blueprint for the futuristic, and asyet unbuilt, eco city of Dongtan, which will be constructed on the southeastern tip of Chongming Island, Shanghai.Head of global healthcare Phil Nedin says: “The trouble with this area is high humidity. That doesn’t help us when we’reseeking low carbon solutions. But we are looking to incorporate openable windows, natural ventilation wherever possible.Healthcare design is very prescriptive, but we are trying to be as open-minded as possible. We are looking at the idea of alabyrinth (cooling and ventilation system) in the basement area, exposed concrete and high ceilings.”However, the scheme has yet to attract suffi cient backing to begin construction, and it’s notable that Arup has not exposeditself to the healthcare sector in China, yet. But things move fast in China.A year ago, Steffi an Bradley Associates CEO Kurt Rockstroh was turning down healthcare work in the region, partly because“the majority of these projects are very parochial in their approach. They are trying to bang out a lot of hospitals to cater forlarge numbers of people. But it is opening up. There are a few well thought-out projects that are designing for the future andbetter models of care, and as people see how much better that is, they will begin to demand it.”Veronica Simpson is an architectural journalist and writer24 October 2008 | WORLD HEALTH DESIGN