Ties That Bind - Bay Area Council Economic Institute

Bay Area-China Trade: Behind the Numbers
HOK Asia Pacific international managing director Toby Bath stresses that the competition for
Chinese projects today is international, and selection is based on a range of factors from branding,
to experience with technology and materials, to technique, to cost. The work can be grueling,
with rotating design teams working 24 hours a day to produce design drawings for a large project
in 6 weeks, as compared to the customary 26 weeks in other countries. Roughly half of HOK’s
China business involves local Chinese clients. Over time, the cache of western-style architecture
has given way to a more distinct Chinese aesthetic that may include, for example, more space for
lobbies and landscape grounds that lend themselves to ceremonial uses.
Still, HOK’s San Francisco office has extensive involvement in China projects, and the Bay Area
enjoys an advantage in worldwide competitions as a center for design innovation, sustainable
environmental design, and experience with strict regulatory compliance and review processes.
Landscape Architecture/Environmental Design
Rural migration to urban centers in China, a shift from government-owned to private housing,
and development of suburbs to ease urban congestion, are contributing to a need for improved
urban planning.
San Francisco-based EDAW Inc. began working on projects in China in 1991, although its first
office there did not open until 1999. Its first signature projects were for the Suzhou District,
which lies northwest of Shanghai, and included design guidelines for the historic district of old
Suzhou—in cooperation with the Pei Group—and a master planned waterfront community on
1,285 acres surrounding Jinji Lake.
Working for the Suzhou Industrial Park Administrative Committee, EDAW designers and planners
from San Francisco, Seattle and Hong Kong produced an internationally recognized design
for 8 distinct neighborhoods along the lake in two zones—one of high density and recreational
activity, and the other more serene with preservation of natural canals, waterways, trails and a
bird sanctuary. The overall aesthetic reflected Suzhou’s 1,000-year history of garden design and
arts such as sculpture and silk weaving. Automobile use is minimized with walking and bicycle
trails encircling the 9-mile lake perimeter, and storm water runoff management protects the
lake’s water quality. The Jinji Lake District’s 8 neighborhoods are expected to eventually house
600,000 residents.
In Quanzhou City in Fujian Province, EDAW is working for Quanzhou Luojiang Real Estate
Co. on the Qiaonan Village Historic Preservation Scheme. The project will preserve historic
buildings and add new construction in and around the 133-acre ancient riverfront settlement
Qiaonan Village, midway between Shanghai and Hong Kong on China’s eastern coast. Qiaonan
was the starting point of the “Silk Road of the Sea,” the maritime route from China to Europe
via South Asia. EDAW’s plan focuses on tourism, emphasizing history through preservation and
use of original materials and design elements while adding a riverfront promenade, leisure and
entertainment facilities and a connecting road to the mountains outside of town.
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