- Architect -

Every trip is a new different experience.

During the preparation of the trip to China with the ArchiTeam there were great expectations of the imminent visit to the mysterious country with the huge financial progress during the last years.

The truth is that those expectations weren’t satisfied.

Beijing was of no interest to me. The long distances, the gigantic and ugly buildings, the terrible smog and the odors are some of the reasons I wouldn’t like to visit this city again. There are a lot of good examples of modern architecture which are scattered in vast distances.It sure is more of a typical Chinese city than cosmopolitan Shanghai and our visit to the Great Wall offered us a unique experience to admire this human-made miracle.

Shanghai is almost a European metropolis. The presence of the river Huang Pu adds an air of speciality in the densely built urban center and transforms the «Bund» into an impressive architectural scenery. For the needs of the EXPO a huge remodeling took place in the central area of the city with the smooth removal of the residents.

Shanghai is trying to win the bet of overgrowth and become a sustainable city. Certainly it is still far away from the set target...