Chapter News | August 2018

Last month we had two educational programs—a walking tour of the historic Bund and a panel discussion about high-rise buildings in China. If you are looking for additional learning opportunities, you should try AIAU’s online courses. 

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AIA's Online Continuing Education Courses

AIAU offers online courses to boost your knowledge and skills and to help you get  required CEU hours. AIA members receive a discount on registering.

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Historic Bund Walking Tour

On July 7, city planner and historian Peter Hibbard led a tour of the historical former English settlement of the Bund in Shanghai. Peter drew from his experience having lived 13 years in Shanghai and having access to historical archives in Beijing. The tour began at Astor House Hotel, a well preserved hotel. Winding through the iconic Waibaidu Bridge, he told stories about the occupants of Broadway Mansions and its initial function. Having been an advisor to the design team with David Chipperfield for the renovation of Yuanmingyuan Road and the Shanghai Rockbund Museum, he described the careful restoration efforts. Peter told stories of the banks that built Deco buildings on Beijing Road and on Jiangxi Middle Road, with adjacent housing for its staff designed in the same style. During his talk he supported his stories with pictures of the original buildings. During the restoration of the Peace Hotel, for which he was consultant to the interior designers HBA, he met the family of the original architect, George 'Tug' Wilson of Palmer and Turner. He shared some historical film clips of the developer for the hotel, Victor Sassoon. The group explored alleys showing original houses enclosed by outside buildings. Along the way, Peter identified which buildings house treasures of mosaics, art nouveau and other period details, for further exploring by the participants when these are open to the public. The tour winded up at Shanghai's "Piccadilly Circus"- like corner of Fuzhou Road and Jiangxi Road, where the group heard additional stories about the history of the buildings in the corner and its occupants. The tour completed at the lobby of the recently renovated Metropole hotel. 

Our webmaster, Erik Thorbeck, created an interactive map of the tour. Please check it out here.

The Bund & Former English Settlement with Peter Hibbard

China’s High Rise Transformation Panel Discussion

On July 31st, we had a panel discussion about tall buildings in China at the Hawthorn showroom. The panel included Liu Enfang, Ross Wimer, Aaron Mazeika, and Zhu Chuanhai. About 50 people attended the event.