1. Celebrating Unbuilt Architecture
The traveling exhibition “Unmade in China” celebrates almost-spectacular Chinese unbuilt projects
from the last decade. The exhibition will be open April 20 to June 20 (10:00-17:00, Mon-Sat) at ide@s
gallery in Shanghai. A private opening reception will be held Thursday April 19th beginning at 18:00.
T
hirty years of unprecedented growth have transformed China’s
built environment and given China the reputation as a land of
opportunity for architects today. While much attention - and
some criticism - has been focused on major completed works, little is
known of those projects that disappear, fizzle out, or sit abandoned.
That so little has been said about these “unmade” Chinese proj-
ects is remarkable given the fact that they are clearly so numer-
ous. This absence of discussion is particularly odd because of the
rich tradition within architecture of both celebrating and criticizing MVRDV De Architekten Cie
unbuilt work. Unmade projects by Étienne-Louis Boullée, Antonio
Sant’Elia, Buckminster Fuller and many others have proven that
unmade projects can be as influential or more influential than
built ones and architecture students, academics and profession-
als the world over have studied them for ages. The unmade proj-
ects of individual architecture practices also play a great role in
how these evolve. Imagine Le Corbusier without La ville radieuse,
or Frank Lloyd Wright without Broadacre City, or OMA without Parc
de la villette. Min-Day CANNON DESIGN
ide@s initiative of CANNON DESIGN sought for contemporary The 12 participants, including studio and project names:
projects and design approaches of novel character, that for one Amphibian Arc - Shenzhen Guotou Plaza
reason or another were not realized or not executed to their aqso* - Xubeihong Memorial hall
original intent. These unmade projects could have been transfor- Cannon Design - Ordos Performing Arts Center
mative, and thereby represent a path not taken. The exhibition De Architekten Cie - Tianjin Central Railway Station
shows a documentation of experiences and emotions that came L + A Landscape Architecture - Hunan Observation Tower
with choosing such a path. It addresses the state of architecture MINDAY - Zhengzhou master plan
in China as a reflection and counterpoint to its own economic MSMEA - Zhongkai Sheshan Villas
success. MVRDV - Liuzhou master plan
The heart of the exhibition is a series of interviews conducted NADAAA - Tongxian Art Museum
with 12 international architecture practices, which generate a Spark - Shanghai Kiss
wealth of interesting, insightful, and often humorous accounts of UN Studio - Dalian football stadium
their experiences in China. Accompanying these interviews are VMX - Ordos Hilton Hotel
architectural models and images of the unrealized projects. Date: Thursday 19 April
Time: 18:00 hrs
The opening of the exhibition takes place on Thursday 19 April at
Venue: ide@s gallery at CANNON DESIGN
the ide@s gallery in Shanghai and, thanks to substantial inter-
25 Jianguo Lu, Shanghai (Bridge8)
est from other curators, will later travel to subsequent venues in
www.unmadeinchina.com
China, Europe, and North America.
For more information, images and interview requests, please contact:
Clarisse Stulp (international) Hu Huifang (Chinese)
clarissestulp@gmail.com • (+86) 13817343080 hhu@cannondesign.com • (+86) 21 61360300 / (+86) 13918290428

2. 庆祝未竟建筑
设计巡回展“Un中国制造”展示近十年来在中国未建成的天才设计。
展览日期定于4月20日至6月20日，（10:00-17:00，周一至周六）于上海ide@s gallery。
私人开幕酒会定于4月19日18:00开幕。
三十年空前的发展改变了中国的建筑环境,中国也因此享有“当代
建筑设计师的乐土”的美誉。如此多的关注以及批评，大多都集
中在已经完成的作品上，却很少有人关注那些消失了、失败了或
者被遗弃了的项目。
很少有人谈论这些“未竟”的中国项目，但值得关注的是
很明显这些项目数量众多。这种讨论的缺失显得非常奇怪，因
为赞誉或批评未建成的建筑一直是建筑界的一种传统。出自诸
如Étienne-Louis Boullée, Antonio Sant’Elia, Buckminster
MVRDV De Architekten Cie
Fuller等大师之手的未竟建筑，以及其他许多项目都证明，与那
些已经建成的项目相比，未竟项目具有同样的甚至更大的影响
力，对于这一点，许多建筑学学生，学者以及专家也已经进行了
多年的研究。另外，未竟建筑对于单个公司的建筑实践的发展和
反思也起着不可忽视的作用，可以设想如果Le Corbusier没有
设计La ville radieuse，Frank Lloyd Wright没有设计Broad-
acre City，或者OMA也没有设计Parc de la villette，那么建筑
业的发展会成为什么样子？
CANNON DESIGN的ide@s initiative所寻求的，是那些 Min-Day CANNON DESIGN
由于这样或那样的原因，最终未能建成，或未能实现其本身设计 12个参展方的公司及项目名称如下：
意图的当代项目以及设计方法。而这些项目的设计本可以充满革 Amphibian Arc -深圳国投广场
命性，进而代表一种全新的方向。本次展览同时也是一部纪录 aqso* -徐悲鸿纪念馆
片，记载着当时选择这样一种发展方向的经历以及这其中所包含 CANNON DESIGN -鄂尔多斯表演艺术中心；
的情感因素。作为一种经济发展的映射和产物，本次展览同时也 De Architekten Cie -天津中心火车站
揭示了当今中国的建筑现状。 L + A Landscape Architecture -瞭望塔
MINDAY -郑州别墅区规划
展览的核心是以一系列访谈的形式展示12个国际建筑设计 MSMEA -中凯佘山别墅
师的中国实践,通过大量有趣、深刻并幽默的片段分享他们在中 MVRDV -柳州住宅规划
国的经验。伴随着这些访谈的还有建筑模型以及那些未竟的项目 NADAAA -北京通县艺术中心
图片。 Spark -上海之吻
UNStudio -大连足球场
首展的开幕仪式定于2012年四月十九日星期四在上海 VMX -鄂尔多斯希尔顿酒店
ide@s gallery。感谢所有策展人的大力支持，展览随后会在中
国、欧洲及北美等地继续展出。 日期：2012年4月19日星期四
开幕时间：18：00
地点：ide@s gallery of CANNON DESIGN
上海市建国中路25号9号楼9301室（8号桥创意园区）
更多信息请浏览：www.unmadeinchina.com
如果需要更多的信息、图片以及访谈问题，请联系：
Clarisse Stulp (international) 胡慧芳（中国）
clarissestulp@gmail.com • (+86) 13817343080 hhu@cannondesign.com • (+86) 21 61360300 / (+86) 13918290428

3. © amphibianArc
Shenguotou Plaza Renovation
Project Location: Shenzhen, China
Practice Name: amphibianArc
Year: 2010
In contemporary urban environment, it is critical to address the issue of public space and public art as the space’s
inherent component. For commercial projects, a successfully integrated pubic space is an indispensable asset
to the project because it will create beneficial effect from commercial real estate point of view. Furthermore, a
successful public space contributes to enriching urban fabric and urban life and cultivates a mutually beneficial
co-existence between the city and the commercial real estate.
The primary mission of Shenguotou Plaza Renovation Project is to recreate the outdoor environment of the SZ-
ITIC’s current headquarter building and its accompanying commercial facility. The Shenguotou Plaza has two
wings, the north wing and the west wing. The north wing encompasses a three-story shopping mall and three
office towers above it. The west wing is a Sam’s Club, which is co-owned by Wal-Mart and SZITIC. The plaza in front
of these two wings is mainly used as park lot. The main goal of the project is to improve the plaza, which includes
building facades and the commercial space encircled by these facades.
Currently, the outdoor space that connects existing buildings is poorly planned and designed and causes unbal-
ance of pedestrian flow and harsh outdoor experience in unfavorable weather conditions. To rethink the concept
of the outdoor environment and provide needed improvement is paramount for this seemingly young, which is
5-year-old at the point of this commission, but feeling very outdated office/shopping facility.

4. © AQSO
The Xu Beihong Memorial Hall
Project Location: Beijing, China
Practice Name: AQSO
Year: 2010
The Xu Beihong Memorial Hall is a new public building dedicated to the Chinese painter in Beijing. In addition to
galleries and exhibition halls it will include a research center, education institute, and administrative facilities. The
site in the northern part of the city, close to Xihai lake, is an undeveloped area surrounded by abundant natural
landscape.
Both these conditions of the plot and meaning behind the building determined the strategy of the project. In
such an environment, it is possible to consider the least intrusive approach, a discrete object within its context.
Contrarily we define the project by the content- the paintings of the artist, foregoing the container- the form of
the building.
The scheme is conceived as a simple block inserted into the forest landscape. It is through the inspirations of the
artist’s work within that its compact figure twists in contrast: its façade becomes a vibrant skin formed by polygo-
nal pieces of metal mesh. The distortions of the facade reflect an angular energy that carries through from both
the arrangement and geometry of the spaces within.
This simple piece of sculptural character is presented to the visitor as at once strong and solid in form , yet light in
materiality: an effortless understanding at a distance, it reveals a thoughtful complexity as one approaches closer
to the project. Not unlike how one may digest a great work of art, the visitor gets drawn deep into the building
through their curiosity of its dynamic forms, until it finds itself in world shaped by the artist, a neutral interior space
where one is free to discover the meanings and beauty of the painter’s work.

5. © CANNONDESIGN
Ordos Performing Arts Center
Project Location: Ordos, China
Practice Name: CANNONDESIGN
Year: 2007 - 2008
Located in the southwestern part of Inner Mongolia, in Ordos City, the Kaokaoshina New District is an emerging art
and cultural district. In anticipation of this and to attract the likes of the Beijing Symphony Orchestra to perform, a
world-class Concert Hall had to be realized. Situated at the crossroads of the major arteries of the new District – the
Hall is not only integral to the art and culture of the district but acts as an iconic gateway to the city itself.
The concept of Theater is based on the movement of a traditional Chinese dance - The Long Sleeve Dance. The
design, with its undulating curves mimics the footwork pattern of the dance and replicates the movement of the
long sleeves. In the dance, the looping of the sleeves is reflected in circular drums that house the 1,200-seat main
concert hall, 335-seat performance theater, and 100-seat black box experimental theater respectively.
The perforation on the panels and the sunlight exposure will be highly correlated. Southern facing panels will
have smaller perforated holes so that they can protect the building from direct sunlight. In addition, the perfora-
tion is also adjusted by the publicness of the interior. Amore public space will be enclosed by a more perforated
skin. There are 3 groups of panels and 5 panels in each group with different levels of perforation. The pattern of
these panels is distributed by a façade making program developed on Excel.

6. © de Architekten Cie
Tianjin Central Railway Station
Project Location: Tianjin, China
Practice Name: de Architekten Cie
Year: 2006 - 2007
Tianjin has the dual distinction of being the 4th largest city in China as well as the port city of the capitol Beijing.
Within the next two years a new highspeed intercity railway will connect Tianjin to Beijing reducing the commute
from 2.5 to 1 hour. This is a critical link for this burgeoning satellite city.
In January 2006, de Architekten Cie. was invited by DHV to participate in a competition for a comprehensive mas-
terplan and architectural design of the Tianjin central station.
This project includes the complete design of the underground infrastructure, 4 landscape squares, the intercity
railway station, the metro/long distance bus station, local bus station, old train station renovation, baggage build-
ing renovation, and a new parking building.
In March 2006, the city of Tianjin selected two winning schemes, one of which was that of de Architekten Cie.

7. © L+A
Observation Tower
Project Location: Henan, China
Practice Name: L+A
Year: 2009
The tall, slender tower is stabilized by buttresses that emerge out of both the forest and the river. The conceptual
framework of a braced structure grew from research of indigenous horticulture practices in China where juvenile
trees are supported by cedar poles and where ancient trees are supported with crutches to secure and preserve
brittle, aged trunks and branches.
The observation tower is situated in a bend of the river and affords extensive views up and down the river as well
as of the chain of hills from which it rises. Entrance to the tower, which was commissioned by the prefecture gov-
ernment as a gateway landmark to a newly designated nature preserve, is gained from a ramp that ascends from
the sloping hill to the second level. A sequence of stairs and elevator then draws visitors to the upper observatory,
an enclosed space that occupies three floors and approximately ten percent of the structure’s volume. The other
areas of the tower are open terraces that allows wind to continue to flow through the structure.
The location of the upper observatory was mapped to determine the best location to afford vistas and orientation
to the distant mountains, river, and forests. The preferred site was determined to be approximately fifty meters in
the air along the riverbank near a bend in the river that allowed the most distant vista downstream to the moun-
tains. This forested location was also easily accessible from the nearby park road and provided foreground views
into the canopy of the adjacent mature forest which is home to a variety of mammals and birds. The solution draws
from this simple premise to determine where in the air, not on the ground, is the best site. It then provides a means
for a small group of people to reach that desired position high in the air.

8. © Min | Day
Faux Gardens
Project Location: Zhengzhou, China
Practice Name: Min | Day
Year: 2010
Asked to design a 22.5 acre development in central China with 90 houses and a large clubhouse complex we
sought to achieve programmatic tautness and contemporary cultural relevance through computational means.
Site: we generated the plan algorithmically from pre-defined programmatic, site and cultural parameters (includ-
ing Feng Shui principals and a highly proscriptive sustainable-site requirement (50% green rate)) Adapting and
radically scaling-up a traditional Ice Ray pattern, we developed a site plan with a high degree of control as de-
manded by the project brief but a garden-like looseness as desired for cultural relevance. Using a parametric
computer model and an evolutionary problem solver (genetic algorithm) we developed a plan with two levels of
optimization: 1. 9 neighborhoods of equal area but varying shape, 2. within each neighborhood, 10 house lots of
varying shape and size. A 10th neighborhood was given to the Clubhouse and public outdoor areas. Topographic
inflections of varying scales define the surfaces of the neighborhoods and each house plot while guiding rain-
water to a system of constructed wetlands and ultimately to the adjacent river. These wetlands are also part of a
system of pedestrian & bicycle circulation through the site. We loosely defined exterior surfaces with a gradient of
porous paving with density decreasing from roads towards the centers of each plot. Layered over this informal site
plan is a rigid, 6m grid of planted beds with bamboo and specimen trees. We controlled all of these elements with
the parametric and associative computer model.

9. © MSMEA
Zhongkai Sheshan Villas E18
Project Location: Shanghai, China
Practice Name: MSMEA
Year: 2004 - 2005
Site E-18 is a very privileged site; large with water on its two major north and west boundaries. The villa is located
on the north boundary. As an edge condition the villa operates both as and occupied space and as a garden wall.
In this position it leaves a great portion of the site open to capture south light and to offer up the joys of a tradi-
tional Chinese garden.
Traditionally, relaxed or eased geometries and strict orthogonal geometries have been reconciled in the plans of
Chinese gardens. This scheme introduces relaxed geometries into the third dimension of the villa while employ-
ing traditional relationships and elements such as the borrowed view, the meandering path, water, the garden
wall, the pavilion, the integration of the exterior and interior spaces, compass orientations procession from public
to private, and architectural sequences that translate into complex spatial experiences.
The eased geometries in the third dimension are a reformulation of traditional forms. They recognize and accom-
modate contemporary conditions: the sedan chair is now the automobile; building technologies are in restless
development; the fantasy of repose in the garden is interrupted by routines of motion, action, productivity and
enterprise. In other words, the house/garden are animated by the dynamics of contemporary life. Even the ge-
ometries of the Sheshan Villa sites disregard the orthogonal, opting instead for a more relaxed approach to the ac-
commodation of plots within the irregular boundaries and conditions of the greater development. Cumulatively,
these conditions suggest the exploration of new architectural form.

10. © MVRDV
Long Tan Park Liuzhou
Project Location: Liuzhou, China
Practice Name: MVRDV
Year: 2004
Liuzhou is a city in the south of China located on the edge of an exceptionally beautiful Karst mountain range,
protected as a World Heritage site. Near the city a lime stone mine is situated. In this mine five of these beautiful
mountains are dramatically cut into half.
This situation so close to the city attracts developers anxious to create housing areas in and next to the city. The
city seeks housing developments for its growing middle class. Can the creation of a new residential area in the
mine be used for further restoration of the park? Can we turn this into an operation that restores the beauty of and
creates a continuation with the surrounding landscape? And that stop the erosions of the already cut mountains?
Locating the 2,700 houses in the valley would harm the potential continuation of the park and avoid the protec-
tion of the eroded mountains, whilst also creating homes without views and ventilation. By cladding the escarp-
ments with the houses the potential continuation of the park can be arranged. It can protect the eroded moun-
tains from further erosion and create homes with view and ventilation. The buildings appear like statues in the
park, like the four presidents on Mt. Rushmore.
The houses are conceived as individual boxes with a view that respect the desire for individuality and that avoid a
hotel feeling. Their positions follow the natural topography of the slopes. The irregularity leads to houses with dif-
ferentiated terraces. A three-meter distance between the houses and the rocks is maintained to allow for natural
ventilation.

11. © NADAAA
Tongxian Art
Project Location: Beijing, China
Practice Name: NADAAA
Year: 2001 - 2002
Thirty miles from Beijing, a community of over 200 Chinese artists of international recognition lacked a public
institution or space that served as a magnet for interaction, a place for the presentation of art, or a setting for
receptions. A consortium of artists, critics and agents acquired a property to put together a program for Tongxian
Art. A multi-phase project, the completed Phase 1, the gatehouse, consists of housing and studio space for artists-
in-residence. Phase 2, the art center, houses the galleries, public spaces, sculpture courts, administrative spaces
and infrastructural needs of the institution.
The site is divided by an existing brick wall, which separates a grid of trees on one side from a barren industrial
field on the other. While the art center is located on the industrial side, the scheme orients the main public court
towards the trees, making a cut into the brick wall to frame a view of the landscape. The complex is configured
around a dense series of courtyards that organize spaces of arrival, service, sculpture, and congregation –as well as
private outdoor spaces. A series of alleyways, configured as cracks and slots, connect the courtyards. As mandated
by the client, the layout of the program is organized to achieve contradictory aims: maximum interaction between
the inhabitants, and a level of privacy.

12. © SPARK
Shanghai Kiss
Project Location: Shanghai, China
Practice Name: SPARK
Year: 2006 - 2007
The city of Shanghai, in preparation for the World Expo 2010, wished to construct an iconic visitor attraction on
a vacant parcel of real estate next to the Huangpu River. The site is located on the Puxi side of the river and com-
manded a city central location and panoramic views of the river and the historic Bund and the CBD in Pudong.
Spark with Arup and client Shanghai Honyear Investment Company were invited by the Shanghai North Bund
Development office to submit a competition proposal for the site in September 2004.
Originally requested by the city to design a wheel similar in scale the Singapore Flyer, the team led by Stephen
Pimbley conceived an exciting alternative to the Ferris wheel inspired by the romance and passion of this magnifi-
cent high rise city. Stephen named it the Shanghai Kiss and the design went onto win the competition and was
rubber stamped by Shanghai Mayor Han as one of the “key cultural attractions for the 2010 Expo”. The Kiss similar
in height to the Eiffel tower took advantage of its unique arch type structure to provide high level views over the
city that are not possible from the structurally restrictive height of a wheel based structure.

13. © UNStudio
Dalian Football Stadium
Project Location: Dalian, China
Practice Name: UNStudio
Year: 2009 - 2010
Unstudio has won the limited competition for a 40,000 spectator football stadium for the most successful club in
the Chinese Super League: Dalian Shide FC. The stadium will be built in the club’s hometown of the city of Dalian,
on the southern tip of Liaodong peninsula in Northeast China.
The design for the 38,500 m2 stadium has been inspired by the colourful layering and overlapping of the ancient
Chinese cuju football. The design weaves together the collective spirit of the spectators with the public realm and
the urban context of the building. The main stadium houses spectator seating, TV broadcasting centre, administra-
tion areas, VIP lounge, players facilities and public concourse in a layered envelope which extends on ground level
to provide outdoor public areas above decked parking facilities. In addition, the design incorporates two training
fields on the 144,000 m2 site.
According to Ben van Berkel, “The design of the Dalian Football Stadium is inspired by the classic Chinese football,
which was made by layering coloured bamboo. For the stadium design we appropriated this effect to generate
a double-layered roof structure. This structure operates as a double concourse enclosure, encircling the tribunes.
Splits and openings in between broad bands of the lattice structure enable views from the outside in and from
the inside out.”

14. © VMX
Ordos Hilton Hotel
Project Location: Ordos, China
Practice Name: VMX
Year: 2008 - 2009
In commission for the Jiang Yuan Water Engineering Company, VMX Architects designed a contemporary inter-
national hotel for the city of Ordos. By not only relying upon the logic of and philosophies behind famous hotel
concepts, but also taking into account the specific context of Ordos, the new Hilton Hotel aims on transcending
the generic and at the same time symbolizing the spirit of Inner Mongolia.
The concept maximizes two existing qualities. The first is the surrounding landscape and the city of Ordos. The
second is the adjacent country club functions, which are already foreseen for this site, especially the golf course.
The urban plan dictates a maximum height of only three storeys. Applying the average (rectangular) hotel plan
would easily lead to long corridors, hence: long walking distances. Also, a rectangle is not the ideal form to inte-
grate the building in the landscape.
In proposing a round building, we take maximum advantage of the view in every direction, while at the same
time minimising the distances between rooms and hotel functions such as lobby, dining areas, bars, concert stage
and swimming pool. The rooms are divided over four levels, three above and one below grade. All rooms face
the green landscape; all hotel functions are centred in the heart of the building. This inside space is designed as
a spectacular collective world on its own, partly covered by a glass roof and so protected from the harsh climate.