SOHO New Town is currently the best known property in Beijing and Pan Shiyi is Beijing's most renowned developer. Located just east of the China World Trade Center, SOHO New Town is made up of a group of colorful skyscrapers. Walking among the buildings, one can always find new things and sense changes in color, light and shadow. New Town reflects the personality of Pan Shiyi. In addition to the diverse colors, there are many unconventional sculptures on the property, although not every resident claims to like these peculiar works. All this may seem insignificant now that other developers have started building on concepts like SOHO, but those in the know admit that Pan Shiyi is always at the forefront with respect to refinement and details. His proactive awareness is indeed rooted in details. He once said, "My experience from recent years tells me that all big things are comprised of details. Many details are not so much a great discovery or design, but rather the result of more meticulous work."New Weekly: I once read a book about SOHO New Town. It mentioned the concept of 'detail rules'. Why is there such saying?
Pan: Details are really very important. Our generation and even older generations know little about details. Influenced by the planned economy and revolutionary sentiment, Chinese people tend to deliberately seek 'grandness'. Only the petty bourgeoisie care about these details. Pursuing details was not in line with revolutionary ideals and people hated to talk about the finer points. In those years, there were no details and people had no time to pay attention to them. Our language, lifestyle, female appearance and...well, many wonderful things in our lives were ruined. In those days, we went to school, we read books and we watched revolutionary drama, but we didn't care for details or even for our language. That's why I was so shocked when I first heard the English saying, 'detail rules'. I thought carefully and discovered the truth that many great things, powerful things, exciting things except those that provide direction, are derived from details. I am a developer, so it is a must for me to care for details when building houses.
New Weekly: Detail goes hand in hand with refinement. This building in SOHO New Town, where we are now, is a very refined building. When you conceived this project, what details did you consider?
Pan: Actually, there were many detailed aspects. After we had conceived the project, we began to consider many details. For example in the floor plan design, we eliminated the use of a terrace. At that time, this was an unprecedented move in Beijing. In many houses, the terrace occupies the best location but is only used to place potted plants. Instead, we adopted floor-to-ceiling windows. Many other buildings claim to utilize this kind of window design, however they are not true floor to ceiling window designs. This is our idea of detail. Such a tiny change in detail can lead to a conceptual breakthrough.
New Weekly: Besides the terrace, what do you think are the most wonderful details in your buildings?
Pan: The colors. Many people criticize me in this respect; they say I have made the wrong decision. However, I believe to be the first one to use colors. Now many of the buildings are painted with different colors, but there were very few when we first used colors. In fact, our buildings are not completely painted in colors. Only certain parts of the buildings are painted in a specific color. Much the same way as a person in a gray suit, once he wears a red tie, he immediately appears energetic. To the architect, adding color is only a small aspect of the design. However, once he has drawn this into his design, it will become a spotlight.
New Weekly: Many people build houses to shield against rain and wind. They seldom consider the combination of functionality and aesthetic feeling of space. In SOHO New Town, there are many pieces of artwork by China's best sculptors. Will you continue to emphasize such style and detail when you build new houses in the future?
Pan: Perhaps even more so. Because people's lives are becoming more and more refined, living in a rough environment is now unacceptable. Let's come back to talk about the house aspect. In today's world, people tend to pay more attention to the details within their house. You may find that many people have become dissatisfied with their house. Some even go to the extent of protesting in the street. The reason for that is not because the house is going to collapse, but more to the fact that they are not satisfied with its details. As living standards improve people will no longer consider their houses as just a place to sleep.
New Weekly: Nowadays, there are plenty of developers who seek details. In your opinion, how should good architects apply details?
Pan: Good architects should integrate their feelings of space, societal observations and mastery of fashion into the design details. Deciding how to match the materials and how to use them is just one example. Those who think they are masters and only care for big things are not good architects. Nevertheless, one might go wrong if he constantly seeks details, day and night.
New Weekly: As a developer, you are experienced and knowledgeable. Among the many buildings you have seen, which one do you think puts the most emphasis on details? Which architect do you think is the most skilled in using details?
Pan: Details can reflect man's ability. I have met many outstanding architects and seen many fine buildings. Some designs are really touching. For example, I saw the work of I.M. Pei at the Louvre Museum. I have such a high appreciation for his work, each time I see it I experience different feelings. In Japan I also saw a building in which, everything about it represented a humanistic spirit.
New Weekly: As a developer, do you place details as the first priority?
Pan: Not really. Details are very important. But I think it is more important to consider the changes in society as well as man's way of living. Only in this way can we understand how to meet people's needs when we are building houses. If we only care for details and forget people's needs, then details mean nothing. As far as details are concerned, we should avoid the tendency to pursue the so-called 'luxury' concept. Currently, China is experiencing a prosperous stage, so it is natural for its people to pursue refinement. But when people have accumulated a certain amount of wealth, they are more likely to seek extravagance. As for houses, some want to use the best material and the most 'luxurious' design, some even go as far as gilding the exterior of their houses. In fact, the accumulation of wealth has nothing to do with detail, let alone refinement. Details should reflect people's tastes in a discrete way. They should have more of an emotional impact, rather than show off the owner's status. If 'detail' is about showing off then it will affect people's mental status in an unhealthy way. In ancient times, many Chinese taught their children not to live in extravagant houses. This to me is a very reasonable concept. When we build houses, we should try not to waste any resources. But some people do no understand. In one of our projects, we used bluestones that came from a rural area of Beijing to pave the ground. Bluestones are very natural and elegant. But one day a resident complained to me, saying that the stones used to pave the ground reflected a poor image. He continued to say that in Hong Kong the luxurious houses were much more lavish. On the contrary, it is the same buildings that appeal many other residents. This story shows us that different people have various perceptions as to what is beautiful.
