Brimming with confidence and charm, Beijing's power couple Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin are creating a revolution of their very own.
They walk into the press conference together. He resembles a scholar with his round glasses and Mandarin collared silk jacket. She is worldly and sophisticated, fluidly articulate in Putonghua, Cantonese and English. They are comfortable around the media, and present an image that is polished and philosophical. They come across as astute business people, but ones who are benevolent at heart. Mostly, Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin seem to be an extraordinary Beijing couple who want to share their pride and passion with the rest of the world.
"It is clear to me that modern China is coming into her adolescence, her 'construction age'," 2002 International Wood Architecture winner and architect of the Bamboo House Kengo Kuma emphatically states. Pan and Zhang are riding that wave of construction mania with their company Redstone Industrie, yet they are building anything but cookie-cutter blocks. With the criticism that China often gets from the rest of the world for shoddy workmanship and cheap knock-offs, it becomes clear the strides that Redstone has made with their three principal development projects to date: SOHO, Boao Canal Village and Commune by the Great Wall. "We feel that we have a great sense of responsibility, and that it is time we act," Zhang explains. "We want to build homes that fit human lifestyles the way they live today, not constrain them. Our homes are not particularly Chinese except in spirit; the language used to articulate them is international. You know, walking from the bottom to the top of the hill at Commune in the summer can be quite exhausting for some. It makes me wonder if we have all adapted to only one way of life and have lost our natural abilities, like chickens that have forgotten how to fly. We want to bring back nature, beauty and art to everyone's homes again."
SOHO, with its allusions to hip neighbourhoods in New York City, London and Hong Kong, actually stands for "Small Office, Home Office." The thinking being this staggered set of high-rises is that the Beijing upper middle class now consisting of artists and technology professionals want the option to work from home. The complex features shared areas such as a large gallery space that can be used for gatherings and cocktail parties, with offices behind a curved wall that can be used for ad hoc meetings. Every four floors at SOHO is a large courtyard featuring a modern piece of art by various Chinese artists. Designed to foster community within the typical anonymity of high-rise apartments, the courtyard also brings back the ideals of traditional Chinese house plans. Bright colours punctuate each of the buildings, and large windows make the spaces feel airy and light. Artwork on the grounds such as Ai Wei Wei's concrete "Tung" sculpture adds variety and gives the site a focal point. The most compelling part of SOHO is that the selling price of RMB 6,000 to 7,000 per square metre doubled in price within one year, obviously filling a niche in the Beijing residential market.
Boao Canal Village is a series of water-fronted properties on Hainan Island, with the first phase already occupied. After the success of SOHO, Redstone decided to go south and avoid "touching the iron while it is too hot." Chief architect Rocco Yim created a series of tropical white houses with landscaped palms that mark informal and formal gardens and pathways. Each house takes advantage of the casual lifestyle of island living, and feature generous proportioned rooms and terraces.
Commune by the Great Wall is a collection of the best in contemporary architecture set in the foothills by the Badaling Great Wall just north of Beijing. Billed as a Museum for Modern Architecture, it features designs from 12 different Asian architects and each is a unique solution for the ideal country home. The collection of 11 homes and one clubhouse will be available as boutique hotels, with each available for short-term rentals. Redstone intends to select the best of the Commune designs and will develop an additional 40 homes for sale in another part of the valley. With their flair and drive to bring the best of living standards to all citizens, Redstone's properties will forever banish the notion of grey dullness in Chinese architecture.
They walk into the press conference together. He resembles a scholar with his round glasses and Mandarin collared silk jacket. She is worldly and sophisticated, fluidly articulate in Putonghua, Cantonese and English. They are comfortable around the media, and present an image that is polished and philosophical. They come across as astute business people, but ones who are benevolent at heart. Mostly, Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin seem to be an extraordinary Beijing couple who want to share their pride and passion with the rest of the world.
"It is clear to me that modern China is coming into her adolescence, her 'construction age'," 2002 International Wood Architecture winner and architect of the Bamboo House Kengo Kuma emphatically states. Pan and Zhang are riding that wave of construction mania with their company Redstone Industrie, yet they are building anything but cookie-cutter blocks. With the criticism that China often gets from the rest of the world for shoddy workmanship and cheap knock-offs, it becomes clear the strides that Redstone has made with their three principal development projects to date: SOHO, Boao Canal Village and Commune by the Great Wall. "We feel that we have a great sense of responsibility, and that it is time we act," Zhang explains. "We want to build homes that fit human lifestyles the way they live today, not constrain them. Our homes are not particularly Chinese except in spirit; the language used to articulate them is international. You know, walking from the bottom to the top of the hill at Commune in the summer can be quite exhausting for some. It makes me wonder if we have all adapted to only one way of life and have lost our natural abilities, like chickens that have forgotten how to fly. We want to bring back nature, beauty and art to everyone's homes again."
SOHO, with its allusions to hip neighbourhoods in New York City, London and Hong Kong, actually stands for "Small Office, Home Office." The thinking being this staggered set of high-rises is that the Beijing upper middle class now consisting of artists and technology professionals want the option to work from home. The complex features shared areas such as a large gallery space that can be used for gatherings and cocktail parties, with offices behind a curved wall that can be used for ad hoc meetings. Every four floors at SOHO is a large courtyard featuring a modern piece of art by various Chinese artists. Designed to foster community within the typical anonymity of high-rise apartments, the courtyard also brings back the ideals of traditional Chinese house plans. Bright colours punctuate each of the buildings, and large windows make the spaces feel airy and light. Artwork on the grounds such as Ai Wei Wei's concrete "Tung" sculpture adds variety and gives the site a focal point. The most compelling part of SOHO is that the selling price of RMB 6,000 to 7,000 per square metre doubled in price within one year, obviously filling a niche in the Beijing residential market.
Boao Canal Village is a series of water-fronted properties on Hainan Island, with the first phase already occupied. After the success of SOHO, Redstone decided to go south and avoid "touching the iron while it is too hot." Chief architect Rocco Yim created a series of tropical white houses with landscaped palms that mark informal and formal gardens and pathways. Each house takes advantage of the casual lifestyle of island living, and feature generous proportioned rooms and terraces.
Commune by the Great Wall is a collection of the best in contemporary architecture set in the foothills by the Badaling Great Wall just north of Beijing. Billed as a Museum for Modern Architecture, it features designs from 12 different Asian architects and each is a unique solution for the ideal country home. The collection of 11 homes and one clubhouse will be available as boutique hotels, with each available for short-term rentals. Redstone intends to select the best of the Commune designs and will develop an additional 40 homes for sale in another part of the valley. With their flair and drive to bring the best of living standards to all citizens, Redstone's properties will forever banish the notion of grey dullness in Chinese architecture.
