文/杰瑞米·梅雯

by Jeremy Melvin

身處亞洲快節(jié)奏的城市和經(jīng)濟(jì)環(huán)境中，SPARK思邦的設(shè)計(jì)顯示了其對(duì)建筑的一個(gè)最基本先決條件的理解，即突破現(xiàn)存都市文脈的來尋找設(shè)計(jì)創(chuàng)意的相關(guān)性。

亞洲人口和城市經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)挑戰(zhàn)了標(biāo)準(zhǔn)建筑思維的舒適慣例。盡管強(qiáng)大的均質(zhì)化來自于商業(yè)壓力， 其所產(chǎn)生的漩渦吸引建筑師不是通過退回到“構(gòu)造地質(zhì)學(xué)”的舒適區(qū)，而是通過將專業(yè)技能與想象力、記憶和意義相結(jié)合以形成更有技術(shù)深度和社會(huì)意義的策略。這是SPARK思邦的時(shí)代背景。

SPARK思邦員工平均年齡32歲，來自十多個(gè)國(guó)家和地區(qū)，在社會(huì)和文化背景下基礎(chǔ)深厚，負(fù)責(zé)解決面臨的建筑挑戰(zhàn)。SPARK思邦的幾位董事在九十年代中期都在Will Alsop公司工作過。在那里他們直接見證了復(fù)雜或平庸的概念如何與創(chuàng)新形態(tài)構(gòu)建無縫銜接。Stephen Pimbley斯蒂芬.平博理2001年在新加坡領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的團(tuán)隊(duì)取得了克拉碼頭設(shè)計(jì)的巨大聲譽(yù)，展示了他們適應(yīng)亞洲城市化的想法并在新加坡創(chuàng)辦了一家工作室，這可以說就是SPARK思邦的起點(diǎn)。

Alsop對(duì)形態(tài)構(gòu)建的創(chuàng)新方法是思邦設(shè)計(jì)基因的一部分，有時(shí)與結(jié)構(gòu)或簡(jiǎn)單的外表和規(guī)律性形成鮮明的對(duì)比。同時(shí)Stephen Pimbley斯蒂芬.平博理援引偉大的后現(xiàn)代藝術(shù)家Charles Moore作為實(shí)踐概念框架的另一個(gè)參考，并在Richard Roger辦公室的某一階段從他的城市項(xiàng)目例如“如其可能的倫敦”中學(xué)到了很多。

意識(shí)到城市不僅僅是建筑的總和，SPARK思邦設(shè)計(jì)尋求方法以確定創(chuàng)新建筑在何地如何能在未知的所有大都市里盈利。突破現(xiàn)狀不僅僅是物理分解：它也是對(duì)傳統(tǒng)消費(fèi)的挑戰(zhàn)，尋求更好的花園，露臺(tái)和疏散中心，看到他們類型的本質(zhì)和演變。SPARK思邦的形態(tài)構(gòu)建通常將創(chuàng)新的想法或思路壓縮，回歸到特定的街景。

01 / 愉悅的城市主義

SPARK思邦的城市思維，在學(xué)術(shù)上可以描述為“愉悅的城市主義”-該術(shù)語主要源于“開放的”城市空間的很多理念，從Richard Rogers，Michael Walzer到Stephen pimbley，一脈相承的方法取決于幾個(gè)戰(zhàn)略，包括外立面設(shè)計(jì)是外表和信息的傳輸，重新構(gòu)想零售商場(chǎng)如何工作并將他們與鄰近的公共領(lǐng)域和其他城市活動(dòng)聯(lián)系在一起，并重新思考水平，標(biāo)尺和建筑想法可操作的地點(diǎn)。盡管構(gòu)想大部分在亞洲背景下，通用建筑想法的參考表明了他們的想法如何應(yīng)用到開發(fā)世界其他地方。

克拉碼頭，設(shè)想重新定位一個(gè)舊址，如果新加坡河畔的歷史遺跡，自它于2006年完成開始就已經(jīng)展示了“預(yù)約的城市主義”。碼頭的俏皮天蓬在白天為室外空間提供遮蔽，在夜晚有燈光，并促進(jìn)空氣流動(dòng)以助于維持舒適的環(huán)境溫度。

在河畔本身，“睡蓮”被“風(fēng)信子”的懸臂在水上分幾層遮住，使最多的人在河邊賞景用餐。

濱水，在面對(duì)面買賣時(shí)是新加坡的生命線但在商業(yè)發(fā)展后變得很臟很多余，現(xiàn)在重新居住，盡管按條件更適合津貼的經(jīng)濟(jì)和社會(huì)條件。反過來，這就暗示著改變和傳承了之前特性的痕跡的新故事，因此增加了情感交換的程度，比要求有形商品更深的程度。

如果克拉碼頭是“愉悅的城市主義”的起點(diǎn)，SPARK思邦的后續(xù)項(xiàng)目進(jìn)一步延續(xù)著這樣的成功，并不只是將歐洲的經(jīng)驗(yàn)深入到亞洲，而是深入到建筑能夠創(chuàng)造特征、價(jià)值、意義的神秘深度。這個(gè)經(jīng)歷確實(shí)表明了一種使建筑適用于巨大發(fā)展的方法。初看SPARK思邦和Alsop可能是遠(yuǎn)離Charles Moore的世界，但他們每一個(gè)都著手將他們自然的愉悅引入到他們的建筑中去。SPARK思邦和Alsop以一種從傳統(tǒng)建筑詞典外拿出的流行比喻的語言來表達(dá)，想象出一種嘉年華的感覺，并將空間經(jīng)驗(yàn)編織在一起。這些不同之處表明了SPARK思邦能夠在思考城市建筑外立面發(fā)展視覺識(shí)別的廣效性。

02 / 重新理解表皮效應(yīng)

建筑表皮已經(jīng)取得了很大進(jìn)展，自從現(xiàn)代主義或多或少的趕走了他們。第一次后現(xiàn)代主義復(fù)蘇了他們作為歷史意義承載者的角色。然后他們?cè)谧赃^濾和修改能量流動(dòng)到建筑物里外的作用開始了鍛造功能和闡釋之間新聯(lián)系的視覺語言?，F(xiàn)在復(fù)雜的混合建筑物也使用他們緩和人流量發(fā)揮了作用，通過召喚某種記憶和意義，以吸引過往人流。

在倫敦維多利亞車站旁邊，通過討論保留建筑附近的新外立面可以改善周圍的街景，思邦設(shè)計(jì)說服了規(guī)劃當(dāng)局重新開發(fā)的優(yōu)勢(shì)，空間上有很大的提升。這些外立面也可以更好的表現(xiàn)從純辦公室改為混合用途和使用的變化，呈現(xiàn)出更大市場(chǎng)的更清晰的特性。五層港灣計(jì)劃成一個(gè)角度，從任意方向接近時(shí)外立面不同。從一方面，計(jì)劃的角度強(qiáng)調(diào)了垂直型，使用藍(lán)色框加強(qiáng)，另一方面，規(guī)劃的低角度強(qiáng)調(diào)了從鄰近裝飾藝術(shù)阿波羅戲劇院產(chǎn)生的水平線。

在Fai-Fah學(xué)習(xí)中心，外立面也有一些吸引行人的元素。這是一項(xiàng)社會(huì)驅(qū)動(dòng)型項(xiàng)目，其意圖是要在曼谷缺乏教育的地區(qū)對(duì)年輕人引入創(chuàng)意培訓(xùn)，人和建筑，公眾和私人空間之間的聯(lián)系更實(shí)在。尋求在對(duì)社區(qū)有意義和有吸引力下進(jìn)行活動(dòng)，SPARK思邦安排了一個(gè)講習(xí)班，要求中心的潛在用戶用語言和圖片描述他們的希望。建筑師將他們轉(zhuǎn)換成外立面上的鋼架顯示屏，與店屋的鄰居有顯著區(qū)別，且內(nèi)部活動(dòng)有了一個(gè)窗口。簡(jiǎn)單的意象例如爬梯表明上升運(yùn)動(dòng)開始表達(dá)出建筑物的外立面意圖，而通過它看明確地揭露了此目的。對(duì)于使用者，外立面是災(zāi)難生活和上進(jìn)心之間的過濾，不否認(rèn)他們經(jīng)歷和身份的價(jià)值。對(duì)于行人，外立面給出了充足的信息吸引他們自己的決定而不是留他們?nèi)我獠聹y(cè)。作為城市結(jié)構(gòu)的一塊，外立面在個(gè)人和城市生活之間調(diào)解。

吉隆坡的升喜廊和北京四環(huán)的京棉新城都在大型開發(fā)和交通干道范圍和步行的行人范圍之間發(fā)揮了調(diào)解的作用。在升喜廊，這一作用完全嵌入到外立面成為了動(dòng)態(tài)雕刻的形式，改觀了現(xiàn)有流行零售目標(biāo)。使用一系列棱角的玻璃和石頭形成了新的表層，在頂端顯著的角落有一個(gè)三層高的小亭子。因此這就成為了城市結(jié)構(gòu)的積極參與者，與它之前的單調(diào)形成了對(duì)比。新外立面足以吸引“過往的大眾行人”，無論步行還是交通工具，停下來不僅僅是為了購(gòu)物。

03 / 關(guān)注原型

重新體驗(yàn)了外立面后，SPARK思邦轉(zhuǎn)移到重塑商場(chǎng)的原型：這是新亞洲城市主義的所嚴(yán)重缺乏的特征。如果外立面使建筑吸引行人，“內(nèi)部有料”才能真正信守承諾。此處的關(guān)鍵在于挑戰(zhàn)了形態(tài)的傳統(tǒng)，讓有想象力甚至違反直覺的方法使外立面滲透影響到內(nèi)部體驗(yàn)。

第一步是制造混合用途。確保融合租用，一項(xiàng)已確定的商業(yè)策略，是一個(gè)明顯的起點(diǎn)，但SPARK思邦將它帶至很多其他層面。建筑，使用燈光，紋理和顏色，可制造出不同環(huán)境引出不同的情感狀態(tài)但肯定幫助定義了一系列特性。比例和富有想象的設(shè)計(jì)的上升可以適應(yīng)自然熟悉矮臺(tái)-和-大廈類型學(xué)以增強(qiáng)不同使用的功能需要并散發(fā)出一種適合所有的特性。如果看建筑的內(nèi)外部，也可以制造與鄰里的一系列聯(lián)系，可在活動(dòng)的信號(hào)旗中筑造更多層次。

昌平的萬科超級(jí)城，距離北京50km的一個(gè)衛(wèi)星城鎮(zhèn)，以重新思考在宏愿城開啟的零售發(fā)展正式的類型的功能成分的方式進(jìn)行擴(kuò)張。它迥然不同的形態(tài)表現(xiàn)了不同活動(dòng)區(qū)的混合并劃分100,000sqm的體積到更小的元素。清晰的鉸鏈?zhǔn)綐翘莺妥詣?dòng)扶梯表現(xiàn)出它的流通路徑-一個(gè)重要功能因?yàn)樗袃煞N格局，一種是零售臺(tái)白天12小時(shí)，另一種是上面的居民區(qū)，餐館，酒吧和電影開著，這樣促進(jìn)了一天24小時(shí)活動(dòng)。不同部分展示的內(nèi)部體積確定了在功能和商業(yè)語境內(nèi)他們內(nèi)部的合理性。

第二關(guān)鍵步驟是要打造額外的“地平面”。大廈的第四和第五層，包含了布局在正交網(wǎng)格的一系列餐館。上面的“地平面”設(shè)想為一系列小辦公室的展區(qū)以及生活/工作單元的更大的大廈，坐落于對(duì)公眾和住戶開放的花園內(nèi)。

與這兩個(gè)從零開始打造城市結(jié)構(gòu)的項(xiàng)目形成了對(duì)比，中國(guó)東部城市福州的五四北泰禾廣場(chǎng)，坐落于小規(guī)模胡同和更大的開發(fā)區(qū)包括一系列居民大樓的傳統(tǒng)本質(zhì)之間的斷層線。思邦設(shè)計(jì)引入了到高層的餐館和電影院的窗戶和垂直環(huán)流路徑，因此在建筑和人-以及相互之間的人之間制造了接合。它前面的這種外立面和空間有24小時(shí)的生活，與商場(chǎng)本身12小時(shí)一天形成了對(duì)比，超越了生活和傳統(tǒng)城市本質(zhì)的范圍。

04 / 探索場(chǎng)域

然而城市，不僅僅是建筑物的集合，哪怕那些建筑物本身是重組類型學(xué)。SPARK思邦肩負(fù)著探索建筑物（無論多大）是如何與他們的城市息息相關(guān)的責(zé)任。在某種程度上，這個(gè)是對(duì)“突破現(xiàn)狀“這個(gè)邏輯的擴(kuò)展。正如他形成了相關(guān)的跨區(qū)域活動(dòng)之間的網(wǎng)絡(luò)連接，但是也擾亂了平庸單調(diào)的一般城市發(fā)展。SPARK思邦將這方面的工作描述為”新城市區(qū)域談判“，從使用地圖和圖表來評(píng)估地形開始，探索所有不熟悉的方面。

SPARK思邦最有野心和歷史意義的設(shè)計(jì)之一是為一個(gè)長(zhǎng)江上的小島所設(shè)計(jì)的新型公共領(lǐng)域，該小島位于中國(guó)江蘇的一個(gè)東部城市。該地為沼澤區(qū)域，欠發(fā)達(dá)，但是城市當(dāng)局在尋找方式將其更大的區(qū)域轉(zhuǎn)變成現(xiàn)代的，人口密集的城市結(jié)構(gòu)。這個(gè)客戶看到了這個(gè)地方成為宋朝清明上河圖上描述的現(xiàn)代形式的河邊生活場(chǎng)景的潛力。在那里，自然，建筑，水和人所有的都和諧的融為一體，SPARK思邦設(shè)計(jì)的圖紙靈感來自一個(gè)大橋兩側(cè)不同的多樣化的城市活動(dòng)。開發(fā)包含地面排水和重塑島嶼周圍的水路。思邦設(shè)計(jì)設(shè)計(jì)將其變成了一個(gè)建在環(huán)形綠色植物公園，形成了連接這個(gè)島和兩側(cè)銀行的網(wǎng)絡(luò)狀小路，聯(lián)合了一些在橋頭比較密集的油畫購(gòu)物方式，再一次體現(xiàn)了時(shí)代精神和藝術(shù)視野。

最后我們會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，所謂的“新城市領(lǐng)域”,“談判”也就意味著城市領(lǐng)域已經(jīng)存在或者將要產(chǎn)生而無建筑師的干預(yù)，但需努力去理解和使用。這些“談判”或大或小，但是他們的共性在于特定領(lǐng)域的行程會(huì)被構(gòu)想成干預(yù)措施。他們的概念取決于接受不同的城市環(huán)境，有無能力和知識(shí)來為他們?cè)O(shè)計(jì)，這個(gè)一種有效的策略。在這個(gè)概念下，思邦設(shè)計(jì)一路前行，不斷打破了城市常規(guī)意義的密封之盒，釋放出令人驚奇的火花。

（杰瑞米·梅雯是國(guó)際知名建筑評(píng)論家，英國(guó)建筑評(píng)論的特約撰稿人。本文原刊登于英國(guó)《建筑評(píng)論》雜志2016年）

Working in the fast-moving economicand urban milieu of the Asian century,SPARK has become highly skilled inexploring and implementing strategiesthat combine technical prowess withimagination, memory and meaning. SPARK shows it understands oneof architecture's most fundamentalpreconditions, an imaginativeability to find relevant parallels fromoutside the immediate context'

With an average age of 32 and representing 10 nationalities, SPARK's workforce has a wide base in thesocial and cultural conditions responsible for these newarchitectural challenges. Its leadership's backgroundhelps to draw out this potential. Several directorscoincided at Will Alsop's office in the mid 1990s.There they saw at first hand how briefs, however complexor banal, were no barrier to inventive form-making.Stephen Pimbley, one of those directors, led a competitionwin to redevelop Clarke Quay in Singapore in 2001,demonstrating both the applicability of their ideas toAsian urbanism, and the formation of a studio inSingapore which became, as it were, the spark for SPARK.

Alsop's inventive approach to form-making is partof SPARK's DNA, but its architects prefer to apply itselectively, sometimes in deliberate contrast to a structureor skin of simplicity and regularity. Alsop also gave thema connection to his former employer Cedric Price, whosesubtle and creatively contrarian thinking led him toquestion the necessity and desirability of a building as thebest response to a perceived need.And Pimbley cites thegreat Postmodernist Charles Moore as another referencefor the practice's conceptual frame - and also learnt muchfrom Richard Rogers' urban projects like ‘London as itcould be' during a period in his office.

Realizing that cities are more than just the sum of theirarchitecture, SPARK seeks ways of identifying where andhow innovative architecture can bring some benefit withinthe unknowable totality of the metropolis. Owing morein this sense to Price than Alsop, the practice has begunto devise simple,diagrammatic ways of representing theseideas. Breaking the boxbecomes more than physical disaggregation: it is also achallenge to conventional consumptions and a search forbetter gardens, terraces and sheltered areas but lookingat their typological essence and evolution. SPARK's ‘form-making usually encapsulates anidea or thread of innovation which the architecture seeksto play back to the speci fic streetscape'.

01-Convivial urbanism

SPARK describes this applied urbanism as ‘weavingthe complex city', and the result as ‘convivial urbanism'- a term which owes much to the concept of ‘open-minded'urban spaces that Richard Rogers, following MichaelWalzer, described in his Reith Lectures.This approachdepends on several strategic ideas, including designingthe facade to be both skin and conveyor of messages,re-conceiving how retail malls work and connecting themto neighboring public realm and other urban activities,and rethinking the levels, scales and places wherearchitectural ideas can operate. Though conceived largelyin Asian contexts, the references to generic architecturalideas indicate how their thinking might apply todevelopment in other parts of the world. Underlying thisare some proto-propositions about how architecture canmediate between culture and commerce, a conditionwhich came to the fore when money replaced slaveryas the linking medium between design and construction.

Clarke Quay, conceived to reposition a run-down ifhistoric site on the Singapore River, has demonstrated‘convivial urbanism' since it was completed in 2006.Designed while at Alsop's and harking back directly toCedric Price's idea that architecture could enhance livesby being delightful and useful, the quay's playful canopiesshade the outdoor spaces during the day, give light atnight, and assist air movement to help keep a comfortableambient temperature. On the riverside itself, ‘lily pads'shaded by ‘bluebells' cantilever at several levels over thewater to maximize the number of people who can eat witha view over the river.

Thewaterfront, Singapore's lifeblood when trade was stillface-to-face but dirty and redundant after commercemoved on, is re-inhabited though on terms more suitedto today's economic and social conditions. In turn thissuggests new narratives which transform and carry tracesof previous identities, and so adds a degree of emotionalcontact that is deeper than desire for material goods.

If Clarke Quay was the ground zero of ‘convivialurbanism' SPARK's subsequent projects have taken it. Further - not just further into Asia with sorties in Europe,but further into that mysterious place where architecturemerges with, transforms and creates identity, moneyand meaning. It has honed this experience into atheoretical base which though rooted in simple, directideas and means to represent it, does indicate a wayof making architecture applicable to mega-developments.At first glance Spark and Alsop may seem worlds awayfrom Charles Moore, but each of them set out to introducetheir natural conviviality into their architecture. Alsopand Price express this in a language of popular imageryoften taken from outside the conventional architecturallexicon, conjuring a sense of carnival. Moore sought it inthe way he used knowing references to evoke memoriesand weaved them with the experiences of his spaces.These differences indicate the broad spectrum fromwhich SPARK can develop a visual identity in consideringthe facades of urban buildings.

02-Facades

Facades have come a long way since Modernism moreor less anathematized them. First Postmodernismresurrected their historic role as bearers of meaning.Then their role in filtering and modifying the flow ofenergy into and out of buildings inaugurated a visuallanguage that forged a new connection between functionand interpretation. Now complex hybrid buildings alsouse them to modify flows of people - but also tying theirroles into human psyches by evoking memory andmeaning, ‘to engage the passing public' as SPARK puts it.

The Department, alongside London's Victoria Station,introduces this theme.By arguing that new facadesaround retained structure could improve the surroundingstreetscape, SPARK convinced the planning authority ofthe merits of redevelopment with a big uplift in space.These facades could also better convey the change frompurely office to mixed uses and occupancies, presentinga clearer identity to its now larger markets. Five-storeybays which project at an angle give the facades a differentappearance when approached from either direction.From one side the projecting angle stresses verticality,and reinforced with blue mullions, this picks up on thefacade of its neighbor. From the other side, the gentler angle of projectionstresses the horizontal lines flowing from the adjacentArt Deco Apollo Theatre.

SPARK思邦在荷蘭鹿特丹設(shè)計(jì)的 DE CALYPSO 集合住宅

At Fai-Fah the facade also providessomething to intrigue passers-by. But as be fits a sociallydriven project intended to introduce creative training toyoungsters in a deprived part of Bangkok, the connectionbetween people and building, public and private spaceis more literal. Seeking to make the activities withinrelevant and attractive to the community, SPARKorganized a workshop with potential users of the centrewho were asked to describe their hopes for it in words andimages. The architects transformed them into the steellattice screen of the facade, both a striking differentiationfrom the shop-house neighbors, and a window to theactivities within. Simple imagery such as ladders toindicate upward movement begin to express the building'spurpose in the facade, while views through it reveal thatpurpose explicitly. For users the facade is a filter betweena life of misadventure and one of upward mobility,without denying the value of their experience and identity.

Starhill Gallery in Kuala Lumpur and Jing Mian XinCheng on Beijing's Fourth Ring Road both mediatebetween the scale of large development and trafficarteries, and that of humans on foot. At Starhill this roleis entirely embedded within the facade,which becomes adynamic sculptural form, an existing popularretail destination.Using glass and stone in a series ofangular shapes the new membrane, with a triple-heightpavilion on a prominent corner at its apex. So it becomesan active participant in the urban fabric, in contrast toits drab predecessor, whether on foot or from a vehicle in wayswhich do not just stop at desire for the brands within.

03-Types

From recapturing the facade, SPARK move ontorede fining the shopping mall -the symbol and symptom ofthe worst aspects of new Asian urbanism. If facades offerto engage passers-by with the building, that promise canonly be kept if the inside lives up to it. The key here is tochallenge conventions of form - the dumb box - and singleuse functions with imaginative, even counterintuitiveapproaches that take the outward, visible effects ofthe facade into the experience of the interior.

The first step is to create a mix of uses. Ensuring ablend of tenancies, an established commercial strategy,is an obvious starting point, but SPARK takes it to manyother levels. Architecture, using light, texture and colour,can create different ambiences that may induce varyingemotional states but certainly help to de fine a range o fidentities. Moving up in scale, imaginative design can adapt the crudely familiar podium-and-tower typology toreinforce functional needs for varying uses while exudingan identity which suits all of them. If the building looksoutward as well as inward, it can also forge a series ofconnections with its neighborhood that can weave morelayers into the weft of activities.

Vanke Super City in Changping, a satellite town 50kmfrom Beijing, expands on the approach to rethinking theformal, typological and functional components of a retaildevelopment that started at Vision City. Its disparateforms convey the mix of different activities and breakdown its 100,000sqm bulk into smaller elements.Clearlyarticulated stairs and escalators express its circulationroutes - an important feature as it has two patterns, onefor the 12 hours of daytime in the retail podium,the otherfor the residential area above, where restaurants, bars andcinemas could be open and so encourage activity for 24hours of the day.

In contrast to these two projects which create an urbanfabric from scratch,Wusibei Thaibot Plaza in the easternChinese city of Fuzhou, lies on a fault line between thetraditional grain of small-scale alleyways and far largerdevelopments including a series of residential towers.SPARK saw how the new mall, could help to mediate this paradigmatic clashbetween two scales, and demonstrate how a new buildingcan catalyze, contribute to, and even contain elementsof its public realm. Its faceted form conceals its wholevolume from any single point, but its two main facadeshave very different characteristics. One, facing the road,has digital animation which can be taken in at speed,while the other introduces windows and verticalcirculation routes to restaurants and cinemas at high level,so creating engagement between the building and people - and people with each other. This facade and the spacein front of it have a 24-hour life, in contrast to the12-hour day of the mall itself, picking up on the lifeas well as the scale of the traditional urban grain.

04-Territories

Cities, though, are more than collections of buildings,even if those buildings themselves reconstitute typologies.SPARK has undertaken studies that explore howbuildings - however large - relate to their cities. In someways this is a logical extension to ‘breaking the box', as itforms a network of connections between related activitiesacross their area, and so disrupts the banal monotony ofgeneric urban development. SPARK describes this aspectof its work as ‘negotiating new urban territories', and withall explorations into the unfamiliar, this starts with mapsand diagrams to assess the terrain.

One of SPARK's most ambitious and historicallysigni ficant designs for new public realm is for an islandwithin the Yangtze River in Taizhou, a city in China'seastern province of Jiangsu. The ground is swampy andunderdeveloped, though the city authorities are lookingto transform the much larger area of which it is a partinto modern, dense urban fabric. The client sees potentialfor this site to become a modern form of the riversidescenes and life depicted in the Song Dynasty paintingsAlong the River during the Qingming Festival (c1100).In them nature,buildings, water and people all mingleharmoniously, and SPARK in particular draws inspirationfrom one which shows various urban activities takingplace on either side of a great bridge.

By ‘negotiating' what it calls ‘new urban territories',SPARK implies that the urban territories already existor would come into being without any intervention fromthe architect, but require effort to understand and use.These negotiations can be small or large, though theircommon characteristic is to be conceived as interventionswhich are contingent on the particular formation of theterritory. Their conception depends on being receptive tovarious different urban conditions, and having the abilityand knowledge to devise a strategy that works for them.In this sense the sort of micro-urbanism which SPARK first applied at Vision City in Kuala Lumpur, wheredeveloping a system of connective routes between variouslocations broke with the usual hermetically sealed boxes.

改建后的克拉碼頭成為區(qū)域活力的重新集聚地

位于吉隆坡城市中心的升喜廊