Forming bond with China through architectural design

Shanghai Tower, the tallest building in China, and the third tallest in the world, stands in the heart of Lujiazui Financial Zone, in Shanghai's Pudong New Area. The majestic, 632-meter high-rise boasts 127 floors above ground, and five floors below ground.

Marshall Strabala, chief architect of Shanghai Tower, has an office on the building's 56th floor. Strabala is founding partner and chief architect at the studio Strabala+. During an interview with People's Daily, Strabala reportedly said, as a participant in China's architectural-design industry, he has witnessed the great changes in the development of the country's architectural industry, which to some extent have reflected the social progress taking place in China.

"Since 1993, I have been doing projects in Asia. For example, in 1996, we completed the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (HKCEC); in 1998, the LG Kangnam Building, in Seoul; and, in 1999, a stadium completion, in Tianjin." Strabala says, his business trips to Asia began to last longer and longer. Around 2009, he decided to work and live in Shanghai full time, after his team's architectural design of Shanghai Tower was approved (in 2008).

Strabala visited Shanghai for the first time in 1999, and he was impressed by the "size" of the city. "I landed at Hongqiao Airport (currently Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport), and was on my way to attend a meeting in Jinmao Tower, in Lujiazui. I was in Beijing before the trip to Shanghai, which was a last-minute decision. I flew to Shanghai, but did not have a written document about Jinmao Tower. I got in a cab … and said in my best putonghua (Mandarin) 'jin mao.' The driver failed to get me until I drew a picture of the building (because it was designed by the company I used to work for in Chicago). Back then, we did not have personal cell phones or international set-ups for communication." Strabala says, to that time, Shanghai was the biggest city he had ever been to, with "sky scrapers everywhere!"

Having observed the development of Shanghai over more than two decades, Strabala can talk confidently about the changes in urban construction, and from an architect's perspective. "My early impression of Shanghai's urban design was based on comparisons with other cities, like New York and Chicago. I once thought the planning in Shanghai was odd. Each new building had plenty of space around it. I saw Shanghai as a collection of stand-alone towers, not a connected city. However, now I have a much better understanding and appreciation of the urban planning here.

"Every new project in China generally has 20-40 percent of green space for plants and trees. This has made the city seem much more suburban, and also much more ecologically friendly. Prior to spending more time in Shanghai, I had thought all cities needed to be urban, like concrete jungles. But Shanghai was already a very green city back in the early 21st century. There were a lot of large and small parks, with treelined streets," Strabala says.

Now, he prefers the urban design of Shanghai compared with that of New York and some other, older cities. What's more, he has come to think of Shanghai as his "second home." Strabala has helped improve the look and city image of Shanghai. "All of the buildings have improved, in both quality and design. Best of all, the sky today is blue and beautiful," he adds.

Strabala likes Shanghai for the city's "walkability," or "how much of one's daily needs can be met within a 15-minute walk from where he/she lives." Shanghai is made up of self-sufficient neighborhoods, which he enjoys walking around. The image of a city, he believes, is based on a collection of buildings, with unique and memorable traits. The buildings around the Bund and the People's Park represent the image of Shanghai, but in the past; today, a typical postcard of Shanghai depicts the image of Huangpu River, with Lujiazui in the background (reflecting the huge leap in economic development since China's reform and opening up).

Strabala has visited other regions of China. He and his team have done projects in Dalian (in northeast China's Liaoning Province), Shenzhen and Sanya (in south China's Guangdong and Hainan provinces). In each city, he has noticed a strong motivation to boost the region's development. For example, he noticed, during an inspection tour of a project site at the Changbai Mountain Scenic Area, in northeast China's Jilin Province, there was no well-paved road to the construction site. That was a few years ago. When Strabala revisited the site, two years later, he was pleased to see the transportation infrastructure, including a network of roads, had been built.

Strabala has been excited as he has witnessed rapid development throughout China, not just in large cities, such as Shanghai. "We always love to see new cities, and to do projects in those cities. We are working on a project in a small city, Pingguo, in the southwest of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in south China. It will be a new center constructed with recycled aluminum. We practice something called 'contemporary culturalism,' by which we try to incorporate the local culture into our modern architectural design," Strabala explains.

He believes, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the country will continue fostering development, and Chinese people's lives will continually improve.

Photos from Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly December 2023 issue)