How old architecture is upcycled to create a better society in Beijing
Tags: Cityscape, Preservation, Design, Sustainability, Architecture

The original article “making a cozy future” is a part of the WORK MILL with Forbes JAPAN Issue 3 — The Age of Post-Innovation ©WORK MILL, published on October 2, 2018

Beijing, the capital of a nation with a history of 3,000 years. Around the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square are narrow alleys called hutong where traditional houses can still be found. The People’s Architecture Ofﬁce (PAO) takes up residence in the hutong spreading to the south of Tiananmen Square. Take one step inside the inconspicuous façade and it’s a whole different world where traditional Beijing styles meet modern architecture.

The building itself is one of PAOʼs symbolic projects called the “Plugin House.” Co-founder James Shen gives an astonishing account of its creation.

“It only took about a week to renovate this ofﬁce. A smaller property could be done in a few hours.” Beijing’s traditional residences, called siheyuan, are built around square courtyards. Siheyuan used to be grand estates for well-to-do families, but amidst the changes of the times following the fall of the Qing Dynasty, disorderly alterations and extensions were carried out.

“Siheyuan are cramped and have no sewer pipes nor toilets. They’re impossible to heat, too. But people love them and devise ways to keep living in them.”

Plugin Houses preserve the region’s culture, history, and community while providing livable and affordable housing. Factory-made panels are brought into the sites, so the interiors can be created in just a short time frame. It only costs half of what it would take to repair a siheyuan, and a ﬁfth of what it would take to build a new one.

They took into account the needs of the residents, the country’s regulations, and the need for something feasible and sustainable. The result is the Plugin House. Shen believes this method can be applied anywhere in the world. “It’s dangerous to continue on with this market-led economy.”

Society-led architecture

In March 2017, PAO became a certiﬁed B Corp company. B Corporation is a private certiﬁcation issued by the NPO B Lab. It’s a new evaluation axis in which companies are assessed by the beneﬁts they provide for the environment, community, and employees, rather than by traditional indicators like sales and market capitalization.

It’s not that members of PAO disregard proﬁts. They just believe that the architecture industry needs to be managed within the context of governmental policies and social issues, and not simply led by the market. Funds are an obvious necessity, but ideas that have a social impact are sustainable, meaning they can have a tremendous impact on the market, too. “I believe we can achieve more with architecture,” says Shen with conﬁdence.

China is growing rapidly, and though the development so far has been rather disorderly, Shen believes it can become more organized from here on out.

“China is advancing at an alarming pace. Design has to keep up with that speed.”

The interior of the office is finished in white and has a spacious design.

People’s Architecture Office

An architecture ﬁrm founded in 2010 by Shen and 2 others. The ﬁrm is home to not just architects but engineers, product designers, and other members.