From Via Emilia to the banks of the River Hai He: the project for the revitalisation of the former French concession areas in Tianjin (abstract) — Rivista IBC - Istituto per i beni culturali della Regione Emilia-Romagna

Rivista "IBC" XIII, 2005, 3

Dossier: Destinazione Cina - Proposte italiane per la riqualificazione urbana

territorio e beni architettonici-ambientali, dossier /

From Via Emilia to the banks of the River Hai He: the project for the revitalisation of the former French concession areas in Tianjin (abstract)

Pippo Ciorra
[professor of Architectural composition at the University of Camerino]
Michele Zanelli
[in charge of the Re-qualification service of the Emilia-Romagna Region]

The "Urban Revitalisation in the Former European Concession Areas in Tianjin" project ("Asia Urbs Chn5-06") aims at arranging a re-qualification programme by comparing the Italian and Chinese experiences in the field of town planning, including the social and economic development and environmental sustainability aspects. The aim is to identify a method that can be applied in similar contexts throughout China's territory.

Together with the buildings of historical and architectural interest which had already been selected by the Urban Planning and Design Institute of Tianjin, and which are subject to specific constraints, other buildings deserving protection in the former French concession area were classified. Thirty-nine were listed, with indications on the extent of conservation, surfaces, date of building, current intended use. The revitalization project is based upon some pivotal points:

1) The strategic position

The area lies in the 'centre of gravity' of the city's financial district and main trade and communication routes (such as the Tianjin-Beijing railway). But what actually characterizes the district is the River Hai He, on whose right bank are situated six of the eleven blocks selected. The river is crossed by two bridges: the French metal bridge, beyond which there is the old railway station, and one that was recently built and shall integrate a new underground public transport line. As these bridges identify the two main branches of the road network, their strategic position allows for the localization in the project area of managerial functions connected with import/export activities and with the shipping companies operating along the European route.

2) The town lay-out in the area

First of all, the area shall be revitalized by creating the public space it is currently lacking. It should extend over about 4 hectares and include some historic buildings already destined for leisure activities. In addition to that, some buildings may well be erected which, although not too tall, could somewhat counteract the prevailing image of skyscrapers. Opposite this "void" two commercial fronts will be developed, so that the front/public space system will become a sort of complex urban structure with a mixed trade/service function. Secondly, by favouring the settlement of managerial and commercial functions, the existing social fabric consisting of low- to middle-class residents and of their family-owned trading and artisanal activities ought to be safeguarded, at least partially.

3) The method adopted

The masterplan is intended to identify a methodological approach for the urban revitalization project in the area, according to the guidelines based on Emilia-Romagna's experience in urban re-qualification. The method ideally integrates the techniques for recovery and conservative restoration with those for urban restructuring. The basic assumption is the protection of the whole fabric, rather than of individual buildings. What is to be preserved and revitalized is the very historical value of the colonial city as a whole, starting from the road network and chessboard of blocks, trying to reconstruct a homogeneous profile in the volumes of the buildings overlooking the streets.

[Michele Zanelli]

To actually thoroughly test the method identified for the entire district, a project was conceived for two sample blocks. The external parts of the wider blocks are reconstructed according to the space previously occupied, never taller than the preserved buildings and entirely destined for trading activities and offices. On the contrary, the inner parts contain the residential areas, to be considered as suspended hutongs that transversally cut the block overlooking the outer streets in many different ways. The "architectural quality" of the project lies in the clarity of the setting, as well as in the many possible spatial variations and richness allowed for by the pattern.

There are two guidelines to be followed. First of all, the district's present building texture should be preserved, without contrasting the height and footprint of the current urban layout. Secondly, reference should be made to the dense fluidity of the paths and of the traditional residential fabric, where space becomes progressively more intense and congested, changes scale, introduces new relations without, however, breaking the continuity of the walking and cycle tracks, with which each and every house has a direct and immediate relation.

The difference between the public and commercial perimeter of the block and its 'centre' is mirrored in the architectural character and in the materials used. These shall be 'modern', transparent, metallic in the commercial areas, and more domestic and traditional in the residential portions. The paths and vertical communication elements are attached particular importance and are always placed so as to separate and connect the different functional spaces. Stairs, ramps and landings become a second structure of the project, revealing its functioning and optimizing its use.

[Pippo Ciorra]

Piero Orlandi - Tianjin, il porto, 2004