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Since Beijing won the bid for the Olympic Games in 2001, the Qianmen area has come to the attention of urban planners and has undergone several interventions. At the end of 2014, architects and experts were invited to a panel discussion of “Qianmen West’s Plan - Future Imaginations for Old City Renewal” which resulted into initiation of a redevelopment plan located in Qianmen West’s Caochang Santiao. As opposed to the previous redevelopment, the Caochang project sought to keep the area’s historical texture while focusing on improving the local residents living environment.
Caochang Courtyard Houses Renovation
The architecture and design studio Crossboundaries (Beijing) was invited for the renovation of two of the courtyards at Caochang Hutong. A few key principles are applied to achieve a basic upgrade: increase the interior area, optimize interior spatial arrangements, update kitchen and bathroom and building envelope. All this was done whilst being sensitive to the existing building. Join Hao Dong, partner of Crossboundaries and Cynthia Cui, architect of Crossboundaries, who worked on the Caochang Hutong renovation, to learn about Hutong preservation with a contemporary thinking.
Caochang Courtyard Houses Renovation
About Speaker
Cynthia Cui
Cynthia Cui studied Architecture at State University of New York at Buffalo, United States. She has been working at Crossboundaries Beijing since 2014. Completed projects include: Familybox Qingdao, Teabank Shenzhen, Caochang Hutong courtyard renovation, Qimoo Children’s Apparel.
Hao Dong
Hao Dong holds a Bachelor degree in Architecture from the Beijing Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture, and a Masters degree in Architecture from Pratt Institute, New York, USA. In 2002, he returned to China and started practicing and teaching after living and studying in the United States for almost 5 years. Besides working in one of the biggest state-owned design enterprises, Beijing Institute of Architectural Design (BIAD) since 2003, Hao Dong co-founded the practice of Crossboundaries, based in Beijing. He is regularly teaching at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) and recently also at Tsinghua University, Hao Dong is managing director of the office in Beijing.