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Shenzhen: The Latest Architecture and News

The Curious History and Beauty of Shenzhen's Urban Villages

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The Chinese megacity of Shenzhen bares all the hallmarks of a surging modern metropolis. Busy (and loud) five-lane motorways weave through islands of glittering glass skyscrapers, rising from podiums filled with designer shops, fronting vast squares and plazas, activated by screen-savvy young professionals fueling the city’s booming tech economy. Such a scene is truly remarkable considering that before 1980, Shenzhen was nothing more than a provincial fishing town of 60,000 people. Today, that figure has risen to 13 million.

This poses the question of how the urban environment accommodated such a rapid population explosion in such a short time. The answer lies in the city’s “Urban Villages,” remarkable manifestations of Shenzhen’s past and present, though likely not of its future.

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HEYTEA Shenzhen Fangdacheng Store / UNI DESIGN

HEYTEA Shenzhen Fangdacheng Store / UNI DESIGN - Interior Photography, Interior Design, KitchenHEYTEA Shenzhen Fangdacheng Store / UNI DESIGN - Interior Photography, Interior Design, KitchenHEYTEA Shenzhen Fangdacheng Store / UNI DESIGN - Interior Photography, Interior Design, KitchenHEYTEA Shenzhen Fangdacheng Store / UNI DESIGN - Interior Photography, Interior Design, KitchenHEYTEA Shenzhen Fangdacheng Store / UNI DESIGN - More Images+ 20

  • Architects: UNI DESIGN
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  127
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2019

Chinese University of Hong Kong / Wang Weijen Architecture + Rocco Design Architects Associates + Gravity Partnership

Chinese University of Hong Kong / Wang Weijen Architecture + Rocco Design Architects Associates + Gravity Partnership - Drawings, University, FacadeChinese University of Hong Kong / Wang Weijen Architecture + Rocco Design Architects Associates + Gravity Partnership - Exterior Photography, University, FacadeChinese University of Hong Kong / Wang Weijen Architecture + Rocco Design Architects Associates + Gravity Partnership - Interior Photography, University, StairsChinese University of Hong Kong / Wang Weijen Architecture + Rocco Design Architects Associates + Gravity Partnership - Interior Photography, University, StairsChinese University of Hong Kong / Wang Weijen Architecture + Rocco Design Architects Associates + Gravity Partnership - More Images+ 41

Shenzhen, China

Peak Tea / Onexn Architects

Peak Tea / Onexn Architects - Exterior Photography, Coffee Shop, FacadePeak Tea / Onexn Architects - Exterior Photography, Coffee Shop, GardenPeak Tea / Onexn Architects - Exterior Photography, Coffee ShopPeak Tea / Onexn Architects - Interior Photography, Coffee ShopPeak Tea / Onexn Architects - More Images+ 21

Shenzhen, China

The Urban (Un) Seen “Artificial Intelligence as Future Space” / Bettina Zerza for the Shenzhen Biennale (UABB) 2019

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What happens when the sensor-imbued city acquires the ability to see – almost as if it had eyes? Ahead of the 2019 Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB), titled "Urban Interactions," ArchDaily is working with the curators of the "Eyes of the City" section at the Biennial to stimulate a discussion on how new technologies – and Artificial Intelligence in particular – might impact architecture and urban life. Here you can read the “Eyes of the City” curatorial statement by Carlo Ratti, the Politecnico di Torino and SCUT.

Technologies of the virtual realm present an opportunity to rethink the experience of space, society, and culture. They give us the possibility to engage with the city of the future, shaping the built environment of the 21st century. 

Bonfire Square / MAT Office

Bonfire Square / MAT Office - InstallationBonfire Square / MAT Office - Interior Photography, InstallationBonfire Square / MAT Office - Exterior Photography, Installation, GardenBonfire Square / MAT Office - Exterior Photography, InstallationBonfire Square / MAT Office - More Images+ 29

  • Architects: MAT Office
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  100
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2019
  • Professionals: Handshake 302

Cine Sky Cinema / One Plus Partnership

Cine Sky Cinema / One Plus Partnership - Exterior Photography, Interior DesignCine Sky Cinema / One Plus Partnership - Interior Photography, Interior DesignCine Sky Cinema / One Plus Partnership - Interior Photography, Interior Design, StairsCine Sky Cinema / One Plus Partnership - Interior Photography, Interior DesignCine Sky Cinema / One Plus Partnership - More Images+ 5

  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  4800
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2019

Voisin Organique Restaurant & Lounge / Various Associates

Voisin Organique Restaurant & Lounge  / Various Associates - Interior Design, Door, Facade, Bench, TableVoisin Organique Restaurant & Lounge  / Various Associates - Interior Design, Chair, TableVoisin Organique Restaurant & Lounge  / Various Associates - Interior Design, Chair, TableVoisin Organique Restaurant & Lounge  / Various Associates - Interior Design, Table, ChairVoisin Organique Restaurant & Lounge  / Various Associates - More Images+ 21

  • Interior Designers: Various Associates
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  500
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2019
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Thonet

How Does Architectural Design Change When the City Becomes Equipped with the “Most Recent Advances in Artificial Intelligence”? / Alessandro Armando, Giovanni Durbiano for the Shenzhen Biennale (UABB) 2019

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What happens when the sensor-imbued city acquires the ability to see – almost as if it had eyes? Ahead of the 2019 Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB), titled "Urban Interactions," ArchDaily is working with the curators of the "Eyes of the City" section at the Biennial to stimulate a discussion on how new technologies – and Artificial Intelligence in particular – might impact architecture and urban life. Here you can read the “Eyes of the City” curatorial statement by Carlo Ratti, the Politecnico di Torino and SCUT.

JKP Architects Wins Joint First Prize to Design Office Building in Shenzhen, China

Jaeger Kahlen Partner is one of the joint winners of the international competition for the Bao’An Bay Industrial Investment Tower in Shenzhen, China. With a distinctive design approach, the landmark building will generate modern office spaces and enhance the surrounding urban fabric.

JKP Architects Wins Joint First Prize to Design Office Building in Shenzhen, China  - Image 1 of 4JKP Architects Wins Joint First Prize to Design Office Building in Shenzhen, China  - Image 2 of 4JKP Architects Wins Joint First Prize to Design Office Building in Shenzhen, China  - Image 3 of 4JKP Architects Wins Joint First Prize to Design Office Building in Shenzhen, China  - Image 4 of 4JKP Architects Wins Joint First Prize to Design Office Building in Shenzhen, China  - More Images+ 30

Comprehensive Cultural Service Building / ZHUBO DESIGN

Comprehensive Cultural Service Building / ZHUBO DESIGN - Exterior Photography, Office Buildings, Facade, CityscapeComprehensive Cultural Service Building / ZHUBO DESIGN - Exterior Photography, Office Buildings, FacadeComprehensive Cultural Service Building / ZHUBO DESIGN - Exterior Photography, Office Buildings, FacadeComprehensive Cultural Service Building / ZHUBO DESIGN - Interior Photography, Office Buildings, Stairs, FacadeComprehensive Cultural Service Building / ZHUBO DESIGN - More Images+ 48

The World's Most Visited Architecture Biennale Opens in Shenzhen

The 8th Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (Shenzhen) has officially opened in Shenzhen, China. Hosted at both the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Planning (MOCAUP) and the Futian Railway Station, the event is the most visited architecture biennale in the world, and holds the distinction of being the first major architectural event where all materials for the exhibitions were sourced in the host city of Shenzhen.

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Call for Entries: International Tender for the Architectural Design of the First Projects in Shenzhen Park of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone(Shenzhen- Hong Kong Innovation Integrated Service Center)

Call for Entries: International Tender for the Architectural Design of the First Projects in Shenzhen Park of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone(Shenzhen- Hong Kong Innovation Integrated Service Center) - Featured Image

This announcement is hereby issued for International Tender for the Architectural Design of the First Projects in Shenzhen Park of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone (Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation Integrated Service Center), and excellent design agencies at home and abroad are invited to join. We desire to solicit the most creative design scheme with the international vision and high standards.

Shenzhen Nanshan Foreign Language School / Studio Link-Arc

Shenzhen Nanshan Foreign Language School / Studio Link-Arc - Exterior Photography, Schools , Facade, ChairShenzhen Nanshan Foreign Language School / Studio Link-Arc - Exterior Photography, Schools , FacadeShenzhen Nanshan Foreign Language School / Studio Link-Arc - Exterior Photography, Schools , Facade, CityscapeShenzhen Nanshan Foreign Language School / Studio Link-Arc - Interior Photography, Schools , Stairs, FacadeShenzhen Nanshan Foreign Language School / Studio Link-Arc - More Images+ 46

Shenzhen, China

The New Technologies of Archivization / Albena Yaneva for the Shenzhen Biennale (UABB) 2019

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What happens when the sensor-imbued city acquires the ability to see – almost as if it had eyes? Ahead of the 2019 Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB), titled "Urban Interactions," ArchDaily is working with the curators of the "Eyes of the City" section at the Biennial to stimulate a discussion on how new technologies – and Artificial Intelligence in particular – might impact architecture and urban life. Here you can read the “Eyes of the City” curatorial statement by Carlo Ratti, the Politecnico di Torino and SCUT.

Architectural practice naturally results in an extraordinary accumulation of visuals and archival media that demand sorting, cataloguing, and organizing at a certain moment in time in order to avoid their amorphous accumulation to invade the working order of a firm. Tagging, numbering and classifying the accumulated traces of architectural creativity and data, has become a way of organizing the log of creative options and scenarios developed in practice, a directory of successful examples and of failures, all arranged to be used as a self-referential working catalogue of options that may be mobilized at any moment in time. 

Vanke Community A1-B2 and Bus Station / UV Architecture /Huayi Design

Vanke Community A1-B2 and Bus Station / UV Architecture /Huayi Design - Community Vanke Community A1-B2 and Bus Station / UV Architecture /Huayi Design - Community Vanke Community A1-B2 and Bus Station / UV Architecture /Huayi Design - Community Vanke Community A1-B2 and Bus Station / UV Architecture /Huayi Design - Community Vanke Community A1-B2 and Bus Station / UV Architecture /Huayi Design - More Images+ 33

Huitong Hybrid Tower / JKP Architects

Huitong Hybrid Tower / JKP Architects - Office BuildingsHuitong Hybrid Tower / JKP Architects - Office BuildingsHuitong Hybrid Tower / JKP Architects - Office BuildingsHuitong Hybrid Tower / JKP Architects - Office BuildingsHuitong Hybrid Tower / JKP Architects - More Images+ 26

From the City as a Service to The City as a License / Martijn de Waal and Frank Suurenbroek for the Shenzhen Biennale (UABB) 2019

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What happens when the sensor-imbued city acquires the ability to see – almost as if it had eyes? Ahead of the 2019 Shenzhen Biennale of Urbanism\Architecture (UABB), titled "Urban Interactions," Archdaily is working with the curators of the "Eyes of the City" section at the Biennial to stimulate a discussion on how new technologies – and Artificial Intelligence in particular – might impact architecture and urban life. Here you can read the “Eyes of the City” curatorial statement by Carlo Ratti, the Politecnico di Torino and SCUT.

Cities, as Goethe had already pointed out, should be understood as continuously developing 'forms in motion' (see Batty 2018). In the past, technological developments and our hopeful, as well as our dystopian imaginations of them, have been one of the main sources of kinetic energy to kick-off the shapeshifting processes of urban transformations. Most of the time with unexpected side-effects, evolving center stage in retrospect.