MVRDV will be represented at the 2020 Qianhai Future Urbanism/Architecture Exhibition in Super-Position Cities, an exhibition of six globally-renowned architecture and urbanism firms working in Shenzhen opening on December 18. In this exhibition, MVRDV will present 21 projects, including a selection of previously unseen works. Each of the projects will be included as a model in a map of Shenzhen that expands across the floor, wall, and of the exhibition space. Supported with project videos, images, and descriptions, the collection of 21 projects represents 15 years of engagement and research into the unique and challenging urban conditions of one of the world's fastest-growing cities.
Shenzhen
With their enormous growth and forward-thinking planning, Shenzhen and Qianhai are creating the city of tomorrow. The enormous energy and the openness of the development make Shenzhen and Qianhai a true explorative laboratory of urbanism.
For 15 years we have contributed to this process with a series of projects that can each be seen as an attempt not only to facilitate this growth but also to develop critical urbanistic perspectives with exemplary prototypical approaches. In Shenzhen and Qianhai we experiment and envision the future.
This leads to a wonderful map of explorations that together demonstrate the spirit of an evolutionary city. A place unlike any other, a city that took mere decades to make developments that took others centuries, always moving towards a wonderful new city...
Laboratory of the future
Unlike suburban Silicon Valley, the future of tech is in a dense urban condition that requires specific solutions and innovations, only thinkable in Shenzhen. Our local portfolio has been shaped by what’s next and in this sense represents a strong belief in the future. It communicates a strong ambition and it has a certain science-fiction-like quality. What we learn in Shenzhen and especially in Qianhai we can apply globally; it is an incubator for new ideas and in this sense an urban laboratory of the future.
Qianhai
Qianhai has a special position in Shenzhen. It is located at the far western edge of the city, next to the airport and facing the ocean. It is one of the most exciting landscapes imaginable. This demands an approach with responsibility and dignity. On these grounds, MVRDV has developed a series of contributions that are shown in the Super-Position Cities exhibition. These projects illustrate the explorative spirit of the new metropolis.
Qianhai 2.0
The next step after these experimental projects is a university research project. After the Covid-19 pandemic, MVRDV aims to collaborate with the universities of Shenzhen and Delft to look carefully at the urban plan and the urban condition of Qianhai today and how it grew. We aim to develop observations and evaluations that can be used to develop and deepen the planning of the future: Qianhai 2.0.
Super-Position Cities is on display at the Qianhai Kerry Center in Shenzhen (at the corner of Linhai Avenue and Qianwan Avenue) from December 18, 2020 to February 6, 2021.
Exhibition Design Team: Winy Maas, Jan Knikker, Wenchian Shi, Jammy Zhu, Lorenzo Mattozzi, Luca Beltrame, Jiani You, Chiara Tomassi, Zheli Cai, Carmen Xu, Miruna Dunu, Jessie Sheng, Americo Iannazzone
MVRDV's participation in this exhibition was made possible thanks to support from the Kingdom of the Netherlands.