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Hutopolis by AQSO arquitectos office

A retrospective curated by Giannantonio Bongiorno on the urban condition of Beijing and specifically its Hutongs at the Beijing Design Week.

The scenario of urban transformation that is happening in Asia and China, offers a wide range of challenges to analyze: most of Chinese cities can be described as a field of urban, social and economic contrasts. The continuous process of destruction and construction of the cities often leave several unanswered questions related to quality of life in the new settlements, issues related to preservation, etc. Hutopolis is a research program that aims to investigate new boundaries for the urban development in China. The study intends to re-use and enhance the existing urban framework and networks as a key idea to generate a new evolution of the city. Meaning an utopic city of Hutongs, Hutopolis (h-uto-polis), is a fictive collage of words coming from radically different backgrounds that reflect the cultural openness of the project.

China and Spain based firm AQSO arquitectos office organizes this exhibition curated by Giannantonio Bongiorno, with the support of a wide team of designers, architects, film makers and software developers. This investigation on the urban environment will be presented in the Beijing Design Week as a generative urban game for the people to interact, understand and create an imaginary city map based on the Beijing's Hutongs. The exhibition will be the starting point of this experimental research program that in later stages will also involve universities and students to experiment with the urban condition of Beijing and other Asian cities.

Hutopolis is a research program that aims to investigate new boundaries for the urban development in China. The study intends to re-use and enhance the existing urban framework and networks as a key idea to generate a new evolution of the city. Hutopolis at Beijing Design Week is a retrospective on the urban condition of Beijing and specifically its Hutongs. Imagined as an exploration in three chapters on the urban fabric of the old Beijing, the exhibition wants to establish a relationship with the audience engaging a dialogue. The discourse starts from a general picture of the old city, continues with a scientific breakdown into the four principles and concludes at a virtual re-composition of an ideal image of the city.

A series of boards will raise questions about the facts and they will present figures and info-graphics to illustrate the research.
Two short movies will offer a close approach to the hutongs atmosphere, the way of living and the most personal portrait of the urban and social conditions.
A touch screen application will allow the audience to interact with a hutong map to understand the morphology and functions through an urban game.
By picturing, analyzing, and re-imagining a part of the city, Hutopolis wants to engage preservation and modernization into a dialogue to foster an evolution.

China and Spain based firm AQSO arquitectos office organizes this exhibition curated by Giannantonio Bongiorno, with the support of a wide team of designers, architects, filmmakers and software developers including the Russian firm Media Constructions.

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Hutopolis by AQSO arquitectos office

A retrospective curated by Giannantonio Bongiorno on the urban condition of Beijing and specifically its Hutongs at the Beijing Design Week.

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