User:Neville

Neville Mars 何新城

PERSONAL

Bob Neville Pieter, MARS
Chinese name: 何新城
Rotterdam, 1975
Current address: Beijing, China
MArc 2001, Delft University of Technology.
Registered Architect Rotterdam: 1.030415.038

Biography Neville Mars 2010

Neville Mars is the chief architect of MARS-1 Space Design, a Beijing based office engaged with sustainable design on all scales, from green furniture to buildings, to cities and founder of the Dynamic City Foundation (动态城市基金会) an international research platform that maps the impact of hyper-speed urbanization in China. MARS approaches urban growth as essentially organic. From this perspective he described the new urban typologies and social realities that have emerged in China's vibrant urban laboratory. The research has been published as The Chinese Dream - a society under construction (010 Publishers, Mars and Hornsby, Rotterdam 2008).

Recent projects
Neville Mars and the DCF has been invited by the Caofeidian and Dutch Government to organize a multidisciplinary research project to be presented at the Shanghai World Expo 2010. The BARC project works with 5 Dutch and 5 Chinese renowned design firms to produce an integrated sustainable vision for this ambitious city in Hebei, based on an evolutionary principles called Caofeidian Genetic City.

何新城（Neville Mars）， MARS-1空间设计事务所主持建筑师，该事务所致力于从生态城市，到生态建筑，乃至绿色家具等等各种尺度下的可持续设计；另一方面，作为国际性研究平台“动态城市基金会（Dynamic City Foundation）”的创始人，针对中国高速城市化议题进行相关研究。MARS事务所着眼于城市本质上的有机生长。从这个观念出发，为中国这片活跃的都市试验场，描绘新的都市形态和社会形态。这一系列的研究都已集结出版为 《中国梦——一个建设中的社会》 一书。

近期项目
何新城以及动态城市基金会受中方曹妃甸政府及荷兰政府邀请，组织一个多学科合作研究项目，该项目也在2010年上海世博会展出。这个名为BARC的项目包括5个荷兰设计公司和5个中国公司，共同接力合作，为河北省曹妃甸新城完成一个可持续的长期规划。

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A preview of Mars' work is now available in Phaidon 10x10/3 in which ten curators select ten architects. Order a copy.

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The Dynamic City Foundation (DCF) 动态城市基金会

Specializing in design research of green solutions for fast changing urban environments, the Dynamic City Foundation manifests its findings in a range of media form publications to buildings to large artistic interventions. It dismantles long-term observations, spatial concepts, urban theory, and ideas along all lines to create tangible works of art. DCF is uniquely future-focused, and scientific about its imaginings at a time when closed-circuit televisions patrol streets, where deterritorialized space extends beyond nationhood, and in which urban sprawl spills beyond borders, requiring cultural, physical, and virtual space to be woven together densely as a synthetic mesh. Regarding Chinese cities not only as enormous, chaotic organisms, but as laboratories for global forces, DCF provides refreshing insights in an era of dangerous flash urbanization, in which there is no time to imagine a long-term future.

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CV Cynical

Architects have the sad but wonderful predicament of always being stuck in the middle. Stuck between client and contractor, between power and desire, between the mega and the minute. This makes their scope of view particularly broad and their attitude unsurprisingly narcissistic. They nurture an anal obsession for the perfect technical detail, employ this detail with bold arrogance to envisage a mega block structure, then passionately sell it as a utopian solution to heal the city, or even the world at large. Neville Mars is an architect.

建筑师总是困于两者间，这既悲哀又美妙。困于客户与承包商之间，困于权力与欲望之间，困于庞大于渺小之间。这让他们视野开阔又相当自恋。他们走火入魔般地追求技术细节之完美，并无畏地将此贯彻于超大型建筑结构，之后还满怀热情地推销治疗城市乃至世界的乌托邦式的的解决方案。何新城是一名建筑师。

DUTCH

Neville Mars 2008

De laatste tien jaar werk van Neville Mars kenmerken zich door een uitgesproken stedelijk visie gepresenteerd in een scala aan verschillende media. De projecten lopen uiteen van architectuur, stedenbouw, documentaires, tot interactieve en video installaties en stedebouwkundig onderzoek. Zijn werk is veelvuldig gepubliceerd, gepresenteerd in lezingen aan verschillende universiteiten en tentoongesteld op internationale festivals. Vanaf het begin van zijn carrière bij OMA - Rem Koolhaas tot vandaag als directeur van de Stichting de Dynamische Stad (DCF - Dynamic City Foundation) in Beijing is een diepgewortelde passie voor de metropool en de stedelijke dynamiek de rode draad die de projecten verbindt.

In 2003 is Neville een grootschalige studie begonnen naar de werking van hyper snelle verstedelijking in China. Dit project onderzoekt hoe binnen de context van een zeer agressieve marktwerking China’s verstedelijking zich kan toespitsen op een duurzame toekomst. In een multidisciplinair team zijn analyses gemaakt die deze realiteit beschrijven. Daarna zijn architectonische en stedebouwkundige ontwerpmodellen ontwikkelt die hierop inspelen. In april 2008 zal uitgeverij 010 onder de titel “The Chinese Dream - a society under construction” het werk publiceren. Maar ook nu zijn de complete projecten te vinden op het platform van de DCF ( http://BURB.tv )

Momenteel is Neville toegewijd aan de realisatie van duurzame projecten in China en zal tot 2009 touren door Europa en Amerika ter promotie van de publicatie.

Achtergrond DCF

De DCF is een architectenbureau met vestigingen in Rotterdam en Peking. Het kantoor staat onder leiding van de Nederlandse architect Neville Mars (TU Delft) en staat bekend om een bijzonder multi-disciplinaire benadering. Het werk van de DCF is hierdoor zeer breed en doorkruist de schaalniveaus van stedebouwkundige plannen tot productontwikkeling. De door de DCF ontwikkelde aanpak is sterk onderzoeksgedreven, met een bijzondere aandacht voor gebruikersonderzoek en efficiëntievraagstukken op het gebied van stedelijke programmering en openbaar vervoer en wegverkeer. Het onderzoek is breed gepubliceerd en wordt met hoge regelmaat gepresenteerd in lezingen aan universiteiten over de hele wereld. Interieurs, woningen, meubels en stedebouwkundige plannen zijn gerealiseerd in drie continenten.

Met name de laatste vijf jaar heeft de DCF zich gespecialiseerd in duurzame oplossingen. Hierbij zijn theoretische inzichten en technisch onderzoek op een waardevolle manier samengekomen om de basis te vormen van een aanpak die tot op fundamenteel niveau de duurzaamheidsproblematiek benadert. Meer dan simpelweg toepassen van enkele duurzame of energiezuinige technieken richten we ons op het ontwerpen we geïntegreerde systemen die de gebruiker aanmoedigt en helpt ecologisch verantwoord te handelen.

Binnen dit kader is gekozen op verschillende schaalniveau een duurzaam project te selecteren, dat gerealiseerd, dan wel momenteel in aanbouw is.

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EMPLOYMENT - OVERVIEW

02/’08 – Present Chief Architect and Planner Crystal CG Beijing, China

08/’04 – Present Founder, Architect Dynamic City Foundation Beijing, China

• For Crystal and DCF see detailed project list below

03/’03 – 06/’03 Project manager O.M.A - Rem Koolhaas Rotterdam, NL
• Rotterdam Central Station

06/’02 – 08/’03 Architect SPACEbrand Amsterdam, NL
• Architect, interior designer
• Director documentary: Moving Manhattan

06/’02 – 06/’03 Creative consultant The Mind, Brand Consultancy New York, NY
• Philips, Dewars, Coca Cola Company, Siemens, a.o.

04/’01 – 06/’02 Architect, planner, researcher O.M.A - Rem Koolhaas Rotterdam, NL
• Project designer Guggenheim Las Vegas
• Projects include; MAB, Schiphol Island, a.o.

07/’99 – 04/’00 Junior Architect BO2 Architects Einhoven, NL
• World Mall, Dortmund

07/96 – 04/96 Internship sustainable design William McDonough Virginia, USA
• NIKE HQ Europe, Eindhoven NL

Dynamic City Foundation - Projects and buildings

2010 Project BARC, Dutch Culture Center, Shanghai Expo

2010 "10 000 Flowers" video installation, Shenzhen Biennale 2010,
Curator: Ou Ning

2009 Publication “BURB Magazine - an urban lifestyle magazine from the future”
Urban China Publishers, Shanghai - to be published March 2009

2008 Publication "The Chinese Dream - a society under construction"
010 Publishers, Rotterdam - June 2008

2008 "Neon Dreams" dynamic light installation, Shenzhen Biennale 2008,
Curator: Ma Qinyun

2008 "Zhongguo Jie / The Chinese Knot" mixed media installation, Shenzhen Biennale 2008,
Curator: Ma Qinyun

2008 "Eight Steps towards the Chinese Dream", installation, Ljubljana Architecture Festival

2007 "Beijing Real_time" Interactive Beijing for the festival D.E.A.F. 2007, Rotterdam. Curator Alex Adriaansen - V2

2006 "Freeze (H20)" multimedia installation for Code Blue, Millennium Monument,
Curator: Zhang Ga

2006 BBT, Model and video triptych, Guangdong Museum of Art, Guangzhou Triennial,
Curator Hou Hanru

2005 BOLONI Hotel and Flagship Store, Gao Bei Dian, Beijing. Design and research.

2005 "Beijing Boom Tower" mixed-media installation, Beijing 798,
DIAF International Art Festival, Curator Berenice Angremy

2004 L-building, Suburban Sustainable Housing for China. Assignment.

2003 Founded Dynamic City Foundation
Launched multi-disciplinary research and design project "The Chinese Dream"

With Crystal CG 2008 - Interiors and Buildings

2008 Shanghai Expo 2010, Train Pavilion, interior and content, Winning bid

2008 Tianjin Green CBD. Fully sustainable pedestrian orientated district. Bid.

2008 Tanggu TV Tower 1 and 2. Tianjin. Proposal

2008 Tanggu Exhibition Hall, Pavilion, interior, visualization technology and content. Assignment.

2008 Zero Emmission Office Tower. Tianjin. Assignment.

2008 Wangjing Mall, Architecture and development facade system, Beijing, assignment.

2008 Xiao Yue He, sustainable university district, Tsinghua, Beijing. Assignment.
With Beijing Institute of Architecture and Design.

2008 Taipei Performing Arts Center, Taiwan. Competition.

2008 Shanghai Expo 2010, Henan Pavilion. Bid (to be decided).

2008 Bouwkunde Exchange. Architectural University Delft, NL. Competition (to be decided).

2008 Shanghai Expo 2010, Shanxi Pavilion. Bid (to be decided).

2008 Shanghai Expo 2010, Solar Forest. Energy generating parking solution. Proposal.

2008 Shanghai Expo 2010, Tianjin Living Diagram Building. Proposal.

INDEPENDENT WORK AND AWARDS

2009 URBAN CHINA #35: “How to be holistic?”, Guest edited by Neville Mars, Beijing.

2008 Villa, Private gallery and Art Studio for Huang Rui, Cao Chang Di, Beijing. Completed.

2008 Phaidon 10 x 10, Young Architects. Phaidon Press, London, UK.

2008 Critics’ Choice - Shenzhen Architectural Biennial 2008, for “Neon Dreams”.

2008 Mercedes Benz Smart Car, Concept visualization for Trendbuero Beijing. Commission.

2004 Launch http://BURB.tv - the worlds first online open-source platform for Chinese cities

2003 Founded Dynamic City Foundation

2003 Winning bid: Philips Corporate repositioning - creative strategist, The Mind, NY

2002 Tandem Publication, “The Retail Bubble - design solutions for commercial densification”
and “The Cunning City - a vision of entirely market-driven urban landscape”.

2002 IFCHP Documentary film award; for Moving Manhattan

2002 "Moving Manhattan" - Documentary on the workings of New York.
Premiered Amsterdam film festival August 2002

2000-2001 Villa van Doesburg - Artist in residence Paris

RECENT LECTURES, TEACHING, WORKSHOPS - INVITED

Among Others:

2009 Summit Sustainable Transportation, Lecture: Mass-transportation Unraveled.
The Art Center, Los Angeles

2009 SCI-ARC. Lecture: A practice in China - between potential and reality. Los Angeles.

2008 Harvard School of Design, Lecture: Mediating Urbanism. Boston.

2008 Victoria & Albert Museum, China Design Now, Keynote. London.

2008 Columbia Uni. Lecture: The Chinese Dream - a society under construction. New York.

2008 AA School. Lecture and roundtable: Cities from Zero, London.

2008 RIBA. Lecture: How to be Holistic?, London.

2008 D-LAB. Sustainability beyond LEED. Shijitan / Millennium Museum. Beijing.

2008 Tongji University. Lecture: The D-rail - urban integrated transportation. Shanghai.

2008 Berlage Institute. Lecture: Architecture and the Chinese conundrum. Rotterdam.

2008 V2 Institute for Unstable Media, Book Launch: The Chinese Dream. Rotterdam.

2008 Sustainable Design Summit: Keynote - China between Dream and Doom. Sydney.

2008 Uni. of California. Keynote: MUD _ Market-driven Unintentional Development. Tampa.

2008 Architecture Festival Ljubljana. Keynote: The Chinese Dream. Ljubljana.

2008 University of Sao Paolo. Lecture: MUD in China, Sao Paolo.

2007 AA School. Lecture: Reinventing Urbanism, London.

2007 Edinburgh University. Keynote: Dynamic Density - case Beijing. Edinburgh.

2007 Tsinghua. Design Class Zhou Rong: From stereotype to Prototype. Beijing.

LECTURES, WORKSHOPS, COMPETITIONS - (CO-)ORGANIZED BY DCF

2009 Summit Urban Expansion, MIT / China Planning Network, June 15-19, Beijing.

2009 Symposium Mega-block, Columbia School of Architecture, DCF, Beijing.
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2008 DCF co-hosts the China Now international summit on urban planning, RIBA London.

2007 Jury, Beijing 2020 Planning Design Competition.

2007 Co-organizes International Forum "Soldier at The Gates" with Huang Rui at 798.
Tittle: Beijing and Beyond - Expansion and exclusion

2006 Organized Beijing Gao Bei Dian Flexible Building Design Competition, BOLONI.

2003 Teaching: Course Architecture and Brandalism, AA School, London, UK

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Theory and practice MARS-1

When considering my work of the last eight years I can trace two clear notions that have driven me in my projects and collaborations. The first notion is that architecture has a vigorous and dynamic relationship with the urban context it produces and with the society it aims to serve. This idea has defined the focus of my research projects for which n 2003 I have established the Dynamic City Foundation (DCF).

Exploring the interactions between man-made space and society has put me on a very diverse, but distinct course of development. Most notably it has made research the bases of all my design projects. Initially this research was focused on themes such as public space, hyper-density and mixed-use environments. These research projects often formed the bases of utopian plans and models (such as BBT, Freeze and the D-rail) aimed to trigger debate on different urban issues. In turn, designing these projects and building them as large cross-media art installations has become an integral part of the research process itself, blurring the lines between design, research, technology, art and architecture.

More recently focus shifted to include themes such as increased commercialization of the building process, the explosion of architecture’s scale and speed, and the expansion of virtual and artificial environments. In 2004 I formulated a three year research project called Urban China 2020, that set out to map China’s ambition to build 400 new cities by 2020. The scale and complexity of this project incorporated most of the themes of my previous research - most notably the near utopian relationship between urbanization and Chinese society - and allowed me frame them as practical design challenges.

A key objective was to address the problems occurring on different scales in an integrated fashion. To do this I formulated an in-depth urban analysis on five different scales; individual, block, city, region and national. In a multi-disciplinary team these projects were tied to diverse issues of culture, politics, nature and resources management. Following an approach of (typically Dutch) design-research, I set out to respond to each analysis with a concrete proposal, in the form of regional strategies, design of infrastructural systems, new public spaces, and flexible housing typologies. The challenge was that each design had to correlate with the other proposals on the different scales. The project was published titled “The Chinese Dream - a society under construction” (Rotterdam, 010 Publishers).

Working on the Urban China 2020 project introduced a important new line of research: organic growth. Within the pressured market of China it was possible to study the evolution of urbanizing regions almost in real time - as if working in accelerated laboratory conditions. Mapping this process revealed the organic nature at the heart of all urbanization. Ironically China believes it can, through sheer scale, control the design of its entire urban landscape. However, mapping such hectic growth offers proof that even cities built entirely from scratch and almost over night, are at the mercy of the same organic forces and continuous change we find in old and slowly evolving cities around the world. Seemingly in control, the new mega-compounds are micro-planned, while seen from afar China’s countless new real estate projects grow together into vast morphing and unpredictable urban patterns. In the book I’ve coined this process Market-driven Unintentional Development, or MUD.

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While building vast sprawling cities, interestingly China is also investing heavily in building green cities. This contradiction reveals some of today’s misconceptions about sustainability, particularly in planning. The new zero carbon cities being built in China and around the globe, are first the products of engineers. Apart from the use of new green technologies they remain generic urban plans. They are carbon neutral only within the confines of computer models. They fail to perform within the context of local cultures and societies and as a result they are all struggling to be realized.

After designing a number of green commercial projects, from CBDs, to sustainable neighborhoods and business parks, I’ve tried to conceive what urban sustainability should really encompass. This definition has become the second underlying notion in my work; that all design should adhere to the logic of organic systems. From the expansion of urban regions and cities, to infrastructural networks and natural landscapes, they all inherently will follow the same organic tendencies. And also on the scale of architecture I’m developing ways to implement this logic, by replacing industrial hardware and materials in buildings with natural resources, and organic materials. This is an entirely comprehensive approach to sustainability that aims to push the boundaries of how we can address environmental issues through design.