In the laboratory of urbanism that is today's Chinese city, an architectural hiatus appears between the coarse-grained urban vision of centralized planning and the tangible reality of development. In this chaotic and unattended gap, there is opportunity for new programmatic speculations and architectural tactics. The 2008 Shanghai Studio explored this context and developed specific urban and architectural speculations operating within found conditions. Ten (10) teams of RPI and Tongji students worked in ten (10) different districts on the outskirts of Shanghai. Current and historical synergies were taken into account to establish and/or complete connections between existing urban elements, looking to stitch/repair/correct the urban, ecological, and social fabric.

Selected Projects:

1. Old Town Cultural Center (Zhuanghang, Fengxian District)
   Team: Elise Dechard (RPI), Danielle Kane (RPI) and Cheng Zhibin (TJ)
   
   
2. The Time During Redevelopment (Hangtou, Nanhui District)
   Team: Erica Anderson (RPI), Yang Shu (TJ) and Victor Barbalato (RPI)
   
   
3. A Vertical City (Minhang District)
   Team: Angela Pasquale (RPI) , Zhu Bei (TJ) and Aaron Smith (RPI)