China work buoys SF architecture firms
China work buoys SF architecture firms
When the U.S. construction projects were at their full capacity three years ago, nobody would expect that the San Francisco-based company Heller Manus Architects' constructing project 400-foot office tower in Shanghai helped architects from the Bay Area to survive the current economic crisis. Back in that time the project was a winning competition but right now there are many other companies from the Bay Area who work on another projects in Asia. It turned out that while the Bay Area has been experiencing shortage of residential construction projects, China has been experiencing the need of building housing in its country. Therefore, at the most highest unemployment rate among architects in the Bay Area for the last 20 years, companies are receiving offers to build construction projects in Asia particularly in China.
For instance, in addition to the office tower, Heller-Manus which does 40 to 50 percent of work in China is developing a master plan for a new downtown in Guangzhou, China as well as working on other projects including a 500,000-square -foot retail mall and a waterfront with TMG Partners, San Francisco-based developer.
Skidmore Owings Merrill (SOM) has designed the new US embassy, Beijing Finance Street, and New Beijing Poly Plaza.
San Francisco-based Gensler has started building a 2,000-foot Shanghai tower, the second-tallest tower in the world when complete. The company also competes for building a tower in Korea. The total number of employees that work overseas is accounted for 20 to 30 architects.
Studio Architecture San Francisco is designing a Shanghai Theater and a 300,000-square-foot construction that includes housing, office and a production building where more than 10 percent architects from San Francisco work in China.
Steinberg Architects that opened its office in China in January this year are designing a 4,800 units housing in Cheng Du. There is already 25 to 35 percent of the company work there.
According to Daniel Winey, managing principal of Gensler, the Bay Area architecture companies are the best in the world compared to the European and Australian companies that has very aggressive approach in China.
SF Business Times-7/24/2009