Futuristic preservation plan for Beijing's hutongs

摘要

Is there a way to stop the massive erosion of the delicate urban tissue of old Beijing? MAD Office, a young Chinese firm of architects founded by Ma Yansong in 2004, takes another look at what life may look like in the future city of Beijing. Their visionary 'Beijing 2050', proposes futuristic visions for a densely populated capital in the year 2050. The plan - presented at the Venice Architectural Bien-nale 2006 - consists of three different scenarios: a green public park in Tiananmen Square, a series of floating islands above the city's central business district and shiny metallic bubbles scattered over traditional low-rise housing areas.