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Hutong Mall

A studio project at the Harvard GSD with studio advisor Zhang Ke of ZAO/standardarchitecture . Beijing's Hutong areas, historical housing districts with narrow alleys and lanes noted for their brick, timber, and tile Siheyuan houses dating to the Yuan Dynasty (ca. 1271). Currently residents are being pressured to leave by the Chinese government and market forces eager to purchase the valuable land for renovation. The Hutongs have up till now developed in a typical fashion and have fed the growth of large-scale retailers and gentrification throughout central Beijing as the neighborhoods are bought by larger developers and parceled into retail corridors serving primarily tourists and upper-middle-class locals. This project, while, not directly critical of the gentrifying forces occurring in Beijing, offers an alternative model for growth. As Beijing approaches peak shopping mall, and many new retail developments stand empty and unused, the Hutong mall, modeled after New York's East Village, represents a new way for residents to remain in their communities and for new business owners to enter the market. A completely open ground floor opens the street to the public and allows visitors and shoppers to visit retail and commercial shops that serve local goods to residents. Atop the commercial streets and courtyards are a series of housing units providing modern housing for local residents.