J&A 20th Annual “Future City” – Shanghai
In order to commemorate their 20th Anniversary, J&A has started a series of events with the theme “Future City”. Featuring an array of exhibitions and salons, the event aims to open a new discussion on the future of design and help sculpting the future.
‘Future City’ made its first appearance in Shanghai in June. As the Design Director for Architecture in J&A’s Subsidiary JATO, CK Gan was also invited to join the “J&A Future City Design Salon” in Shanghai to share his views on the possible future developments of a city.
The event was held in the Shipyard 1862, a magnificent place full of history and artistry located at the heart of Pudong New Area, juxtaposing with the theme yet enabling more innovation on the idea of a ‘Future City’.
Guests as well as members of J&A shared experiences and aspirations for the future, including exciting technologies, green ideas, and the efforts made to create a balance in ecological and environmental integrations. Bringing together past experiences and ideas, the exchanging and reciprocating sparked new ideas for the ‘Future City’.
Highlight of Speakers
Davy Liu
Deputy General Manager – GM of Commerce Division
Future City, Integration is the Key
As a service provider in Urban Construction, J&A has kept up with the fast-paced trends and maintained the upper hand by connecting factions between businesses and cultural sectors, assimilating their benefits and bringing more value to the projects at hand.
CK Gan
Design Director – Architecture
Game Changer – Shaping a Future City
Looking through the lens of an architect from a perspective of environmental change, it is important to reinforce the relationship between the building design and its environment. By giving back to the society and utilising parameterised softwares, it is possible to sculpt a new path for our future cities, with modularisation being the real game changer.
Jerry Ho
Design Director – Mixed Use Retail
Design to Empower, Shape a Better Life
The world is changing, and so is the way people spend. Future commercial spaces will have to shift to a more experience-driven direction with current spending trends. Technology, Arts, and Culture will become key factors to push forward a change in the field of Commercial Businesses. Caring for the people is the key to creating a good environment, and J&A wholeheartedly devotes time and effort to uphold these values.
Cong Zhao
Design Director – Office Development
The Design Bloodline
Inspired by the design of leading business news provider Bloomberg’s headquarters, the term ‘bloodline’ is used to describe finding inspiration from Science, Culture, and the Environment. The bloodline flows within each design, existing and reverberating within each corner. J&A has already taken the initiative to create its own bloodline by helping property owners find free solutions for utilising the indoors.
Joe Wang
Design Director
The Spending Trend in China and why it Matters
With new trends like ‘New Retail’ and ‘Consumption Upgrade’, the millennial are hardly satisfied by the monotonous shopping experience. Creating spaces where diversity and creativity exist might be the key to sculpting malls in the future, especially with concepts such as ‘Small Businesses’ and ‘Healing Economy’ on the rise.
Derrick Chow
Assistant General Manager – GM of Healthcare & Senior Living
Health Care and the Environment
Every industry must take heed to the sustainable ecological relationship that it maintains, that also applied to Health Care. By putting ourselves into the shoes of those we care about, we can utilise design to create an environment where loving and caring for the community is valued. Design is more than a showcase of creativity, it is a way to show love, care and perseverance.