...non periodic oscillations...

When does nature become relevant in the design of spaces? Should architecture and urban design treat sustainable design as an integral component of human existence or a checklist of items to be ticked off to get a certificate? Does sustainable design really add value to architectural and urban design or is it just another impediment in the path of revenue generation? How and when did "sustainable" and "design" become separate entities? Should they be distinct and isolated? Should one come before the other? #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #architecture #design #publicspace #outdoors #urbandesign #sustainability #sustainable #nature #checklist #revenue #profit

Signage is one of the most ignored component of architectural and urban design. I think even the poor urinal partition beats it in terms of attention and resource allocation. Signage is intrinsic to wayfinding. It is like the warmth of a lover - one only realises how important it is when it goes missing. It feels great to see a city giving signage the importance it deserves, whether they are at an architectural or urban scale. Dual language signage is present almost everywhere although there is room for improvement. Strangely though, the printed network maps available in the stations are only in Chinese. The Metro network and station maps are very informative and quite well done too. The Indian design industry really needs to push this agenda with clients and make signage a standard package instead of an afterthought. #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #architecture #design #publics...

Sunday is meant for rest and relaxation, even if my friend AG doesn't agree with this fact. After years of only thinking about it in Delhi, we finally went out for a proper Sunday picnic in the park, with food and picnic-y things. The West Bund is a beautiful waterfront development packed with activity from early morning till evening. It is also home to The Long Museum West Bund (http://www.thelongmuseum.org/en/page-3-1005.html), which will be visited on another day. A good day filled with friends, food, lazing in the park, playing uno and interesting conversations with strangers. Fell in love with this lovely pavilion in The West Bund. Delicate proportions and a beautiful visage. Yes I know, the photograph could have been framed better. #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #architecture #design #publicspace #outdoors #picnic #sunday #westbund #thelongmuseum #longmuseum #friends #food #conversation...

Tianzifang turned out to be the HKV of Shanghai. That's all that I can say...phew... Did you notice the juice-in-a-blood-bag packaging? #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #architecture #design #publicspace #outdoors #tianzifang #hkv #hauzkhasvillage #crowded

We finally saw "Universe of Water Particles in the Tank" by teamLab at the "Tank Shanghai" ( IG page ) today. The space within the tank was enthralling and I'd love to have a look at the projection setup :) "A group of decommissioned oil tanks, a pool for fire-fighting, and the site they sit on - previously Longhua airport on a prime stretch of Huangpu River, are preserved and transformed into an urban park. The tanks are turned from containers of oil to containers of art and life." Link to Project Page This site is destined to become an important public space for the city. The surrounding area is still developing and the venue itself is only partly commissioned. We also visited the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Arts Centre however, they do not allow photography so... http://www.shanghaipropagandaart.com/ #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #architecture #design #urban #publicspace #outd...

In a moment of inspiration, partly fueled by the utter lack of organisational response, I decided to make good use of Monday by visiting museums in the city. As luck would have it, I realised they were closed on Monday, only after getting there :) So, Tuesday followed with a visit to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Centre (SUPEC). It is dedicated to urban planning with an in-depth focus on the history and growth of Shanghai. A major part of the museum also delves into the evolution and future of urban planning globally, transportation, sustainability, geology, etc. The view from the top floor of the SUPEC was spectacular too. The pièce de résistance though was a scale model of the core city of Shanghai, occupying almost an entire floor. It was fun trying to identify whatever little of the city I was already familiar with. #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #architecture #design #urban #planning #urbanplanni...

We finally fulfilled our Tourist Dharma today by visiting Nanjing (W) Road and the Bund. The area has some iconic historical buildings but that will need another day of exploration. The interesting bit was spotting a store selling traditional Chinese musical instruments where a sweet girl played the Chinese Zither for us and it was mesmerising. The Oriental Pearl TV Tower was seen and dutifully photographed. Lunch was rounded off with a lovely shrimp dumpling in soup. The highlight of the day though, was having kadak desi chai at an Indian restaurant :) #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #publicspace #outdoors #architecture #design #thebund #zither #history #dumplings #indian #kadak #desi #chai