...non periodic oscillations...

During our trip to Wuyishan, once again, while the "youthful" were busy scaling another mountain peak, I found myself in a beautiful pavilion in a quite zone. As I lay within the pavilion, slowly drifting into a nap, the beautiful geometry of the roof captivated me. How these simple yet elegantly laid out octagons made of wood have stood for hundreds of years, witness to myriad human emotions and activities in the garden. Location: http://bit.ly/2kWR2YT Wiki: http://bit.ly/2m4bDuF #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #wuyishan #architecture #design #construction #geometry #pavilion #space #wood #nature #sustainability

Walking through the Bund area, along the side streets is highly recommended. Free from the insane crowd and extremely suffocating retail outlets, one can savour the juxtaposition of the old and the new as well as have the space to stand peacefully without being pushed aside. Everywhere you turn, you witness the constant conflict between the heritage and the effort to preserve it while the New gradually imposes itself in a bid to make its presence felt. There is a character in these buildings that reaches out to the soul even after so many years that no glass box can compete with. The raging debate of our time though is how long should we cling on to the past, and at what expense? Sometimes, annihilating the old and building anew may be the prudent thing to do. Then again, who am I to say what those with the means should do? #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #architecture #design #...

The privilege of being in my position is the freedom to explore the city on a working day. While it may sound very appealing, the need for constant and varied mental stimuli can quickly take the sheen off this. A weekday morning stroll through Nanjing West till The Bund without the maddening crowd gave me an opportunity to savour some Baozis (steamed buns with varied filling | http://bit.ly/2ksbTDh) and Jianbing (Chinese crepe/flapjack/burrito | http://bit.ly/2m256jS) as well as the time to appreciate the physical space and little details. The one thing I hate about this breakfast is the insane amount of single use plastic that is used. Imagine one plastic bag for (usually) one Baozi! Although the Nanjing West commercial area was not crowded I was a bit surprised to see so many people on The Bund promenade in the morning. Tourists, locals, school children practicing song & dance routines for the National Day (I think), fashion photography, jogger...

I attended the Better Water campaign launch in Shanghai by Green Initiatives (https://bit.ly/2DMnuDC) and I was very happy to see the level of engagement from the audience. I believe that lack of safe and hygienic public drinking water sources is one of the biggest contributors towards sale of bottled water. We must work towards engaging governments and businesses to setup safe drinking water refill points for people who carry their own reusable water bottles. This will encourage more people to reduce their consumption of single use plastic bottles, improve community engagement and raise awareness about the dirty business of bottled water. #architecture #design #sustainability #innovate #business #water #community

Labour Day holidays in China have led us to Moganshan, which seems like Himachal, with Chinese voices. Quiet, peaceful and lush green, it is just three hours from Shanghai and surprisingly, not crowded. Getting here was a task for us though, what with unexpected "numerical" errors and stuff but as they say, "all's well that ends well". I'm unsure why but the packaged crockery is interesting. The Hangzhou Train Station is designed to impress although I feel the finish quality could have been better. Oh, they really need to ensure that the toilets are functioning. #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #architecture #design #sustainability #moganshan #labourday #himachal #hangzhou #reduce #reuse #recycle 

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

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...

A nice open space with warm sunshine is more than one can ask for in a city where the weather is as unpredictable as the road user in Delhi. Except, maybe, a cup of hot chai to enhance the warmth? #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #publicspace #outdoors #architecture #design #sustainability #chai #sunshine #delhi

Cycles are ubiquitous in China. Shanghai has a number of app based, shared cycle services which are quite popular. I spotted a “Doodhwala” cycle too. This surplus also means that people don’t value it as much as they should. One can frequently see cycles knocked over while someone tries to park or take out their cycle. Best part is, they will leave it as is - very desi! The yellow cycle has been stripped of parts and left on the pavement itself. Also saw someone’s cycle with a nifty detail for carrying drinks.  #shanghai #newadventures# explorechina# nonperiodicoscillations #ontheroad #roadside #cycle #urbanlife #sustainability #surplus #value