On the afternoon of September 22, a forum was held at Dinghao DH3 in Zhongguancun with the theme of "Practical Explorations of Urban Renewal in the Post-Epidemic Era". It was co-organized by Nikken Design and Beijing Dinggu Dinghao Industrial Co., Ltd. The forum was also the Second Urban Renewal Alliance Forum held in Beijing, and one of the activities held in the warm-up phase of Urban Renewal Week. This forum invited Kenichiro Nakatani, executive director of Nikken Design, Naoki Morii, design director at Architectural Design Headquarters, and Wang Rongfang, general project manager of SDP Investment Management as guest speakers to discuss and share knowledge regarding urban renewal and innovation through the lens of the Dinghao Building renovation project.

Kenichiro Nakatani, Presenter

The event began with Kenichiro Nakatani of Nikken Design sharing a presentation called "Changes in Japan's Real Estate Market after the Bubble Economy and Their Impact on Design and Development." From 1990 to 2000, Japan's real estate prices experienced a decline that lasted for over a decade, which had a huge impact on all of society and the economy. Subsequently, the era of stock development began in Japan, and expectations of real estate value gradually returned to rationality as they shifted from reliance on the capital market to reliance on the performance of the actual product. The product value and profitability of buildings had to be improved through upgrades and renovation, which has the side effect of making the entire area more appealing. This trend also puts forward new requirements in terms of the design thinking and transformation capabilities at architectural design companies. New buildings also must be prepared for rainy days, and must fully consider the building's full life cycle costs and their potential for upgrading and renovation.

Naoki Morii, Presenter

Using the renovation of Dinghao Building as an example, Naoki Morii of Nikken Sekkei gave a comprehensive and systematic examination of how the original electronics mall was transformed into a high-end office building that meets modern requirements in aspects such as project background and design logic. Nikken Design's renovation methods give old buildings new commercial and social value. By connecting these buildings with subway stations and other neighborhood amenities, they lay a solid foundation for upgrading and transforming the entire Zhongguancun core. They try to use single leverage point of architectural renovation to promote urban renewal across the board. Naoki Morii also discussed the new model of TOD+ urban renewal. The Dinghao Building renovation project will also compete in the final selection of this year's WAF Architecture Awards, from which we hope to hear good news.

Wang Rongfang, Presenter

The 14th Five-Year Plan in 2021 elevated urban renewal to a national strategy for the first time. As a model city for urban renewal, the nation's capital city, Beijing, officially implemented the "Beijing Urban Renewal Regulations" on March 1, 2023. The renovation of Dinghao and the Jingyin International Center are projects that were implemented before the relevant policies came into force. The experience and practices gained through this process have played a guiding role in defining urban renewal policies. Wang Rongfang, general project manager at SDP Investment, was present for the entire renovation process of Dinghao and the Jingyin International Center. Wang Rongfang's presentation gave a detailed account of their experience and issues encountered during the renovation and urban renewal project from the perspective of an owner, and also covered their experiences cooperating with foreign design offices on similar projects.

Discussion Salon

At the discussion salon, the final stage of the event, Lu Zhongxiao, executive director of the Nikken Design Group, Shao Xiaofei, vice president of Beijing Zhaotai Group and general manager of the Group's Urban Renewal Department, Xu Chen, director of the Sinobo Group Asset Management Department, You Hong, chief engineer of the Urban Renewal Planning Institute under the Beijing Academy of Urban Planning and Design, and Jin Tianyi, deputy chief architect at Beijing Victory Construction Engineering held a discussion under the guidance of panel chair Wang Hao, executive vice president of Peking University's Institute of Land and Space Planning and Design. The guests expressed their full confidence in the Dinghao renovation project. As they shared their own insights and experiences regarding design and urban renewal, they spoke in-depth about Beijing's future urban renewal by comparing it with other cities and gave excellent suggestions.

Group photo of attendees