many utopias: XINHU PEARL CITY HOUSING DEVELOPMENT, 2001
This project is large enough for the need to resist any singular, and therefore exclusive utopian vision. On the contrary, an assemblage of many utopias (a heterotopia) is the desirable outcome.
Each design issue of this project is considered independently and developed as a clear three-dimensional utopian proposition. Each of these propositions are then treated as an independent layer that will contribute to the final design outcome.
Each of these utopian layers coexists with the other layers, producing an emerging complexity and richness that is beyond any one designer’s ability to conceive or compose. This method is similar to how a city emerges over time. Chaos theory teaches us that complex outcomes will emerge from the interaction of a series of simple and clear elements. The master planning of Xinhu explores this phenomenon.