Des Res in the Desert: the Ordos 100 Project

From Inner Mongolia’s windswept dunes to Shanghai’s coastal marshes, China’s nationwide orgy of construction and increasing prioritization of innovation and creativity are now encouraging more Western architects to head east. With a lucrative building and building design market driven by economic growth, artistic development, and a slew of world class events, the Chinese mainland is now seen as a logical progression for ambitious architectural and engineering companies of all sizes and reputations.

Typical of China’s budding avant garde architectural scene is the Ordos 100 Project in the sand dunes of south-western Inner Mongolia. Ordos is now a rapidly expanding city, funded by Inner Mongolia’s new-found mineral wealth, and needs to expand into the surrounding desert to keep up with the population increase. Ordos 100 is a billion-dollar “cultural district” of this expansion, consisting of one hundred 1000 square-meter luxury villas, each to be designed by an overseas architect, and financed by a wealthy Chinese client. These architects have been personally invited by Swiss “starchitects” Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron (designers of the Olympic Stadium in Beijing), and renowned Chinese artist, architect, and curator Ai Wei Wei.

London-based architectural practice DRDH, one of several UK firms involved in Ordos 100, is experiencing the Chinese construction market for the first time. For David Howarth, a DRDH director, the invitation to participate in Ordos was more than a little unexpected. “We were both surprised and delighted to receive an email from Jacques and Pierre asking us if we wished participate,” he says. “This project is special because of its curation by Ai Wei Wei, who we knew of and admired as both an artist and cultural commentator. The scope for creative freedom and the relative speed of Chinese procurement is an exciting opportunity for an emerging practice like ourselves who are only just beginning to get the opportunities to build on this scale in the UK.”

The 100 Ordos villas are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

Rate this post:

No rating yet