LEARNING CURVE
PETER WILDER
learning curve
By Peter Wilder,
he Innovation Park was
a collaboration between
Wilder Associates, BRE
and Tsingua University, and lies at
the heart of Gui’an New District,
a 1700km 2 new city that merges
Guiyang and Anshun. The scheme,
part of the BRE Global Innovation
Park Network, was set out to
demonstrate new approaches to
surface water management.
Culture and heritage also lie
at the heart of the masterplan,
with historic field patterns
and tea plantation terraces
incorporated into the design.
T
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Landscape Insight | November 2018
PETER WILDER
The visitor center, a design
by Tsingua Holdings Human
Settlement Development Group,
is a modern and passive building
that incorporates local materials
and craft skills into its fabric.
The Innovation Park provides
a platform for collaboration
between Government, Academic
and Industry specialists in the
development of new construction
technology.
The biggest challenge for me
was developing ideas that combine
the best of Eastern and Western
design approach. A lot of ideas end
up on the cutting room floor in the
process of arriving at a scheme that
sits well within the context of China
but embodies the sustainability
principles of the West.
Juggling between working
abroad and at home was also
another challenge. When I was
away in China I would also need
to be managing the business in
London as well. I had all of my
admin stuff on our cloud system,
and I was able to keep up with all
the HR, admin timesheets and
marketing. I had a virtual office in
my bag effectively.