An exploration field trip was undertaken from January 28th to February 4th, 2019, to investigate the first hypothesis that Florence Graezer Bideau and Thierry Theurillat developed in their draft proposal. During that journey, they explored multiples areas selected according to the three main kinds of cultural heritage they have chosen for building their project’s narrative.
On this occasion, they surveyed the following places: the Gulou, Shichahai, Dashilar, Qianmen, Baitasi, Fanjia hutong for the historical districts; 798 and Shougang for the industrial heritage sites; and Genting and Thaiwoo in Zhangjiakou-Chongli for the mountain areas where the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games will take place. Beside these explorations, they also interviewed few Chinese and western architects from several offices in Beijing as well as academics at top universities of the capital city.
This intensive research stay in Beijing allowed them to fine-tune their final proposal to the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). It also allowed them to better understand the ongoing process of urban transformation, and the promotion of cultural consumption.
