Case 8.
Jinsong Community, Beijing
Background
Jinsong Community is located around Beijing CBD. It was used as a staff dormitory for workers after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Now 40 years have passed. The 56 old communities are in sharp contrast with the surrounding office CBDs, and the population is aging seriously.
Site: 48,000 sqm
FAR: 2.0
Building coverage: 30%
Building height: 6 storeys
Source: Baidu.com
Community Impression
Parking Issue
Since the issue of private cars was not considered in the design, there is no pre-designed parking lot in the community, and parking is basically a problem.
Private Construction on The Ground Floor
There are many privately built houses on the ground floor, some as private gardens, and some as extensions of living space. This phenomenon has existed for decades.
Residents Like to Keep Animals
Many residents in the community like to keep animals, especially pigeons and dogs. Due to lack of management, pigeon cages often interfere with neighbors' lighting, and noise problems often cause headaches to neighbors.
Self-organized Activities Exist
There are also some traditional activities in the community. For example, in winter and Qingming Festival, residents of the community will spontaneously burn paper for their dead relatives. These activities have existed for nearly a thousand years.
Lack of Accessible Facilities
The community is in disrepair, lacks public activity venues, and many facilities cannot meet existing standards, resulting in a poor living experience.
Source: Author
Folk Activities
Keep a Pet & Community Garden
Pigeon rearing originated from the Eight Banners disciples who had nothing to do after the Manchus entered the customs, and it continued until the liberation. For a long time, raising pigeons was a fashion, and pigeons and pigeon whistles were a symbol of old Beijing. The neighborhood also has dogs and ducks, but the excrement from these animals impacts the neighborhood's appearance. The neighborhood also has dogs and ducks, but the excrement from these animals is causing impacts to the neighborhood's appearance. Residents of the district formed their own garden, each family can choose a plot to plant their own house plants, but needed to guard against passers-by people.
Keep a Pet & Community Garden
Burning Paper Money
People burning paper for a long history, especially in winter and Qingming Festival, but the government regards paper burning as a bad thing and does not regulate and guide people. Jackpot machines, pet dogs and cats, petrol kiosks, an array of foreign currency, fast food meals, or even condominium blocks – there is almost nothing that one cannot get from the market.
Burning Paper Money
Private Construction
Due to the early construction time, the community has not met the existing norms of various supporting facilities, a variety of privately built houses have sprung up, constituting a new landscape of the community.
No Habitable
The first kind of the ground floor is built as a function of not living, mainly to put miscellaneous things and as a garden, and the wall is very high, and there is no communication with the outside world.
Habitable
The second type of ground floor is built to be used as living space, either for rent or for self-occupancy, but the conditions are usually too rudimentary to meet existing codes. Due to the design time being relatively long, the existing household type can no longer meet the people's life, additional rooms can be used as a new space. Sunlight, ventilation, privacy problems; serious theft problems; serious fire problems; short-term renters and permanent residents have different needs; cooking and toilet sharing problems.
Mix Used / Used as a Community Living Room
The third type of ground floor build is used as a community living room, where the concept of indoor and outdoor is blurred and people can communicate and play freely. The private building on the first floor was built as a community living room, where people can be seen relaxing and interacting with each other.
No Habitable Space
Habitable Space
Community Living Room
Summary of Issues
Due to the early construction time, the community has not met the existing norms of various supporting facilities, a variety of privately built houses have sprung up, constituting a new landscape of the community. In addition, residents' activities such as pigeon rearing, burning paper money, and encircling private gardens, have occupied the public and communal spaces, and made the community environment more chaotic.
Relevant Toolkits
This case is relevant with the following toolkits.
Relevant Standard 3. Draft Apartment Design Guide: Creating great apartments Draft for discussion 2021.
Relevant Standard 4. Draft Urban Design Guide: For urban design developments in NSW Draft for discussion 2021.
Relevant Standard 6. National standard of the people's Republic of China GB50180-2018: Standard for urban residential area planning and design.
Relevant Standard 7. National standard of the people's Republic of China GB50096-2011: Design code for residential buildings.