German architectural offices in China

Among the crucial things any German architectural firm working in China are expected to contribute, are concepts for sustainability, according to Joachim Wendt, managing director at schneider+schumacher, who talks in a video entitled “Urban Renewal – the Role and Potential of Architecture” produced by Netzwerk Architekturexport (NAX). Alongside Wendt, four NAX sponsored offices also offer insights into working in the Middle Kingdom.

Joachim Wendt discusses collaborating in international teams too. In 2012, schneider+schumacher founded a branch office in Tianjin, followed by another one in Shenzhen in 2019. The collaboration between Frankfurt and China involves precise planning combined with a fast work pace – and it benefits from colleagues’ different cultural perspectives. According to Joachim Wendt, in order to learn from each other, it is essential to organise an exchange of colleagues between locations. Current projects in China include the Shenfang Park research building and the world’s first high-rise data centre, the Qianhai Information Building. Since 2002, Netzwerk Architekturexport has, through networking, offered support to German architectural offices, urban planners, and specialist planners as they gain ground abroad.