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Photo of the Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou.  (designed by SOM) SM&W services include Acoustics and Audiovisual

 

When I travel for extended periods of time, people often ask me “How do you do it?”  Well, I guess I’m used to it.  In 1990, SM&W opened its first international office in Asia.  I’ve spent over 20 years traveling abroad, whether for business and marketing meetings, or simply visiting one of our many offices around the world.  Many times, I am traveling for weeks at a time, spending 3-4 days in each city and attending up to 5 appointments in a day.  During my recent trip, I remained in China for a month, spending 2 weeks each in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

I always look forward to spending time with our Chinese staff.  It has become somewhat of a tradition to have an office dinner during my visit.  Employees will get together, about 30 people, and head out to one of the many delicious dining options in the area.  For those who have never dined in China, a typical Chinese meal is around 8 courses.  I find myself eagerly getting up in between courses to update the staff on scenarios going on all over the firm.  Needless to say, our Chinese staff is pretty well informed by the end of our dinner.

 

Dinner with Shen Milsom Wilke’s Shanghai staff

 

I had the pleasure of taking the train to Guangzhou, located about 120 km northwest of Hong Kong, to visit with an American architect.  We discussed the new expansion design for the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.    In 2010, the Guangzhou Airport was China’s 2nd busiest airport.  When the expansion is completed, the airport will be able to handle 75 million passengers and more than 2.17 million tons of cargo a year.  That’s pretty impressive!  I spent the remainder of the time in Guangzhou taking pictures and visiting many SM&W projects along the way.  One of the most satisfying things to me about traveling overseas is seeing the architecture of our projects up close.

 

Hong Kong Government Headquarters (designed by Rocco Design)  SM&W services include Audiovisual and IT.

Control Room inside the Hong Kong Government Headquarters

Legislative Council Chamber inside the Hong Kong Government Headquarters

 

 

During the rest of my stay in China, I spent some time exploring the rail infrastructure and was blown away by how advanced it was.  Rail transport is the most commonly used mode of long-distance transportation in China, and the rising demand and need to increase capacity has prompted the railway network to grow to 110,000 km by the end of 2012.  One thing that I appreciated was the platform screen doors.  Unlike railways in the US, the China rails have a glass wall continuing the entire length of the platform that only open up when a train arrives in the station.  These doors help to reduce the risk of accidents or falls on the tracks, reduce wind felt by the passengers, improve security, and prevent litter build up on the tracks.  They also improve climate control on the platform.  Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning are more effective when the station is physically isolated from the tunnel.  After spending the summer in New York’s subway stations, I definitely appreciated the air conditioning!

There was one thing that struck me as unusual about riding the China rails.  I noticed that every time I stepped on a train, people would offer me their seat.  I thought to myself, “Do I really look that old?”  While I did appreciate the courtesy of the other travelers, I decided to act casual.  After all, I am used to the subway stations in New York!

 

Some additional photos from my trip are below:

Interior of the Guangzhau Opera House (designed by Zaha Hadid)  **not an SM&W project

 

Guangzhau Broadcast Tower (China architect) **not an SM&W project

 

Inside the lobby of one of China’s state of the art train stations

 

Looking down into the atrium of a mall.  This is the longest escalator I have ever seen.

 

The scene on a Shanghai subway platform

 

View of the train interior to Guangzhau

 

For all the tea in China, here is a small corner of a Tea Plantation

 

Tennis Stadium in Shanghai.  A good example of advancements in Chinese design are the roof panels on the stadium, which will close automatically when it rains.

 

Ching Chung Koon Temple located in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we approach Marathon Weekend, I am reminded about my great ING New York City Marathon experience in 2009.  It is truly one of the greatest races in the world, and a wonderful way to experience New York City.  Many elements go into this great race some being culture, architecture, and determination.

The culture is portrayed through the 5 boroughs that the race course covers to the individual neighborhoods in those boroughs.  Throughout the 26.2 mile run racers experience the diversity that every neighborhood has to offer.  People from every different background, culture, and country come together to cheer runners on and race in this event.  Runners travel through Latin American neighborhoods, the Hasidic Jewish neighborhood in Williamsburg, and a Polish neighborhood in Greenpoint among many others.

Next, the architecture portrayed throughout the race often mirrors the culture of the neighborhood of which they are located, it is interesting to see the brownstones in Brooklyn vs. the skyscrapers in Manhattan.  There are also other architectural elements that one often overlooks such as bridges, I never noticed the changes in elevation of a bridge much until I ran up the Greensboro Bridge, now I pay more attention to it.  Lastly, the architecture is what one remembers that marks their journey along the race.  There is nothing like running in Queens and seeing the architectural landmarks of Manhattan in the skyline, such as Empire State Building that is in the distance, its almost like a mirage in the desert, since it is last borough of the race.

The race is also about determination.  Determiniation in following a training plan. Determination in making yourself run when its rainy 50^o F weather.  And Determination when you reach mile 21 in the Bronx, when the cheering crowd is sparse, and you start to get tired and sore.  Determination is what gives you that extra push to make it to Central Park to cross that orange line.

Words cannot even describe the experience of this great race, but I hope I at least gave you some insight as to what it is like.

Good Luck to all of the runners running this year!

 

 

P.S. The picture above is one of those parent-child moments when I say, "Dad, please don't take my picture I just ran a Marathon and need a shower" and the parent takes the picture anyway.