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An architectural firm in downtown Schenectady is sowing more
seeds in the fertile fields of China.
Synthesis LLP is one of five firms that qualified for the
final round of judging in a competition to design a waterfront
for tourists along 9.3 miles of the Ancient Yellow River in
Suqian, a city of 400,000 in Jiangsu province. The project
would enable people to walk or drive along the river.
A planning and design team led by Synthesis survived the
first cut of the design competition, which drew 250 firms
from around the world. The final submissions are due July
31; the results are expected to be announced in late August.
The winning entry will receive $160,000.
Ultimately, it will be up to the Suqian government to pick
the design that will be used on the waterfront, said Chuen-Feng
"C.F." Lee, an associate at Synthesis.
If Synthesis is chosen, it will be the second time in two
years that the Jay Street firm has won a design competition
in China. In late 2004, Synthesis' design was chosen for a
"city within a city" that would be built in Qidong,
a city of 1.5 million that's 30 miles north of Shanghai, across
the Yangtze River.
The Chinese government is building bridges and a tunnel
linking Shanghai with Qidong, which would reduce the driving
time from four or five hours to one hour. The "Royal
Park City" designed by Synthesis is meant to handle the
influx of new residents into Qidong.
Located on a 250-acre parcel, Royal Park City would have
a traditional street grid with a park at the center, office
buildings, apartment complexes and green spaces along the
perimeter. Although Synthesis won the competition, Lee said
the Chinese government has delayed the project. He has heard
the land will be auctioned and then the ball will start rolling.
"I have to see it to believe it," said Lee, who
was born and raised in Malaysia, graduated from Ohio State
University and speaks fluent Chinese.
Lee has been instrumental in laying the groundwork for the
firm's work in China. It's an opportunity to tap into the
booming economy in Asia that John Senisi, a principal at the
20-member firm, has been aggressively pursuing.
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