SHENZEN, China — December 22, 2021 — On November 11, CTBUH held their 2021 Global Conference with the theme of “The Future City: Addressing Carbon, Climate & Societal Crises” in Sky Concert Hall, No.1 Shenzhen Bay, Shenzhen. The conference focused on the major challenges faced by tall buildings in future urban construction, and shared and discussed the impact of tall buildings on carbon emissions, social equity in the built environment, the impact of the built environment on human health, resilient buildings, urban resilience under climate change, etc.
May Wei, Principal at CRTKL, was invited to attend the conference and delivered a speech entitled “Happiness by Design – An Era of Humanistic in High-density Cities.” In today’s era of the Internet of Everything, how should the job of designing focus on the real needs of individuals? How should the urban complex interconnecting everything reshape the emotional link between people? May Wei said that under the wave of commercialization, designing needs to return to the essence, focus on the varying demands of different users of buildings in different historical backgrounds, and create a space that delivers happiness. Taking the complexes of Shenzhen Gemdale Viseen Tower, CIMC Shenzhen Qianhai Project and Beijing Dongzhimen Mixed-use designed by CallisonRTKL as examples, May Wei shared her thoughts on how to express the connection between people and places through a dynamic system based on eudemonics and the design science. Through the above examples, she vividly expounded the basics of Happiness: The Five Truths -Meaning, Vitality, Delight, Freedom and Engagement.
Meanwhile, May Wei was invited to serve on the CTBUH Awards jury, in the category of Urban Habitat Awards. This specific category award acknowledges that the impact of a tall building is far wider than just the building itself, and recognizes significant contributions to the urban realm in connection with tall buildings.