A Melbourne studio predicts that recent residential and masterplanning wins in China will double its turnover within 12 months.
Victorian architectural firm, Architektonic, is using sophisticated 3D animation technology to clear the language barrier in China.
Practice director Joburt Betadam said that a picture speaks a thousand words. “The Chinese are used to seeing things visually, so they need to be able to visually see what you sell. Once I got this right, things got a whole lot easier.”
Moving into China was a way of “recession proofing” the business for Architektonic, which was a small business with a “limited capacity” to do large projects in Australia, Betadam said.
Focusing on sustainable architecture for the Chinese market, Betadam had to convince his clients that green design is not simply a western idea, he said.
“Looking at traditional Chinese building design it is clear that many sustainable techniques have been used in China for millennia. By demonstrating that their own architecture is very energy efficient we have opened doors. Showing that energy efficiency also generates significant cost savings for building occupants has also been a contributing factor in convincing many Chinese developers to choose sustainable design.”
The Victorian government’s trade missions to China gave Architektonic the introductions it needed, Betadam said.
“We have taken part in every Victorian government construction trade mission in China for the past four years,” Joburt explains. “Operating in China is all about developing relationships, and these events have opened doors and enabled us to be introduced to important Chinese officials that we would never have been able to meet otherwise.”
Since winning their first job in China designing a large residential and commercial development in Tianjin, Architektonic now has offices in Shanghai and boasts a number of major construction projects in its portfolio, including a 50 square kilometre masterplan for the regional city of Nanjing.
