CHINESE DESIGNER CAO WEI IS AWARDED WORLD DESING AWARD IN ITALY.

　　Reporter: China songzhuang Net: So what would you say is the difference between foreign and China's urban construction？

　　Cao Wei: The biggest difference is in the time frame from conception to completion of construction. While Chinese design has made many breakthroughs, foreign designers do pay more attention to the pre-program, conceiving and modelling and re-conceiving - not that they do not attach importance to the construction plans and construction process, as well as quality and safety aspects. But in the early stages, the process proceeds deliberately and with discussion and oversight that many Chinese firms find wasteful, but the fact is that if later in the process problems arise, to come back and solve them creates costs in time and materials, etc that are often higher. Abroad there is also the public scrutiny of urban projects which can be a hassle, but it also ensures deliberate and articulate conceptions. Abroad pre-planning often takes a long time, rarely quicker than three years, and sometimes up to a decade. In China there is often a superior’s demand that a project be completed and running within the year, and there is less respect for the need to give designers a relaxed schedule during which phases in overal thinking can be completed. Because superiors in these projects often do not understand the fundamental urban design issues, they are ill-equipped to helpfully comment. Lastly abroad there seems to be a sense of great joy in discovering solutions to particular problems encountered in the pre-design process. I in general these are important aspects for any program design and planning stage, to encourage play and debate and adjustment, and not to see this as wasteful. In terms of the quality of the implementation for the project as a whole there is more time taken.