2024 Skyscraper Competition
Honorable Mention

YiWei Chen
China

Urbanization is a dynamic evolution in which old buildings are inevitably metabolized to give rise to new ones. Whether they are metabolized or how they are metabolized, these heritage sites constitute the unique historical memory of the cities they inhabit, reflecting the urban landscape and cultural environment of their respective eras. Therefore, how do we decide which heritage sites in our cities should be metabolized or preserved? How do we define protected buildings? Determine protection levels? And who should define them? Is it the government, experts, or citizens? What criteria should be used to measure and evaluate them?
From the past to the present, most heritage sites that have disappeared from our history have permanently vanished, with only a few remnants remaining as ruins. Therefore, in our study of urban historical processes, we often have to piece together their outlines through fragmented literature. However, every building that has existed is part of the city and its cultural environment, and each has its value for protection and research. But our physical space, in its limited dimensions, cannot preserve all the buildings that have ever existed in the city. Read the rest of this entry »